Best Typeface (font) to use for direct mail piece?

Bruce Wedding

16 years ago

A serif like Helvetica or Times New Roman, for all

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seolytics

16 years ago

Interesting - this is good input because I normally dislike using serif fonts in my comms because of design reasons.

I normally try to dress up my comms to look a little more interesting than the normal 'letter template' style.

Thanks for the input - I may go ahead and make a poll

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perryny

16 years ago

[DELETED]

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MikeHumphreys

16 years ago

Personal preference rarely matters for font style, layout, and color schemes... at least it doesn't if you want to get maximum sales.

Look at your target market and that will determine your best used font, layout, and color schemes.

Michel Fortin has a good article that explains the font differences well.

http://www.michelfortin.com/put-your-copy-to-the-test/

Hope that helps,

Mike

P.S. The latest direct mail piece that I wrote used Courier font for the body and Impact, Times New Roman, and Arial for the headlines/subheads. The mailer pulled $70K in the first 3 days alone, so anyone who tells you direct mail is dead is LYING.

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Rezbi 16 years ago

Originally Posted by MikeHumphreys

so anyone who tells you direct mail is dead is LYING.

I don't think they're lying, they just don't know what they're talking about.

Too many people base what they say on personal opinions instead of looking at the reality.
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Jo_Shua

16 years ago

Originally Posted by MikeHumphreys

P.S. The latest direct mail piece that I wrote used Courier font for the body and Impact, Times New Roman, and Arial for the headlines/subheads. The mailer pulled $70K in the first 3 days alone, so anyone who tells you direct mail is dead is LYING.

Very good pull Mike! I love to hear about direct mailing stories like that

And, thank you for that link to Fortin's page. I will go and read that now...

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BrianMcLeod

16 years ago

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ericthered 16 years ago

showoff =)
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- BrianMcLeod 16 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by ericthered
  
  showoff =)
  
  Well, talking about typefaces is sort of like dancing about architecture.
  
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Snlde 16 years ago

Originally Posted by BrianMcLeod

Wow, I think this is an excellent way of putting your point across. A picture speaks a thousand words and that adage is truly reinforced here.

Learning tons of things here.
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Mr. Subtle 16 years ago

Originally Posted by BrianMcLeod

Just a quick note, because few in here know this,... Optima is a sans serif font even though it looks serify (is that a word?)

Some newspapers don't allow ads with body copy set in a serif font. If that is the case, then I'll always go with Optima.
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Johnny12345

16 years ago

- John

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Rezbi

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Johnny12345

- John

Talk about positioning. Brian got there first.

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Johnny12345

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Rezbi

Talk about positioning. Brian got there first.

Yeah, but he used a yellow background. My blue version is so much nicer.

- John

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Mr. Subtle

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Johnny12345

Yeah, but he used a yellow background. My blue version is so much nicer.

Maybe, but...

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Len Bailey 16 years ago

Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle

Maybe, but...

Right you are -- Pretty doesn't help if the eyestrain prevents your prospect from reading the copy and placing the order.
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Johnny12345

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle

Maybe, but...

Subtle,

I apologize if that extra 15% dose of cyan caused you to experience unbearable eyestrain.

My post was in jest. But I can see how a guy who's serious enough about Helvetica to watch a dedicated 90-minute font documentary might have missed that bit of humor.

- John

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Mr. Subtle

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Johnny12345

I apologize if that extra 15% dose of cyan caused you to experience unbearable eyestrain.

My post was in jest. But I can see how a guy who's serious enough about Helvetica to watch a dedicated 90-minute font documentary might have missed that bit of humor.

I got the humor of the post, but I've seen so many websites with sidebars or blocks of testimonials in the middle of copy using tints of cyan at 25% (or more).

My post was just to educate some of the uneducated about screen tints.

Originally Posted by SledgeHammer

Also see:

How to reduce printing costs by selecting the right cost effective font ?

First of all, no one is going to use Century Gothic as body copy in a direct mail piece.

Secondly... the font is also widely reported to use more paper (since its letters are wider), meaning that the savings on ink are offset by an increase in paper costs.

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GaryJBloomer

16 years ago

For headlines? Myriad and Franklin Gothic.
For body copy? ITC Galliard and Garamond.

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Len Bailey

16 years ago

Serif fonts are easier to read in print, while Sans-Serif fonts are easier to read on a computer monitor or t.v. screen. That said, here's what I use ...

------------------
FOR ONLINE COPY

Headline: Impact, regular (i.e., NOT bold), second color (red or dark blue), and as large as will fit on the page; break all multi-line headlines so each line is a complete thought

Deck & Subheads: Arial 14 pt. or Verdana 12 pt., Bold; deck in black; subheads in 2nd color (red or dark blue)

Body: Arial 12 pt. or Verdana 11 pt., regular, black

Sidebar Headlines: Arial 12 pt. or Verdana 11 pt., bold, 2nd color (but not the same 2nd color as subheads)

Sidebar Subheads: Arial 11 pt. or Verdana 10 pt., bold, black

Sidebar Body: Arial 10 pt. or Verdana 9 pt., bold [unless long enough sidebars are used - then use regular], black

FOR PRINT/DIRECT MAIL

Headline: Impact, regular (i.e., NOT bold), second color (red or dark blue), and as large as will fit on the page; again, break all multi-line headlines so each line is a complete thought

Deck & Subheads: Impact, regular, 14 pt., Bold; deck in black; subheads in 2nd color (red or dark blue); [NOTE: Occiasionally, I will use Times New Roman, Bold, 14 pt. or Courier New, Bold, 14 pt.]

