PSA: Stop cramming 12 fonts into one mockup, it doesn't look creative

I was reviewing a student's portfolio last week from a local design meetup in Austin, and their app screen had 5 different fonts just on one page. It made my eyes cross trying to read it, and the whole concept got lost. I think a lot of junior designers think using a bunch of typefaces makes something look original, but it just reads as messy. Have you ever had to gently tell someone their font salad is hurting the project?

2 comments

2 Comments

briannguyen7h ago

Ugh, that font salad thing is the worst. Totally feel your pain on this one. Had a buddy show me a landing page they were so proud of and it had this script font for the body text, a serif for the buttons, and some handwritten style for the headers. Couldn't focus on the actual product at all, just kept wondering what font was next lol. It's rough having to be honest with someone about it but it really does sink the whole design.

bailey.xena40m ago

Man, it's like that whole "more is more" mindset people have. They think adding layers of different stuff makes it look fancy but it just ends up confusing everyone. I notice it in how people decorate their houses too, like every single trend crammed into one room.