How To Choose Display Fonts For Fashion Branding Emails
Table of Contents
- Introduction: Why Display Fonts Matter in Fashion Emails
- Understand the Role of Display Fonts vs Body Fonts
- Key Criteria to Evaluate When Choosing Display Fonts
3.1 Brand Personality & Mood
3.2 Readability & Legibility
3.3 Hierarchy & Contrast
3.4 Email Client Compatibility & Fallbacks
3.5 Licensing & Web Embedding - Tips for Pairing Display Fonts with Supporting Typefaces
- Examples from NoahType You Could Use
- Testing, Iteration & Best Practices
- Conclusion & Call to Action
1. Introduction: Why Display Fonts Matter in Fashion Emails
In the crowded inbox of a fashion subscriber, your subject line might get the open — but the visual impression inside the email must hold their attention. One of the most powerful ways to create that visual impression is via a well-chosen display font for headlines, hero banners, or promotional callouts. A display font can embody your brand’s aesthetic, convey luxury, elegance or edge, and instantly signal “this is premium fashion content.”
However, not all display fonts are suitable for email use — and a poor choice can break layout, reduce readability, or even fail to render in some email clients. In this article, we’ll guide you step by step on how to choose a display font that both dazzles and works reliably for your fashion branding emails.
2. Understand the Role of Display Fonts vs Body Fonts
Before diving into selection, it’s useful to clarify what “display fonts” are and how they differ from body / text fonts. Display fonts are often more expressive, decorative, or high-contrast — meant for short phrases, headings, or visual emphasis — whereas body fonts are designed primarily for legibility over longer text. (See also general typography guides for visual hierarchy and typeface combinations. Figma+1)
In a fashion email, your body copy (e.g. paragraph text, product descriptions) should use a neutral, clean font (serif or sans serif) that’s easy to read. The display font should be reserved for limited elements: hero titles, campaign slogans, “shop now” callouts, or tagline text — places where impact matters most.
3. Key Criteria to Evaluate When Choosing Display Fonts
When selecting a display font for fashion branding emails, evaluate based on these five key criteria:
3.1 Brand Personality & Mood
Your font must reflect the character of your brand. Is your brand modern and minimalistic? Bold and edgy? Romantic and fluid? The display font should feel on-brand. For fashion, many brands lean toward elegant serif styles, high-contrast Didone types, or refined script / calligraphic display fonts (that aren’t too ornamental).
Also see Shopify’s typography guide on defining brand personality for type selections. Shopify
3.2 Readability & Legibility
Although display fonts are decorative, they must remain legible at the sizes you intend to use. Avoid overly thin hairlines, extreme contrast, or overly stylized glyphs if they become unreadable. Test actual phrases (e.g. “New Collection”, “Sale Ends Tonight”) at the intended pixel size in your email designer.
Many email typography guides emphasize that legibility is top priority — your beauty should never compromise readability. Kinsta®+1
3.3 Hierarchy & Contrast
Your display font should stand out clearly above the supporting typefaces. It should create contrast in weight, size, or style, guiding the reader’s eye to the headline first. But avoid extreme jumps that disrupt flow. Also ensure spacing (kerning, tracking) is well-tuned so the letters don’t look too loose or too tight.
3.4 Email Client Compatibility & Fallbacks
One of the biggest challenges is email client support. Many email clients (like Outlook, Gmail) do not support custom web fonts reliably. So when your display font fails to load, the fallback font will take over. You must choose a fallback font whose metrics (x-height, weight) are close enough to maintain layout harmony.
Litmus’s guide to web fonts for email discusses the trade-offs and fallback strategies. Litmus
For example, you might embed your brand display font (using @font-face or external hosting) while specifying a fallback stack like:
font-family: "YourDisplayFont", Georgia, serif;
Always test how the fallback version appears — sometimes words will wrap differently, affecting alignment or spacing.
3.5 Licensing & Web Embedding
Ensure that the font license you hold allows embedding in email and web use. Some font licenses restrict embedding or usage in email campaigns. Also, hosting the font files (WOFF, WOFF2) on reliable servers can improve load reliability.
Avoid “faux bold” or forced styles — always use the proper font files (bold, italic variants) when available. Litmus warns about faux bold/italic artifacts in email rendering. Litmus
4. Tips for Pairing Display Fonts with Supporting Typefaces
A well-paired font combination enhances reading experience and visual appeal. Here are tips:
- Use contrast: pair a decorative display font with a neutral, legible sans or serif for body text.
- Limit font families: don’t use more than 2–3 font styles in one email (display + subheading + body).
- Match mood: let secondary fonts complement, not clash, the display style.
- Maintain consistent brand voice: body text should feel part of the same brand identity.
- Test across devices: sometimes the pairing looks great on desktop but awkward on mobile.
5. Examples from NoahType You Could Use
Here are some display fonts from your own NoahType catalog that are good candidates (or sources of inspiration) for fashion branding emails:
- Authoria Stylish Serif Display — a modern/classic serif display font that balances elegance with readability. (see on NoahType) noahtype.com
- RageSoul Elegant And Luxury Font — a handmade serif display with Victorian touches, suitable for brands that want vintage luxury vibes. noahtype.com
- It’s Ok Playful Display Font — lighter in weight and more casual, good for youthful or fun fashion promos. noahtype.com
- Think vs Feel Font Duo — a font pair combining classic and handwriting styles, useful when you need display + complementary style. noahtype.com
- FireHorn Black Metal Font — more extreme/decorative, could serve as accent for bold campaign titles (use sparingly) noahtype.com
When linking, embed internal links to your product pages so readers can click to preview or purchase those fonts.
6. Testing, Iteration & Best Practices
- A/B Test headline typography: try two display fonts and see which yields better engagement (clicks, reads).
- Preview in many clients (Gmail Web, Outlook, Apple Mail, mobile apps) to ensure fallback works well.
- Limit decorative usage: use display fonts only in hero, heading, or callout zones, not long paragraphs.
- Mobile-first approach: ensure your display font still reads well on small screens.
- Fallback styling tweaks: if fallback causes wrapping, adjust margins, line-height, or font-size specifically for fallback use.
- Monitor rendering issues: some clients may substitute radically (e.g. fallback to Times New Roman), so check for layout shift.
7. Conclusion & Call to Action
Choosing the right display font for your fashion branding emails is a delicate balance: you want drama, brand voice, and visual flair — yet must protect readability, rendering reliability, and layout integrity. By aligning brand personality, testing for legibility, preparing smart fallbacks, and iterating based on real email client behavior, you can craft emails that feel premium and intentional.
If you’re curious to test a few top display fonts, feel free to browse NoahType’s display font collection on our Fonts page or specifically check out Authoria Stylish Serif or RageSoul Elegant And Luxury to see how they perform in your email layouts. (Links above.)