Type is everywhere, literally. It identifies the products we use on a daily basis, directs us where to walk and drive, and provides a way to visually communicate using language. Typography, defined as the art of arranging type, exists to provide somewhat of a structure to how we display words and numbers.

It can easily be argued that typography is taken for granted in our fast-paced culture, just as good design often is taken for granted. That’s exactly why it works. Well arranged type (in addition to well executed design) will not necessarily be noticed by the general public or audience of a particular advertisement or graphic piece–the ad will simply appeal to its audience as is intended.

Good design hinges on good typography, in many cases. It’s not often that you find effective advertising graphics that use absolutely no type. Even in the simplest of cases, a word or phrase provides a direction for an advertisement in relation to the other elements that exist within it.

Herein lies the argument for the importance of taking the time to seriously consider the audience a graphic is to be seen by in the process of selecting typefaces. The typefaces in a graphic can make or break it, even if the rest of the graphic is well designed. Your typefaces drive the graphic and influence the emotion and understandability of what you as a designer are attempting to convey.

A good case study on effective typeface selection can be found in Volkswagen’s historic print advertising campaigns from the 1950s and 1960s developed by DDB in New York. The original Beetle ads set in Futura started a trend in advertising that continues even today. Never before had such innovation been seen as in the simplicity of DDB’s ideas for the Beetle campaign and subsequently the campaigns for the Golf, Polo, Jetta, and other successful models in Volkswagen’s line. In addition, the format established by that first Beetle “Think Small” campaign is still used today by most professional agencies.

So take some time and really think about the message you’re trying to communicate with your graphics. Type matters. It drives trends.