We live in an age where it is not only possible to select terrific fonts and lettering for your church, it is downright easy. For that reason alone, there is no excuse for not giving attention to this meaningful way to represent your church and the Gospel.
In 2020, branding means everything, and a memorable font goes a long way towards branding effectively. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a good chance that the first exposure to your church was through vehicle traffic driving by the building or through social media. Now, there is little doubt that this by far is the primary experience with your church for both members and visitors. Knowing this to be the case, associating your church with a recognizable font that is pleasing to the eye could mean getting the message out effectively or not.
2020’s Top 15 Fonts
Here’s the list you’ve been waiting for! Below are the top 15 fonts for church media right now:
Why Is a Font So Important?
Some will ask if this conversation even matters in the grand scheme of things. The Gospel of Christ is unchanging and eternal, so why do we have to worry about what fonts are current?
“Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” –Matthew 9:17
An outdated font can mean your church looks outdated, and no one is interested in going to an outdated church. When we look at a church we look for a place that is relevant to our lives. Something as simple as a good font reflects that we care about how we present the Gospel, how we present ourselves, and it visually draws us in to the good news we have to share.
Think about some of the most recognizable fonts:
The NFL.
Disney.
Facebook.
Reeses.
Coca-Cola.
The TV show Friends.
The list goes much further, but you get the idea.
Without even realizing it, we associate the font with the name. The lettering itself carries the message being sent, and the way the letters are presented creates out response to the organization itself.
What Fonts are Churches Using Right Now?
I worked with Church Media professional Ruth Soroski to dig into what is trending and effective in 2020. After doing some research and surveying others, we found some common elements exist in the top 15 fonts.
Sans Serif Is In
If you are not familiar with this ‘sans’ is a word that simply means without. Shakespeare used it this way, “My love for thee is sound, sans crack or flaw”. ‘Serifs’ are just those little lines that hang off the edge of a letter, like the old typewriters used to create.
All to say that with a few exceptions, serifs are out and Sans Serif is in. The sleek, simple lines of Sans Serif fonts flow better across the board in the digital environment, and give a sense of felling modern and refined.
Upper Case, Lower Case, and a Mix of Both
Many of these current fonts are ones that work well in either upper or lower case. We have all received that uppercase email where IT FEELS LIKE THE PERSON IS SHOUTING. The best fonts share the trait of being uppercase without the angry feel.
At the other extreme, there are several churches that have adopted the ‘all lower case all the time’ approach, where even proper nouns such as the church name are devoid of capital letters.
As you develop your own style and feel for your church’s font, it goes a long way to spend some time deciding what best represents your church and sticking with it for a bit! Your font helps to solidify your church identity, so changing it every few weeks is ineffective. Remember that people scrolling social media won’t stay on your post for long, so make sure the font says exactly who you are with just a glance.
Fonts are not everything, but they are often the first experience with your church media. All of these fonts give different feelings of elegance, condensed appearance, and flexibility.
