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One Font Can Be Better Than Two
Design great layouts with a single typeface

By Jacci Howard Bear, About.com

Use a single typeface
Before you start fretting over which typeface to use for your body copy and which to choose for your headlines, captions, and pull-quotes — consider the beauty and simplicity of the single typeface document.

Why — when most of us now have access to hundreds, if not thousands, of different typefaces — would anyone want to intentionally use only a single typeface in their desktop published documents?

With a single typeface design you:

  • Avoid 'mismatching' different styles

  • Save time (less time spent finding and matching multiple typefaces)

  • Create impact through simplicity

Oh, there are probably other reasons too. Simplicity is a good one though.

But aren't single typeface designs, well, boring?
They don't have to be. One of Chuck Green's examples in his ideabook.com feature Type Palettes includes an all-Caslon sample. It's anything but boring. You can create singular beauty too with some of these ideas:

  • Make maximum use of contrast (size, style, alignment, color)

  • Float text in a sea of white space

  • Emphasize distinctive characteristics

  • Use typeface families (including the bold, italic, light, and condensed versions of some faces)

Take a look at these two layouts utilizing a single typeface or type family for more tips on creating single typeface documents.

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