14 Best Fonts for Signs [+6 To Avoid]

Making a sign is serious business, no matter what you need it for (building letters, branding, etc.). One of the most important choices will either make your sign a success or make you rethink some design choices. The choice: the font.

There are two types of fonts to choose from: serif and sans serif. Serif fonts have small lines or extensions at the ends of their strokes, such as Garamond and Times New Roman. They are considered easier to read in long-form copy, so they are common in books and other printed materials.

Sans serif fonts don’t have those lines or extensions and include typefaces such as Helvetica and Franklin Gothic. Due to their sleek look, they are common in signage and digital copy.

Impact Signs, as the leading experts in style and design, is in the business of making sure you are happy with your sign. That’s why we’ve curated this list of the best fonts for signs to help you make an informed decision.

1. Helvetica

Helvetica is a classic font that’s known to stand the test of time. It’s a popular choice for design projects for a variety of reasons, including its legibility and professional and creative appearance. Part of its popularity may stem from the fact that it’s officially been the typeface for the New York Subway since 1989.

As a classically used font, it automatically conveys a professional-like reputation due to its popularity. It’s a simple and legible font with a successful track record. If other options aren’t working, it’s a great font to fall back on.

2. Franklin Gothic

Franklin Gothic is a great way to give your design some heft and impact that stands out. It was designed by Moris Fuller Benton for the American Type Founders (ATF) sometime in 1904.

It’s a serif-style font, which means it’s a font that has small strokes at the end of longer strokes. As such, it emphasizes the details on your signage and looks great as an all-caps headline. 

The kerning, or the spacing between the individual letters, is elegant and visually pleasing, as evidenced by the Showtime Networks Logo. Some might consider the spacing squashed and the letters too close together. That said, depending on your planned design and layout, Franklin Gothic may be the font you need.

3. Garamond

Named after a 16th-century Parisian designer, Claude Garamond, the Garamond font is a popular and easy-to-read typeface that’s still widely used today. Its legibility and style are often used for house numbers as they can be seen clearly from the street. Other popular uses for Garamond are for smaller prints such as book and magazine texts. 

4. Bodoni

Giambattista Bodoni was an Italian printer looking to create a more modern style font in the late 18th century and created something new. Although well-liked, its popularity dropped sometime in the 19th century but has been a fixture for signs since then.

One of the best font options to use for signs is Bodoni. It’s an interesting font as it combines both thick and thin strokes in the lettering, creating a contrast that attracts the eye. Some luxury brands, such as Vogue and Zara, use Bodoni as their official logo font due to its unique yet professional look. 

5. Futura

As part of the new modernist movement sometime in the 1920s, Paul Renner designed Futura, a new font for the New Frankfurt Project. Since its release, it has remained a popular choice for brands like IKEA (until 2010). More impressively, it’s the font that was chosen to be used on the plaque by the Apollo 11 astronauts.

For signage fonts, Futura is a sans-serif font, which is a font that has fewer strokes and lacks the extended features of serif fonts. Futura has a specific and pronounced geometric design that has risen in popularity over the years. 

It’s often used when small text is required as it’s easy to read but has been growing in popularity as the font for larger signs. Its timeless design means your sign will look out of this world!

6. Trajan

If you’re looking for an elegant font that’s proven to be well-suited for any kind of sign, then Trajan might be what you’re looking for. Created for Adobe in 1989 by Carol Twomby, it’s routinely used for professional signs and movie posters. 

Its simple and bold typeface presents a confident statement that isn’t too difficult to read. If there was any negative feedback on this font choice, it would have to be that it’s used a lot. However, if you’re putting LED lights or reverse channel letters on your sign, Trajan would make it both legible and pop.

7. Architectural

Architectural is a custom font designed specifically for architectural signage, so you can count on it to make a statement. It’s perfect for beautiful cast metal letters or cut metal lettering. 

The subtle serifs and clear strokes make the letters readable from afar while still making a classic statement. When used in cast metal letters, Architectural creates a prismatic face for even more of a 3D effect. 

8. Clarendon

Originally designed as a metal typeface, Clarendon was designed in England in 1845 by Robert Besley. It was named after the Oxford printing press of the same name where the King James Bible was housed. After its creation, it was the first font to be patented and has since been used many times over.

