The Use of Fonts for Creative Writing in College

If you have or plan to take a creative writing course in college, then you're bound to be taught the most important ins and outs of what makes a short story, or novel memorable. From grammar and spelling to character development and plot transitions. But, one interesting area of creative writing that deserves a second look is fonts and their use in a story.

Much like color psychology where specific colors can elicit specific emotions, there are specific fonts that are used across a wide array of media, from movies and TV shows, to even their promotional posters. According to Venngage.com in an article on Font Psychology, different fonts have a wide variety of characteristics that have been used to influence a viewer's imagination and first impressions of a product. In alike manner, people with specific personality traits may gravitate towards a certain font. For example, fonts such as Aerial and New Courier are thought of as "stable" and "mature" to some people, while others would considered them to be "unimaginative" or "conformist". On the other hand, fonts such as Kristen and Comic Sans that would be dubbed as "youthful", "comical", "happy", and "cuddly". So if you're writing a heart felt humorous story, then you're bound to use fonts like these to convey the tone in the span of just the title.

The same article goes on to outline exactly which fonts convey which feelings to the viewers. To start, feelings of sadness would be expressed in the fonts Impact, Courier New, and Agency FB. Next, rudeness surprisingly enough, would be expressed in the three fonts Impact, Rockwell Xbold, and Agency FB. Also, feelings of creativity are shown in the fonts Gigi, Kristen, and Rage Italic. Then, more assertive emotions can be found in the fonts Impact. Rockwell Xbold, and Georgia. In the horror genre, fonts that are considered unstable would be Gigi, Kristen, and Rage Italic. The diversity and fluidity of these fonts are limitless in any form of media. In a like manner, the more decorative fonts that you'll want to use to add a dash of flare to your work are Quicksand, Contrail One, Graduate, Bangers, Codystar, and Limelight. Certain TV shows runners will convey the overall theme of the show in the fonts alone. This is best seen in the shows produced by Netflix; in both their original content and shows based on other forms of media. Shows like 13 Reasons Why, A series of Unfortunate Events, and Riverdale. Interestingly enough, in a Ted Talk video, designer Sarah Hyndman discusses how fonts can even affect how we take in various tastes and smells. According to her, rounded founts like Comic Sans and Kristen can evoke a taste for fresh fruits while jagged angular fonts that looked angry can conjure up a more bitter and sour taste.

While they may not seem like it, fonts can be a very versatile form of expanding your writing and its tone to you readers for the best possible reactions. Whether that's in a sad, heartfelt novella, a gritty hard hitting action adventure, or even an unsettling, horror thriller, the amount of fonts at your disposal are in abundance.

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