0

Beyond the fact that Times New Roman is an overused font, technically speaking, could be a good pair for Montserrat like we have in this web logotext negative kerning example?

I know that there are definitely no rules set in stone when it comes to font pairings. Almost any font combination can work in the right design. It all depends on what we are trying to accomplish.

Anyway, I've tried different serifs including Times New Roman alternatives but in this particular case, was thinking to consider as a final solution.Any thoughts? Thanks,

LE: for the guy with negative vote :) the answer is simple "yes"/"no" with agruments. A negative feedback is good but doesn't help at all honestly, without any explanation.

@DA01 LE2: The question was general in this first phase to find a strong reason that I shouldn't / should use these fonts together. In fact It's a start point for these still in progress forms:

Version 1

Version 2

Version 3 (short logotext)

Improve this question
11
  • 1
    I didn't down vote, but this is just really too broad and opinion-based to have definitive answers and for that reason a bad question for a stack exchange site.
    – Scott
    Jul 4, 2015 at 17:25
  • 1
    I understand... having said that, almost all font-pairing questions doesn't have an exact answer. It's a matter of taste in the end but technically, there could be an answer positive or negative depending on some different factors.I was looking for an answer like .. these two letters doesen't work well together in this form because [...] plus a valid argument based on a type rule if there is any that could stop this happening.
    – typo_
    Jul 4, 2015 at 17:40
  • 2
    Any answer for or against will all be based on opinion. That's why you really don't see a lot of font-pairing questions here.
    – Scott
    Jul 4, 2015 at 17:54
  • Like scott says, this question will likely be closed as opinion based. Here's my opinion: The TNR 'n' is fine. It's the Montserrat 'e' that bothers me. It looks like something punched it in the nose with that awkward right-side. It's just a goofy looking glyph to me.
    – DA01
    Jul 4, 2015 at 18:44
  • if the opinion will have a known type rule in the background, the answer could be good: positive or negative. True, in these kind of cases there could be more valid answers. For example, lowercase letters respond less favorably to letterspacing compared with uppercase letters.That's a rule. (not the case but it was a pure example applicable in lowercase letters).Thanks DA01, u're right, kind of ...but in my context looks ok having a few letters more after. good to know.
    – typo_
    Jul 4, 2015 at 19:09

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
0

You did a good job with these 2 fonts. It's actually a good idea to create that kind of asymmetry by mixing a serif and sans serif together, bold and standard. That creates some contrast and dynamic.

The very bold "e" with the italic "n" that is lighter looks very nice together.

There is absolutely no reason to not use Times New Roman.

If it's popular, it's because it's a good "reliable" font. If there was some rule about this, all the nice logos using Helvetica should also be judged in the same way. Some italics look better than others too, and this one seems to fit well.

The only rule about not using a font is: don't use it if the result is ugly or unreadable!

There's nice work that can be done with Comic Sans too, even though that font is mocked by all designers. It's a challenge to create something that is so nice that people forget about the font that was used and it's possible. You did it.

The Montserrat "e" is nice but the only thing I can say is that it looks a bit like the logo from Internet Explorer; it's not your fault, Internet Explorer is still a logo that pretty much everybody on the planet can recognize (but it will "disappear" soon). It's still not a reason not to use it but whatever bold or heavy sans serif you'll use with a modern style might look like it, unless you use an uppercase "E". You could use other fonts similar to Monteserrat but your "e" will look almost the same. There's Avant-Garde, Futura, Grotesk, Kabel, etc.

Have your tried changing the "n" to Montserrat and the "e" to Times New Roman italic? These 2 fonts look good together, I wouldn't change them but if you want to not have people be distracted by the similar look of Internet Explorer "e", maybe that could be an alternative.

Changing the kerning +/- is also a great idea when using 2 different fonts

Improve this answer
5
  • Thank you for your feed-back, the answer is it still available for the above update Q? Actually this is the kind of answer that I was looking for, not because it's positive, If it was negative but formulate in this way, I would have appreciated as well.
    – typo_
    Jul 5, 2015 at 6:06
  • Your new samples look as good. The only thing you need to be careful when splitting a word with 2 different fonts is to make sure it still "reads" as it should. For example, if you had the word "impact", using a different font for the "i" will be alright. And using a different font for "im" could even bring a new dimension to your logo (eg. I am--> I'm --> im)... and even the "act" could be different, unless it's not appropriate for the business the logo is made for! You wouldn't want to isolate the word "act" on a logo used for a law firm, for example. It could be interpreted in the wrong way
    – go-junta
    Jul 5, 2015 at 6:18
  • Good to know, thanks. The first version have just a twist, forcing the reader to treat the logotext as a single word. Using the second version will clarify the fact that there is a single word, composed by 2 notions. Someone just downvoted your answer as well as my question, It's fair to wait that feedback before I consider the final answer, am I right? :)
    – typo_
    Jul 5, 2015 at 6:37
  • Ironically, downvote are sometime a way for some people to show you how awesome you are. You can consider you did a good job with your font choice and it's a very stylish way to split 2 words or letters if that's what you end up doing. Truly a good choice, the Montserrat bold has a lot of "personality" and the Times New Roman kind of tone it down... if you see what I mean. You can wait for more feedback, your question is only 21hr old!
    – go-junta
    Jul 5, 2015 at 6:39
  • 1
    The first "touch" of this thread was a negative feed-back without any explanation.After that Scott clarified. Perhaps u're right, and It's hard to consider this kind of acting without having an argument (I've downvoted because [..] or it was a strange question, not related directly to the subject) but I think that I've explained the context.I am curious in this case what is the reason. thanks
    – typo_
    Jul 5, 2015 at 6:54

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.