Clarendon is that perfect combination of chunky, bold, and rustic. It’s a simple font that’s easy to read and even easier to find, as it’s a classic mainstay for font choices. For a simple, readable font that doesn’t sacrifice style, Clarendon is a top choice for any sign.

9. Myriad

Created in the early 90s as part of the Adobe Originals package, Myriad has been a staple typeface for decades. Myriad is similar to Clarendon as a sans-serif font but is less chunky with thinner lines. As such, it’s a neutral typeface with the potential for many uses, such as Walmart’s logo. It is simplistic, easy to read, and a great choice for signage.

10. Gotham

Gotham was designed in the aughts to honor the architectural designs of the 20th century. With its broad designs and visible appearance, it’s been a popular choice for signs since its creation. In 2007, Gotham’s popularity rose as the choice for former President Barack Obama’s signature font for the election and became a fixture of his White House communications well after. For anyone looking for modern signage ideas, the Gotham font is a classic that won’t be beaten.

11. Times New Roman

Times New Roman font was first used in the October 3, The Times. Stanley Morison and Victor Lardent designed it specifically to be highly legible while saving space to squeeze more text into a line, making it more economical for newspaper publishers and cementing its popularity in newsprint, books, reports, and office documents. Its use adds a sense of tradition and authority, making it perfect for signage.

12. Open Sans

Open Sans is a sans-serif font that was specifically made for Android devices in 2011. As a modern font, one of the benefits of choosing Open Sans for your design is that it is easily recognizable and able to stand out. It’s legible, stylish, and modern, with many considering it one of the best font designs today.

13. Ribbon

Ribbon is another font unique to architectural signage. Created initially for cast metal letters and cut metal lettering, the font is simple yet elegant with a contemporary feel. When used in cast metal letters, Ribbon creates a unique, extra deep look. When used outdoors, the sunlight creates a subtle shadow that gives even more depth while maintaining readability.

14. Kabel

Kabel is a unique font that combines calligraphic and classical influences to create a geometric sans serif font. Designed in 1927, the font has a modern and elegant feel, making it popular for copy in logos, fashion, and pop culture. It was recently re-released as Neue Kabel to make it more contemporary with more weights and features.

6 worst fonts for signs

Although the customer may always be right in matters of taste, if you’re asking our opinion, these are the fonts that you should actively avoid.

• Script fonts
• Decorative fonts
• Brush Script
• Coppergate
• Papayrus
• Comic Sans

These fonts are considered the worst choices because they are often overused, unreadable, or not visually pleasing on a sign. Conversely, you want a stylish and legible sign that draws the eye but can be read and understand the sign.

There can be some uses for these fonts under specific circumstances, but you should exhaust all other options before making your choice. We can help with your decision and offer plenty of font and design options for your sign.

Factors to consider when choosing a sign font

If you’re suffering from choice paralysis, take a step back and consider the following factors:

• Brand Guidelines: Do you have certain rules you or your company have to follow? If so, accurately following the brand guidelines is necessary.
• Purpose: Ask yourself how the font choice can help with the message you’re trying to convey.
• ADA Requirements: The Americans with Disability Act requires fonts to be accessible to people with disabilities. The ADA has a list of fonts that are accessible to everyone.
• Consistency: If there’s a preferred font you or your company use for signs, consider going with that one. Consistency can often make a sign look better when compared to others.
• Even Kerning: Take into account the spacing between the individual letters of the font. Some may be too far apart or too close together.
• Legibility: If your choice of font makes it hard to read your sign, then maybe that’s not the right choice. 
• Personality: Some fonts can add some flair and make your sign pop.
• Sign Size: Your sign can only handle so many words, and that’s before a crazy font makes everything too big. Take the size of your sign into consideration.

Whatever your needs, remember to take into account what you need it for above all else. A font that works for a memorial plaque might not fit what you need for an office name sign.

Choose the best font for your plaque

In our experience, the most preferred fonts for traditional plaques are Architectural, Times New Roman, and Garamond, while the most popular fonts for modern plaques are Futura, Ribbon, and Kabel.

When all is said and done, your choice is the only one that matters. Take a look at our standard font list and find one that works for you. You can pick from all sorts of fonts, sizes, colors, and finishes to match your brand’s unique style.

Impact Signs is ready to help you if you ever find yourself stuck on a choice. Contact us for a quote or to go over the options and what we think is the best font for your sign.