As a marketer, you want to create aesthetic, successful campaigns using your branding elements (color, imagery, font) to make them look cohesive.
Unfortunately, you might not be able to use your brand’s unique font in your email marketing campaigns. Most email clients only support a few standard web-safe fonts, so they may not render your unique font. That's devastating but you will have to choose functionality over aesthetics to ensure the email renders well for everyone.
This guide will reveal some of the best fonts for email and some fonts you can use for your email marketing campaigns.
Table of contents
Why do fonts matter?
Before we get into the best fonts for email, let's first look at why a font matters inside an email.
- If you use an intricate font like Pacifico, it can take readers a lot of time to figure out what's written in the email, and they might leave without reading the email. This can lead to a loss of potential engagement and conversion.
- If you use risky and unprofessional fonts like Comic Sans MS, your email might be mistaken for a scam or fraudulent one. Use a professional font like Arial that is simple
- Most importantly, if you don't use a font that most email clients support, they will display the email text in their default font, such as Helvetica, Calibri, or Arial. So, it's best to use a supported font to control how it renders in most email clients.
What is the best font for email marketing?
Well, there is no one best font for email. It depends on your email marketing needs and the email client support. The best font for emails should be:
Email-safe and web-safe
Email-safe and Web-safe fonts are standard fonts that display well on websites, email, apps, etc. and are supported by most email clients. When you use an email-safe font, you can be assured that it'll render well on all online platforms and devices. So, even if the email is opened on the browser or mobile, it'll render how you intended it.
Check out this article to learn more about web-safe system fonts.
Appropriate for the topic or area of use
The best font for email content is something that fits the brand and purpose of the email. If your brand is modern and targets a younger audience, you can go for fonts like Roboto or Verdana.
You can use Georgia or Times New Roman if you are more old school. However, some fonts, like Comic Sans, Trajan, Papyrus, etc., are inappropriate for any email, and it's best to avoid them entirely.
Readable and simple
People usually skim through their emails, so you need to use fonts that are easy to read to ensure readers understand the email quickly. Complicated script fonts take time to read and can be confusing. So stick to crisp and clear fonts that are not too thin and have good spacing to ensure that your emails are readable.
7 best fonts for email marketing in 2024
Before you make a font choice, you should understand some primary font families. A font family is a group of typefaces that share a similar style but differ in stroke width, letter shapes, and overall appearance. For your body copy, you can use these basic font families:
- Serif fonts: These fonts are characterized by the presence of small lines, called serifs, at the ends of strokes in each letter. They often provide a more traditional and formal appearance and are used usually in print media.
- Sans serif fonts: These fonts lack serif and have a clean, modern appearance. This font type is often used for email body text and are considered more readable on mobile devices and desktops.
- Decorative fonts: These fonts have a wide range of font styles with high expression and lesser readability. This include monospaced fonts, cursive fonts, fantasy fonts, and script fonts.
Here are some of the best fonts for email that you can try out for your next email campaign.
1. Arial
- Sans serif typeface.
- A versatile font that's simple and modest.
- Supported by all email clients.
- Commonly used for print and digital content.
- It can be bland, so avoid it if you want to stand out.
2. Times New Roman
- Serif typeface.
- An authoritative font that has a traditional look.
- Supported by most email clients.
- Commonly used for printed media like books and newspapers.
- It is not as widely used in an email, so you can use it to stand out.
- Use it with trendy visuals to show a beautiful juxtaposition of new and old
3. Helvetica
- Sans serif typeface.
- Bold and modern.
- Supported by most email clients and web browsers.
- Perfect for the header and logo.
- Not suitable for email copy because the letters are spaced too close together.
4. Verdana
- Sans serif typeface.
- Verdana font is simple and versatile.
- Supported by most email providers.
- Highly readable.
- Designed specifically to be used on screen.
- Suitable for all age groups.
- Looks good on low-resolution screens.
5. Georgia
- Serif typeface
- One of the most popular fonts with an elegant and dignified look
- Similar to Times New Roman
- Commonly used online newspapers, magazines, etc
- It was designed to be clear and readable on screen, even in small font size.
- Best email font for reading long paragraphs, so use it for your email newsletters.
6. Lucida
- Sans serif
- Modern and friendly
- Works well for print as well as digital media
- The letters are spaced wide, so it's highly readable.
- Good choice for the email copy.
7. Trebuchet MS
- Sans serif typeface
- Subtle curves in the letters make it look artistic
- Designed to be read easily on screens
- But not suitable for the email copy.
- Best use it for headers, CTA, etc.
We know that most of these fonts are pretty basic. But accessibility is more important than aesthetics in emails. So, choose a font from those mentioned above that closely matches your brand's typeface to stay accessible while maintaining your brand’s aesthetics.
Apart from these web fonts, you can also get a custom font design for your brand image and identity. However, you need to make sure the font is readable, follows accessibility guidelines, and grabs the reader's attention.
Best font size for email
There are different fonts with different line spacing, kerning, and strokes. So, it totally depends on the font, also the device your audience will use to read emails and the design of your email template. Ideally, you should use a font size of 14-16 px for body text and 18-20 px for headlines.
Experiment with email fonts on Mailmodo
At Mailmodo, we offer only web-safe fonts because we want to make it easy for you to find a font that renders well in most email clients. Get started on Mailmodo by signing up and trying out these web-safe fonts in your next email campaign.
If you want to learn more about email design and hacks to design amazing emails, check out our ebook Email Design For Newbies