Body: Times New Roman 12 pt. or Courier New 12 pt., regular, black

Sidebar Headlines: Times New Roman 20 pt., bold, 2nd color (but not the same 2nd color as subheads)

Sidebar Subheads: Times New Roman 14 pt., Bold, 2nd color

Sidebar Body: Arial 12 pt. or Verdana 11 pt., regular, black

------------------

The above is pretty much what I was given as guildelines when I was first hired by Clayton Makepeace ... but slightly updated and modified based on my own experience.

Hope this helps!

Len

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Mr. Subtle

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Len Bailey

FOR PRINT/DIRECT MAIL

Headline: Impact, regular (i.e., NOT bold), second color (red or dark blue), and as large as will fit on the page;

Poppycock! Impact is rarely used in offline direct mail. Why the heck would any designer use such a lame font when he has access to a plethora of great headline fonts? Offline you're not limited to "web-safe" fonts.

Originally Posted by Len Bailey

Sidebar Body: Arial 12 pt. or Verdana 11 pt., regular, black

Baloney again! There isn't a person anywhere, who labels himself a "graphic designer," who would use the ugly red-headed stepchild Arial (and the "web-safe" Verdana) instead of (the beautiful) Helvetica in the offline world. (It's just one way to spot a NOOB "designer.")

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Len Bailey

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle

Poppycock! Impact is rarely used in offline direct mail. Why the heck would any designer use such a lame font when he has access to a plethora of great headline fonts? Offline you're not limited to "web-safe" fonts.

Baloney again! There isn't a person anywhere, who labels himself a "graphic designer," who would use the ugly red-headed stepchild Arial (and the "web-safe" Verdana) instead of (the beautiful) Helvetica in the offline world. (It's just one way to spot a NOOB "designer.")

Just sharing what's worked for me -- and for Clayton Makepeace.

As for "(the beautiful) Helvetica" ... it ain't about beauty. It's about results. If Helvetica is producing sales for you, great. Glad to hear it! But I wonder if you've ever tested and tracked your results to make sure you aren't leaving money on the table ...

As for WHY you would use Arial or Verdana offline, it's simple: When everything else in the piece is Serif, a Sans-Serif font will stand out -- and that's exactly what sidebars are supposed to do.

FYI: For anyone interested, Clayton Makepeace wrote a good article on graphic design for direct response ... you can read it here:

Copywriting techniques : Direct response graphic design 101 | The Total Package

Here's a couple more articles from his site ...

Designing a direct-mail winner | The Total Package

How to create successful landing pages | The Total Package

What's working today in the world of direct response marketing and copywriting. | The Total Package

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Edk 16 years ago

Ted Nicholas says, Times Roman. In the piece from him he specified Times Roman as distinct from Times New Roman. There, from The Man. And that's straight up.
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Mr. Subtle

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Len Bailey

Just sharing what's worked for me -- and for Clayton Makepeace.

You should have looked at Makepeace's offline stuff closer. Very few of them used Impact in the headline.

Originally Posted by Len Bailey

As for WHY you would use Arial or Verdana offline, it's simple: When everything else in the piece is Serif, a Sans-Serif font will stand out -- and that's exactly what sidebars are supposed to do.

I didn't ask why you would use Arial or Verdana offline. I said there isn't a person out there, who labels himself a "graphic designer," who would use Arial or Verdana offline when he has access to Helvetica. Step outside your house and drive into the city and look at the billboards, signage and logos... most of them are set in Helvetica. A graphic designer isn't going to use Arial (or Verdana). Helvetica in the offline world is like air. It's everywhere you look.

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Mr. Subtle 16 years ago

Speaking of Helvetica, I just remembered I rented this movie from Netflix a couple of weeks ago...

I found it amusing that someone created a 90 minute documentary on a single font. (Arial is mentioned just one time... listen closely or you'll miss it.)
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- Ken Strong 16 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle
  
  I found it amusing that someone created a 90 minute documentary on a single font.
  
  No ****. And I bet you enjoyed every minute of it.
  
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BrianMcLeod 16 years ago

Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle

Poppycock!

YouTube - Prince Poppycock Performs The Figaro...
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Rezbi 16 years ago

Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle

Poppycock!?

Seriously, dude?

You getting tame in your old age?
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Centurian

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle

Poppycock! Impact is rarely used in offline direct mail. Why the heck would any designer use such a lame font when he has access to a plethora of great headline fonts? Offline you're not limited to "web-safe" fonts.

Baloney again! There isn't a person anywhere, who labels himself a "graphic designer," who would use the ugly red-headed stepchild Arial (and the "web-safe" Verdana) instead of (the beautiful) Helvetica in the offline world. (It's just one way to spot a NOOB "designer.")

Helvetica so, but I've been guilty of a judicious use of Impact headline since the 90's in offline pieces. But then I guess that's why I'm typing this lying on my sofa instead of lounging on the beach in Aruba.