Sheridan McCarthy

Put the best (type)face on your organization.

If all of the written materials you produce—brochures, grant proposals, letters— were laid side by side with your organization’s name and logo covered over, would they still be recognizably yours? If your organization is like most, probably not. Your materials are likely the result of several writers, writing at different times, each with a different idea about what looks good.

Yet a unified, consistent look is probably the single most potent way to impress others with your written materials. It conveys competence, confidence, and professionalism— important impressions to leave with clients, funders, and the public.

The quickest and cheapest way to unify your publications and correspondence is with a single typeface, or font. How do you choose a font that captures the characteristics you want to convey? Visit Daniel Will-Harris’ “Esperfonto” page on his website for a great tool, at www.will-harris.com/esperfonto. Choose among characteristics that appeal to you, such as “traditional,” “warm,” or “modern” and click. A moment later you’ll have several font names to try. You may have these font already installed on your computer. If so, type a few lines and see how you like them. If not, visit the International Typeface Corporation’s site at www.itcfonts.com and search. You can download new fonts, generally for a modest price. Begin using the new font right away with new writing, and gradually replace older publications as you can. Over time, you will see your new look begin to solidify and become recognizably yours. And so will your readers.

There is one fly in the ointment. If you choose an uncommon font and send documents electronically, the recipient may not see the font you’ve chosen. For this reason, you may want to reserve a very common font such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Verdana, for electronic correspondence, and the font that is more uniquely yours for things you print yourself or have done professionally.

Sheridan McCarthy, a freelance communications consultant, manages CAMEO’s publications. She can be reached at sheridan@larkonline.net or (541) 602-1470.