There are many instances when you might want your words to have a powerful visual impact. Perhaps you’re making an advert for your small business, perhaps you have a printed design which involves writing. Whatever the reason, knowing how to make your words stand out can be a valuable skill. You want to make sure they not only pull the viewer’s attention, but also convey the meaning that you want them to.
Fonts
The first thing you need to consider is the font that you’re using. A font is the single biggest design choice you’ll make on any piece that involves words, and will be the first thing a viewer notices. If you use the wrong font, then no matter how great the rest of the design is, it won’t have the desired effect.
Different fonts convey different meanings, even before you add other factors such as colours and opacity into the mix. Even a simple plain black phrase can be effective when typed in the right font. Creative Fabrica is a brilliant tool for when you’re looking for the right font for your purpose. Not only is there a huge database of hundreds and thousands of fonts, but you can also search by theme. Type something like ‘cheerful’ or ‘elegant’ into the search bar, and the site will find fonts that fit that concept.
In the example above, you can see how the different fonts are very distinct from each other, both in looks, and the way they convey meaning. When writing a title, a striking, blocky typeface such as Empirez can be used to make the words stand out. However, if you want your words to seem looser, try a more classic font such as Bilderberg. When making designs to be printed on to items, often a fancier font is used, such as a handwriting based font. These can be more aesthetically appealing to potential customers. All the fonts below are available on Creative Fabrica, and some of them are included in this awesome free font bundle.
When deciding on your font, make sure it’s one that is fit for purpose. Consider how you want the viewer to feel when they look at your words, and then ask yourself whether your chosen font evokes that particular emotion. You also want to make sure your font is legible. If you’re working in a smaller space, you may have to revise which font you want to choose, as some are only readable in larger sizes due to the gaps between letters.
Colours and Backgrounds
Once you’ve chosen your perfect font, you need to think about the colour scheme you wish to use. Colours have a huge effect on how a design is perceived, and so it’s important you choose colours that complement your chosen font. Check out this article for tips on picking colours that go together, and to learn more about their meaning.
You can of course choose to go with a minimalist black and white option for your design, but be aware that this could be considered less exciting than something colourful. If you choose to go with colour for your font, then don’t underestimate the importance of choosing the right background. Ideally, you want your background to be in cool colours (blue, green, purple) and your font to be in warm colours (red, orange, yellow) as warm colours draw the eye, however this won’t always be possible.
If you want a cool colour for the font, then consider using a different cool colour for the background, or maybe something neutral such as black, white, or grey. If you’re using a bright colour for the font, then you’ll want a darker background so that your font stands out. If you’re using a darker colour for the font, then consider using a lighter colour for the background.
If you have a plain white or black background, then you could try using multi-coloured letters for the writing. You could even use a gradient if you wanted to. In order to do that, you’ll need to first type your words onto the page in Photoshop. Then, right click on the layer, and select ‘blending options’. That will bring up a selection of editing options, one of which is ‘gradient overlay’. Select that, and fiddle with the settings until you have the gradient you choose. An example is shared below, with the options I selected, and the finished effect. You need the angle set at 180 or 360 if you want the gradient to be horizontal, and you need it set at 90 or 270 if you want a vertical gradient.
Sometimes, you don’t want your words to be the main focus of a project, and they’ll just be there to accentuate the overall image. In situations like that, try using simple black or white text so that it doesn’t draw attention away from the main design.
Outlines
For designs where you have both a background in mind and a certain colour in mind for the font, you might need to employ some techniques. Let’s say you have a pink, Valentine related background. You might also want pink or red text, but find that it doesn’t really stand out when you type it on to the page. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to compromise on either, instead, you can use an outline to make your text stand out.
To create an outline, you first need to type your desired text. Make sure you use the font you’re planning to have for the final design, as outlines may not work as well with certain fonts. Once your layer is typed, right click on the layer, and select ‘blending options’. That will bring up a selection of editing options, one of which is ‘stroke’. Click on the ‘stroke’ option, and a thin border will appear around your writing. It defaults to black sized 3, but you can adjust the colour and thickness from the options. As you can see in the example, it makes a big difference, and allows you to stick with your preferred colour scheme.
Overall
As you can see, there are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to using words on Photoshop, and it’s not just a simple matter of typing them on to the page. It can also take practice to learn what works and what doesn’t, so why not play around with the different techniques mentioned in this article? And do browse the incredible font library at Creative Fabrica, as you never know when inspiration will strike!
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