Selecting fonts for any design — including infographics — can be a daunting task, even for a designer! Scrolling through hundreds of fonts to find the right one is a tremendous creative feeling but can also feel like a waste of time.
We’re here to help.
This guide will help you choose the best infographic fonts for your project. By using your intuition, design purpose and some critical thinking, you’ll be able to find the perfect font in no time.
Yes, even if you’re not a designer and are going the DIY route on that infographic. We’ve got your back.
And if you're ready to get started creating your infographic now, head on over to our infographic maker!
Table of Contents
- Why Do Your Infographic Fonts Matter?
- Infographic Font Best Practices
- 26 Infographic Fonts to Try
Why Do Your Infographic Fonts Matter?
Infographics are made of many parts that fit together to create a unified and balanced design that informs and hopefully impacts the viewer.
Of all the pieces involved in creating an infographic, the fonts are one of the most important. You’d think that the visuals or charts would take this crown, but let me tell you why that’s not exactly true.
The visuals, icons, charts and illustrations that you choose for your infographic are incredibly important.
But why is the font even more critical?
The text in an infographic ties everything together, setting the story and flow of the content. Even the charts.
Your infographic fonts need to be legible, even skimmable. They need to fit nicely inside their space and not overtake the visuals. They need to match the visual feeling of the infographic while also saying just enough to get the point across quickly.
When a font is difficult to read, no amount of beautiful visuals and perfect charts will save the first impression of your infographic. You need to consider the fonts not only as textual components but also as visual elements.
When you impart a sense of imagery to your text and fonts, you’ll understand why typography is so darn important in infographic design.
“Typography is two-dimensional architecture, based on experience and imagination, and guided by rules and readability. And this is the purpose of typography: The arrangement of design elements within a given structure should allow the reader to easily focus on the message, without slowing down the speed of his reading.”
– From a posthumous piece about type designer Hermann Zapf in Typeform.eu
This whole business of choosing the best infographic fonts might seem daunting now, but thankfully, there are best practices you can follow to make it much easier on you and your team.
Let’s dive in!
Infographic Font Best Practices
Starting off on the right foot will always take you to the places you need to be, faster and in better shape.
That’s what these infographic font best practices will do for you and your project.
Use Brand Fonts If You Have Them
The first and most crucial point to take into consideration when choosing infographic fonts is your brand. If the infographic you’re making is part of a set of branded assets, much of the font choice work is already done for you!
Check the brand guidelines to see what fonts you’re meant to be using. If you haven’t done it yet, add them to your Visme Brand Kit so they’ll be at the top of your font list inside the editor.
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Even if you have a set of brand fonts that you need to use, many of the best practices below still apply! We’ll let you know when and to what extent.
Stick To The Main Font Types
Ok, so you don’t have any brand guidelines in place? Or you want to create a different kind of design? Then this is where you’ll start.
This best practice is one that I’d love to put up in big letters on your whiteboard; it’s that essential. Here it goes...just stick to the main fonts! Don’t go off into the novelty font realms and get sucked into finding the perfect cute, exciting font. Don’t do it.
By main fonts, I mean:
- Serif fonts
- Sans serif fonts
- Script fonts
- Display fonts
These are the most legible, versatile and dependable fonts. We’ll give you some examples at the end.
Select Fonts According to Your Infographic Style And Purpose
Fonts carry personality and mood. Their shapes and forms must match the purpose and style of your infographic.
Here are some use case examples:
- Is your infographic comparing features in productivity software? Try a friendly sans serif font.
- Is your infographic a visual lesson for your dentistry practice, showing kids how to brush their teeth? Try a handwritten font.
- Is your infographic part of an academic research project for your Ph.D.? Try an elegant serif font.
- Does your infographic include charts with legends? Try sans serif fonts that are legible in small sizes.
- Are you including data widgets with percentages? Try simple serif fonts that don’t interfere with the data.
Below is an infographic visualizing a series of fonts and their perceived personalities. Some fonts in this infographic are also on the list of recommended infographic fonts to try.
Others are here to help you better visualize the idea of font psychology and perception but might not necessarily be the best choice for an infographic.
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Use Legible Fonts
If a font isn’t legible, that font choice is a bust.
How do you know if a font is legible or not? You have to test it. There are a few factors that go into making a font readable.
Some fonts are legible at every size, with any line spacing or even color. Others need a bit of customization to make them more legible.
For example, a serif font like EB Garamond at a minimal size, will be easier to read if the letters have a subtle spacing between them and an airy line spacing.
