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They’re clean and simple as well as powerful, and it’s due to these characteristics that sans serif fonts are the most popular and versatile fonts that exist. For most companies looking for logos, sans serif fonts are where they go because they’re legible and clear. Here are some examples of famous brands that use sans serif fonts for logos:
– Amazon
– Jeep
– Spotify
What are sans serif fonts?
Sans serif fonts are, as their name denotes, fonts that don’t have (sans) serifs. Serifs are small extensions or strokes that exist on some letters in some fonts. For example, on the letter “I” or the leg of the letter “K. There are lots of sans serif fonts like Helvetica, Franklin Gothic, and calibri.
In terms of etymology, the word sans means “without” in French, while serif has a Dutch origin and means “line” or “dash. So, when put together, you have letters without dashes – such is the English language with its mixture of words with unique origins!
One reason for the popularity of sans serifs with brands is because it is easier to read a sans serif font on a screen. Generally speaking, they’re just simpler and clearer.
Serif Vs Sans Serif
When you look at a serif font, they seem a lot more old-fashioned compared to sans serifs, but they are also seen as more formal. Serif fonts are considered good for printed publications. They’ve been used for centuries in this way. The idea behind a serif font is that the lines and dashes guide your eyes for quicker and easier reading. That said, when you’re reading on a screen, which is often smaller than real print, a serif can make a text seem overly complicated.
Here are two images, one contains a serif font, the other contains a sans serif font.
Serif font example on the left, sans serif font example on the right.
Is reading sans serif or serif easier?
There isn’t a straightforward answer to this and it depends entirely on the text. Some people believe that a serif font is easier to read when it comes to longer texts, but others haven’t found this to be true.
For logos or billboards where text is for display, logo makers are favoring sans serif fonts. There are some (like Match and Mailchimp) who are countering the domination of sans serif fonts, however.
Why use sans serif fonts for your branding
San serif fonts are known to be legible and clear so you should always use them when you need information to be direct and clear. They work well for brand identities and are frequent in tech industry brands, sports, fashion, consulting, manufacturing, and the car industry. Furthermore, they’re great for brands who want a minimalist logo. It’s highly likely that you’ve seen brands using the most popular sans serif fonts in their designs. The great news is that there are so many sans serif logo fonts that you’re spoilt for choice.
So, now we know all about sans serif fonts, let’s take a look at the best ones for making a logo. At GraphicSprings, we’ve come up with a list of the 16 best sans serif fonts for you to explore.
1. Helvetica now
This popular sans serif typeface has made it to the top of our best sans serif fonts list because it is so popular. It’s pleasing and powerful, and you’ll have seen it everywhere.
Helvetica Now was released in the spring of 2019 and it’s appeared everywhere ever since. Brands like Jeep and Microsoft are huge companies that use this font for their branding.
2. Proxima Nova
Proxima Nova is a classic sans serif font and is popular with UX designers and logo makers. Spotify uses this font for their artist titles and track listings. It’s also the main typeface used in online media like NBC News, Wired, Mashable, and BuzzFeed.
One reason for Proxima Nova’s popularity is that it’s easy to read on a screen. It’s also seen as friendly. This might be why it’s a common sans-serif typeface.
3. Futura
Believe it or not, Futura dates back almost 100 years to 1927. It’s a great sans serif font, which is based on a circular design. This font is considered to be powerful, modern, and elegant. When Paul Renner designed this font, he wanted to create a modern font – and it still is that even all these years later!
Some famous brands that base their logos on Futura are PayPal, Gillette, Nike, Red Bull, and Domino’s.
4. Jam Grotesque
Though this sounds rather strange, Jam Grotesque is a nice sans serif font that has only been around since 2021.
5. BR Cobane
BR Cobane is a font family with 16 styles. It balances contemporary characteristics with functionality and a modern aesthetic. It is a strong font with familiar classic grotesque qualities. Like Jam Grotesque, this has only been around since 2021. It was published by Brink with Christoph York as its designer.
6. Open Sans
Steve Matteson created Open Sans back in 2010. It is a sans serif font that is clean and legible in both print and digital text. While many graphic designers are falling out of love with Open Sans (only because they see it as the new Arial), it has been a popular font for many brands, including WordPress and Ikea.
7. Qualy
Qualy is a unique and modern font that has a few variations like light, regular and bold. It’s a little bit different from the other sans serifs in our best sans serif list, but it’s certainly worth a mention!
8. Vilane
This simple sans serif font has many options and has been designed to inspire, engage, and captivate clients. It’s ideal for social media branding, packaging, or fashion. It was designed in 2021 by Din Studio.
9. Code Next
Code Next sans serif font is a modern design with 22 weights, 11 italics, and 11 uprights. It’s ideal for modern web and display visuals. It comes ready with Greek, Extended Cyrillic, and Extended Latin characters. It’s one of the more professional sans serif fonts on our list.
10. Monaco
Monaco sans serif was designed by Salih Kizikaya, a Turkish designer. It is a quirky, humanist font that encompasses 7888 glyphs.
11. Spacia font
For lovers of all things futuristic, Spacia sans serif is a modern and unique font that was specially designed to be used in branding, big text, logotypes, and headlines. It’s great for corporate identities, signage, and branding.
12. Bequest
Twinletter designed this vintage-style, classy display font that is great for a variety of graphic design uses. It’s ideal for product design, branding, advertising, social media, and more.
13. Innovate
Innovate was designed by Nickolay Savchuck, a designer from the Ukraine who also goes by Nicolassfont. This no-nonsense font was designed in 2021 and is perfect for brand identity, graphic design, display use, and logotypes.
14. Extatica
If you liked Spacia, you’ll probably like Extatica too. This is a futuristic display sans serif that was released in 2021 by Andriy Konstantynov from Mint Type.
15. Gilmer Sans
This modern and versatile font family is ideal for clothing brands or marketing agencies. This font was created in 2018 and is a robust and durable sans serif font that many logo makers love to use. It’s seen as one of the good sans serif fonts of the modern era.
16. Qanelas Soft
This sans serif is a modern and friendly sans serif font that is ideal for a logo. It’s perfect for streaming companies, gaming, and tech.
Final thoughts
When you’re creating graphics and making logos, sans serif fonts are a great choice – especially if you want impact, clarity, and readability. Sans serifs are fantastic as headlines and logos, which is why so many modern brands use them with success. In this article, we showed you sixteen of the best sans serif fonts for logo design – but there are so many more to explore too. Get started designing your logo today with our logo maker!
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Lukas is part of the content writing team at GraphicSprings, bringing his marketing expertise to the forefront. With a degree in Marketing, he crafts informative articles on social media, branding, and logo design.