Typography trends: Bringing text to life in 2023

Dear Reader, 

Are you one of these people who always carefully pick the fonts they use in writing or design? Or are you on the side of “I don’t mind the look of letters as long as I am able to read them.‘? 

Either way, you might be curious about where typography comes from and how it translates into digital design trends for 2023. 

If so, read on.

Typography is an essential component of UI design. It is so much more than simply picking a beautiful font. It needs to be the right font and it has to be applied in the right way. 

Why is it important? Well, that’s a great question, and here’s the justified answer (or answers, if you will).

1. Typography helps brand recognition

As a starter, typography is one of the innate and recognizable visual features of your brand. A vital element of your brand identity. Needless to say that it helps your clients set your products and services apart from your competitors’ ones. 

2. Typography attracts and keeps attention

Clever and well-thought-out typography catches the consumer’s eye and keeps them interested in what you have to say. Considering that 90% of the information we consume is visual, It may be a good time to start thinking about the fonts you use on your website and ensure the text arrangement is visually appealing. This could be why someone sticks around your website for hours instead of just minutes or seconds.

3. Typography sets the environment for a great experience

If you know how to reinforce your message with the help of typography, you’ve discovered a powerful way to influence decision-making. Good typography is a key player in creating a friendly and engaging experience. It establishes a clear visual structure, maintains a balanced design on your website, and sets the right tone for your product. Typography acts as a friendly guide, providing users with the information they need, ensuring readability and accessibility, and ultimately delivering a fantastic user experience.

To look forward sometimes we need to glance back. 

Typography has been around since the 11th century when movable type was invented. Back then, it was all about books, magazines, and public works. One game-changing moment was the Gutenberg Bible, which ignited a typography revolution. The Textura style of type used in that bible still pops up in some dropdown menus today. Talk about a blast from the past!

Nowadays, typography is ruling both the print media and the digital design realm. The internet has sparked a creative explosion, giving designers access to a treasure trove of fonts and type options. This has created a typography landscape like never before!

What is a trend in the design world?

Let’s talk trends – the cool design waves that catch everyone’s attention. They are something that people just can’t help but notice! 

Pay attention that trends don’t always have to be something entirely brand new. Sometimes, they can be old classics making a stylish comeback. Designers have the freedom to ride the trend wave or go against the flow. Typography is like a creative playground inviting everyone to play with their own imagination!

Yet, one crucial aspect remains: selecting typefaces and fonts that align with your brand and ensuring consistency and logical structure in your work.

Typography Trends in 2023: Our Top 3 Picks 

If you are eager to learn more about the latest trends in Type Design, do not miss out on Monotype’s report. What you’ll see below are our top 3 styles of choice.

1. Pixel: Nostalgic Love for Digital Art

Remember those good old days of pixelated bliss? Well, pixel art typography is making a comeback in a romantic flirt with digital art evoking the charm of classic arcade games! Pixel art typography is perfect for video game titles, digital signage, animations, and retro-inspired designs. Arrange those tiny pixels with care and watch your characters and letters come to life! 

Pixel art typography has its roots in early computer systems and video games, where limited graphical capabilities necessitated the use of pixelated fonts. These pixel fonts are typically designed on a small grid, with each pixel carefully placed to form legible characters. 

The charm of pixel art typography lies in its retro aesthetic and the nostalgic appeal it evokes, harkening back to the early days of digital design.

2. The Superhero: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

2023 is the year of action-hero blockbusters. It is action-packed with Indiana Jones, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Mission Impossible franchises returning to the cinema screens worldwide. 

Designers have the exciting opportunity to infuse their creations with the exhilarating optimism reminiscent of Pulp Fiction using superhero-inspired typography. They can embrace retro styles that evoke the Spielberg era, drawing inspiration from beloved classics like Indiana Jones and The Goonies. 

Alternatively, designers can unleash the power of metallic textures and captivating 3D effects to add a dynamic, action-oriented touch to their type designs. The possibilities are endless for creating visually striking and engaging artwork that resonates with audiences. 

3. AI Painting: AI-generated images with letter-like forms 

AI design tools are in their early stages but evolving rapidly. While it may be too soon for AI to paint fonts, it is a space worth watching as AI has the potential to reshape the art and design world. Still, the exact outcome of AI in these fields remains uncertain. Artists are exploring and analysing the opportunities presented by AI, while everything is closely scrutinised. AI holds the promise of accelerating prototyping and ideation, allowing more time for strategic thinking.

When it comes to AI-painted letterforms, they often have a collage-like appearance, with soft focus or smudges where the machine stitched the image together. This does not mean that the final results do not look cool, though. (To understand what we mean, take a moment to explore the captivating banner-creation experiment brought to life by our colleagues at Streameye using Midjourney.)

Well, that’s a wrap! 

Do you already know which typography style best represents your brand? Whether your answer is yes or no, we are confident that we can assist you in creating a compelling visual brand identity.

Let’s write the success story of your brand one type at a time. Get in touch now!