Ostrich Sans is another example of how one font can be legible or illegible depending on the use case. This thin sans serif font can look great in a large heading but can be very hard to read as a body text, especially if there’s little contrast of colors between the text and the background.
If the font you chose was not a brand font and is just not working, try another that is easier to read. Going back to what I mentioned before, stick to the primary standard fonts. You’ll have less trouble making text legible on your infographic.
Test Different Fonts
I explained that to make a font legible, you have to test it. But there are other reasons why you’ll need to try different fonts for your infographic design.
First, let’s talk about using brand fonts. The things you’ll be able to test are the size or weight, the style (i.e., bold or italic), letter spacing, line spacing and color.
If you have more freedom over font choice, then you can test different ones. Try fonts in different styles; tall, condensed, thin, super bold, etc.
The main reason for testing different fonts is that each font has a different way of fitting into a text box. Some have taller letters, while others may be wider. The same text box will look smaller in one font and bigger in another, even when the fonts are at the same point size.
Other reasons to test different fonts have to do with the personality of your infographic.
If you chose a sans serif font because your content is light-hearted or friendly, try different sans serif fonts. Choose one that has rounded O’s then another that has more elongated O’s. Compare a sans font that’s thin with a chunky one.
Pro Tip: Don’t wait until you’ve designed the entire infographic before you try different fonts. Use the heading and one or two data points for the testing. Otherwise, you’ll be changing too much every time.
Find the Perfect Font Pair
As you test different fonts, you’ll also have to choose a font pair.
First up, what is a font pair? It’s the combination of two fonts — or two styles of one font (i.e., bold/uppercase paired with normal/sentence case) — that pair up together for a specific use. You’ll need one font for titles and subtitles, the other for body text. An even smaller version of the body text is excellent for footnotes.
If you have the freedom to choose your infographic fonts, Visme has a lot of options. Inside the editor, you can choose from hundreds of fonts to create a pairing for your infographic.
Let’s take a look at some examples.
First up, two sans serif fonts that pair together really nicely are Montserrat and Lato. Montserrat is heavier and works perfectly for headings, while Lato is lighter and perfect for body text. Another option is to use Montserrat Black as the title and Montserrat Classic as body text.
Here’s another example: Trebuchet and Fjord One. In this case, we’re looking at one sans serif font and one serif font working in unison.
In the sections above, we mentioned that in some cases your infographic’s personality needs a serif font and in other cases, a sans serif font, but the possibility also exists where you can use both together.
For example, in an infographic that shares important statistics about a professional industry and wants to seem accessible, Trebuchet and Fjord One work great together.
And one last example: Dancing Script and Josefin Sans, a script font for titles and a light sans serif for the body text. When choosing a script font for an infographic, it needs to be legible! Many script fonts are not easy to read fast, and those are the ones you need to steer away from.
This script font is the perfect example of a script that can work well in an infographic. A how-to recipe infographic, for example, would be a great use case. Josefin Sans is a friendly sans font that pairs perfectly with these titles.
Stick to the Same Fonts Throughout
You need to remember this best practice not only for infographics, but also for every design project. You need to stick to the same fonts throughout your design!
Don’t change fonts at different data points or go back and forth between what font you use for a title and which one you use for body text.
When you’ve set your font pairing after testing a few different fonts, stick to them! Create a little graphic like the ones above to remind you what fonts are the ones you’re using. This technique will be especially helpful if you’re working on the infographic with your team.
Ensure Alignment and Visual Hierarchy
When putting together the text in the main title and the following data points, it’s important to always check the alignment of the text and make sure you’re following a visual hierarchy.
Take a look back at the font pairing graphics above and see how they specify the point size for each font. The Montserrat and Lato example is 40pt for the title, 24 pt for the subtitle, and 16 pt for the body text. This setup is called visual hierarchy, and it’s essential.
You must set a standard size for your fonts so that every data point uses the exact size text. Therefore, creating a visual balance and flow for the entirety of your infographic. The hierarchy starts at the top title and moves its way down. The most important content is the biggest, and then it subsequently gets smaller for each data point.
The smallest text will be at the very bottom in your footer with the sources of your content.
Alignment is vital for each data point as well as the entirety of the infographic. Here are some best practices for text alignment. You can use the grid for alignment or use the snap to objects feature in your Visme editor.
Centered, Zigzag, Centered
- Title and Subtitle: Center aligned
- List of Points: The first one is left (or right) aligned, then the next opposite direction and zigzag to the end.
