Font licensing refers to the legal permission granted to use a particular font for specific purposes. Most fonts are protected under copyright law, which means that using them without permission can lead to legal consequences. Font licensing can vary depending on the type of font, the intended use, and the licensing agency. 

 

Some fonts are free to use for personal or commercial purposes (like those found in Google Fonts), while others require a paid license for commercial use. When purchasing a font license, it’s important to read the terms and conditions carefully to ensure that the license covers your intended use. If you’re unsure about the licensing of a font you’re using, it’s always best to check with the font‘s creator or licensing agency before use. This will help you avoid any legal issues and ensure that you’re using the font in a compliant manner.

For logos, we typically use fonts from Adobe Fonts or a third-party font library that grants us legal permission to use the font for the logo. It’s important to note that we are not allowed to provide the font file to the client, and the font is only licensed for use in the finalized logo that we send to the client.

 

We usually use a different logo font and brand font per brand. This approach ensures that the logo remains unique and unaltered, while the brand font provides consistency in typography across various collateral and materials.

Brand Fonts
For our clients’ brand fonts (specific fonts used by a brand consistently across all of its company materials/collaterals), we often use Google Fonts because they are free for commercial use by the client and any teams they may collaborate with in the future.

 

Paid Fonts
We also offer paid font options for clients who prefer more unique fonts as their brand fonts. These paid fonts are usually premium fonts, and the licenses are paid for by the client. In some cases, the license may need to be renewed yearly, depending on the font provider.

If a client wishes to use the paid font for their website or an app, a specific license is required too which is also paid for by the client. 

 

Workarounds
Occasionally, paid or premium fonts are available on Adobe Fonts. If a client has an Adobe account or is working with a team, freelancer, or agency that has an Adobe account, they can use the font by creating assets and designs through the Adobe Creative Suite (such as Photoshop and Illustrator).