- Footer: Center aligned
Customize this infographic template and make it your own!Edit and Download
Left Aligned, Zigzag, Centered
- Title and Subtitle: Left aligned
- List of Points: The first one is left (or right) aligned, then the next opposite direction and zigzag to the end.
- Footer: Center aligned
Customize this infographic template and make it your own!Edit and Download
All Text Center Aligned
Customize this infographic template and make it your own!Edit and Download
All Text Left Aligned
Customize this infographic template and make it your own!Edit and Download
If you aren’t confident about how to make sure each data point is aligned and well-spaced, your Visme editor has a solution. On the left toolbar, you’ll find pre-designed content blocks that you can add to your infographic for easy, fool-proof design.
These content blocks are perfectly aligned and have fonts but you might have to change the font, so don’t add too many content blocks at once. Try them with your fonts first and then continue.
Give the Font Space to Breathe
Next up, after font pairing, visual hierarchy and alignment, you’ve also got to make sure that your fonts have space to breathe.
To achieve this, you’ll need to keep an eye on the spacing between titles, subtitles and body text. You’ll also need to balance the line height and letter spacing inside text boxes. Furthermore, you need to check your margins.
Spacing Between Title, Subtitle and Body Text
The best way to create consistent spacing between titles, subtitles and body text is to put each in a text box.
Set a spacing pattern on one data point, and then repeat it on all other data points. With Visme, you can group all three text boxes and duplicate them, then just change the content.
Line Height and Letter Spacing
Inside each text box, you also have to check the line height and the spacing between letters. The line height on titles and subtitles will help you balance the spacing between each text box, as long as you align the bottom of one text box with the top of the text box under it.
In the body text, the line height adjustment will help you create a sense of air between lines that makes the text easier to read.
Adding space between letters is a technique designers use to spread letters in words and make them easier to read. You don’t need more than 1 or 2 pixels of spacing unless you want a unique visual effect of separated letters.
Margins
The margins are also crucial for adding space that helps with the flow and legibility of your content. Margins are the space between the edges of the infographic and the text boxes. When the text is too close to the borders, it’s difficult to read.
Select the Best Font Colors for Visual Contrast
Finally, another aspect to consider when choosing the best fonts for your infographic is the colors you add to them.
The main idea when choosing text color is that it’s — you guessed it — legible. If the background color and the font are too similar, it’ll be challenging to see, much less read.
A great rule of thumb for creating a good contrast between text and background is that if the background is dark, use light text and if the background is light, use dark text.
With this one tip, you’re already in a great place. But one more thing, pure white and pure black can be tiring on the eyes, so try a subtle off-white or a super dark gray instead of the pure hues.
26 Infographic Fonts to Try (That Work!)
Now we’ve got a selection of some of the best infographic fonts to use in your next infographic design. All these fonts are available inside your Visme editor — along with many many more.
Raleway
Raleway is a simple, no-nonsense, easy to read font that won’t compete with other elements in your infographic design. It works great in both titles and body text at different weights and point sizes.
Arial
Arial is one of the most used fonts in digital documents. It’s the default choice on most document software like Google Docs and Word. Arial is always reliable and will look ok. Nevertheless, it’s not the font you need if you’re looking for a bit more personality.
Junction
Junction is a mix between classic handwritten serif fonts and a web sans serif. This font is unique because the n and u have angled bowls instead of the usual roundness. It’s a great font for a simple look but with an edge.
Josefin Sans
Josefin Sans is a geometric sans serif font with a geometric look and feel. This font works great in body text of any size. In bold and big letters, it also looks great as a significant friendly title.
Poppins
Poppins is relatable and easy to read. It’s one of the best fonts for digital design. An infographic that uses poppins as its primary font will be easy to read and even skim.
Montserrat
Montserrat is one of the most versatile fonts and not only works well in both titles and body text, but it also fits well for any context. It’s the ultimate neutral font for any infographic design project.
Lato
Looks great not only in infographics but also in documents and web design. Stylistically, it works well in uppercase, in lowercase and all caps. In your Visme editor you’ll have access to all the Lato weights, including Light, Thin, and Regular.
The infographic below uses Lato in all the body text, paired with Antonio for the titles.
Customize this infographic template and make it your own!Edit and Download
Helvetica
Helvetica is the type of font that will always look good in your infographic titles, almost regardless of the personality your content carries. It might not be a great font for body text as it’s a bit heavy, but it pairs well with a font like Hind Madurai.
Hind Madurai
Hind Madurai is a Tamil language font, but its Latin characters are suitable for neutral font personality choices.
Roboto
Roboto is a fusion font that’s reminiscent of classic serif fonts that have Grotesk-style terminals. It’s a reliable serif font that reads like a sans serif. Visme has both Roboto regular and Roboto condensed so that you can use either for your infographic design.
This infographic uses Roboto in the titles under every icon.
Customize this infographic template and make it your own!Edit and Download
Source Sans Pro
Source Sans Pro is one of the most versatile fonts at your disposal. It’s simple, it’s easy to read and will look great in your infographic body text.
Hattori Hanzo
Hattori Hanzo is a lightweight font that will look good in both titles and body text. It has a vast multilingual capacity, so it’s a great choice if creating an infographic with a different alphabet.
Lora
Lora is a font inspired by calligraphy and friendly handwritten letters. The curves and subtle serifs offer a refreshing combination and works well as body text.
Bentham
Bentham is a serif font inspired by vintage textbooks and nineteenth-century maps. It has a classic shape that makes text pleasurable to read. You’ll find great uses for Bentham, especially if your infographic has an academic angle.
Cormorant
Cormorant is a serif font inspired by the elegant and stylish Garamond. This font will look great in titles and subtitles, adding some personality to what otherwise could feel too strict with a regular serif font.
This infographic uses Cormorant in the large and medium titles.
Customize this infographic template and make it your own!Edit and Download
Libre-Baskerville
Libre-Baskerville is a serif font with a bit of personality. This font is perfect for sleek infographic designs using professional content.
Playfair Display
Playfair Display is another great-looking serif font that will look great in large titles. The letters have differing strokes between very thin and thick, giving the font a classic feel.
Vollkorn
Vollkorn is a serif font with a curvy outlook. It's both classic and friendly simultaneously and works great in an infographic design that is both professional and relatable.
Fjord One
Fjord One is a bold serif with plenty of personalities. This font will fit both a corporate infographic design and a friendly, relatable project for education or marketing. It’s an easy-to-pair Google Font that will make your designs look great.
EB Garamond
EB Garamond is a free-to-use version of the classic Garamond font. It has all the traditional nuances and delicate serifs without the price point. A favorite with book printers, EB Garamond will fit nicely in an infographic with a lot of white space for the text to breathe.
Bebas Neue
Bebas Neue is a clean-cut all-caps font perfect for headlines and titles. It’s a bit elongated so it gives the text an airy feel like it’s standing tall. It’s not ideal for body text, but it pairs well with a neutral font like Lato or Josefin Sans.
The infographic below uses Bebas Neua in the title and subtitles. The body text is Abel, a neutral sans font.
Customize this infographic template and make it your own!Edit and Download
Ostrich Sans Inline
Ostrich Sans Inline is the variation of Ostrich Sans with a line through the center of each letter stroke. Use this font if you want your infographic to look unique in its titles. Pair it with a subtle and easy-to-read serif font like EB Garamond or Fjord One.
Distant Galaxy
Distant Galaxy is a font that looks a bit futuristic without being overly gimmicky. It’ll work well on infographic designs that talk about digital topics or with a unique storytelling angle.
Abril Fatface
Abril Fatface is a font with fat and thin combination of letter strokes that will look great in your more prominent titles and subtitles. It pairs well with a sans serif font that doesn’t overwhelm.
Dancing Script
Dancing Script is one of those script fonts that just looks good. It’s easy to read and sits well with many design styles. It looks excellent on titles and with a bit of an angled baseline.
The infographic below uses Dancing Script as the subtitles for each section and the subtitle of the primary heading. It’s paired with Bodoni Moda, a fashionable serif font.
Customize this infographic template and make it your own!Edit and Download
Daniel
Daniel is a script font in a handwritten style. You might think at first sight that this font won’t work in an infographic, but it will do wonders for data points with short titles — like one word. Instead of adding a number to a list, try the number words in Daniel font.
Over to You
How are you feeling about the fonts for your infographic now? A little better? I hope our guide into choosing the best infographic fonts helps you see that it's not that complicated, as long as you follow the best practices.
Now it’s time to get started with that infographic design! Head on over and create your infographic with the Visme infographic maker. Choose from hundreds of infographic templates and more than 300 fonts.
You’ll have so much fun creating the best font pairing! But remember, if you don’t want to take up time doing that, your Visme editor offers a pre-designed selection of infographic font pairs already chosen for you.
See you there!
