How a Display Font like Submarine Can Transform Your Brand Materials
Last week, I found myself staring at a freshly baked batch of cookies while my computer screen displayed the final mockup for new packaging. The old labels looked a bit tired, a mix of fonts cobbled together over the years that didn't quite speak to the quality inside the box. I needed something special, a typeface with personality that could instantly communicate craft and attention to detail. That's when I started testing Submarine.
What Submarine Brings to Your Brand's Personality
Submarine is a display font, which means it's designed for impact. It's not the font you'd use for long paragraphs on your website; it's the one you use to make a statement. Its character is fancy and distinctive, with a mix of rounded and sharp details that give it a modern yet classic feel. The overall mood is confident, a bit playful, and undeniably polished. When I applied it to my packaging mockup—simply changing "Handcrafted Almond Cookies" to use Submarine—the entire design lifted. It suddenly looked intentional, like a brand that knew its own voice.
This is the power of a well-chosen display font. For small businesses, our materials—the labels, the menus, the social posts—are often our first and most frequent touchpoints with customers. Typography is a silent ambassador. A generic font can make your beautiful product look ordinary. A font like Submarine, with its visual charm and consistency, makes it look considered, trustworthy, and memorable.
Putting Submarine to Work on Real Business Materials
I explored Submarine across several typical needs for a small creative business. Its suitability, as listed for logos, headlines, and brand identity, is absolutely accurate.
For Logos and Primary Brand Marks
Whether you're a candle seller, a boutique, or a consultancy, your logo is your anchor. Submarine's distinct style makes for a fantastic logo foundation. It's readable enough at smaller sizes for a social media profile picture, yet its fancy details shine when printed on a business card or etched onto a product. It carries enough character to often stand alone without needing extra graphical elements, simplifying your brand identity.
On Packaging, Labels, and Tags
This was my primary test. On a cookie box, a candle jar label, or a skincare bottle, the product name in Submarine immediately draws the eye. It frames your item as premium. For a café menu, using it for section headers like "Fresh Pastries" or "Specialty Brews" creates visual hierarchy and a touch of elegance without being overly formal. It works beautifully for short, impactful phrases: the name of your product, your tagline, a "Thank You" on a card included in an order.
Across Digital Spaces
In our online shops and social feeds, consistency builds recognition. Using Submarine for your main shop banner, for key headlines in your Instagram story templates, or in promotional graphics for a new product line creates a cohesive thread. Customers start to associate that distinctive type style with your brand, whether they're seeing it on a physical label or a mobile screen ad.
Readability and Use: Where Submarine Works Best
Being a display font, Submarine excels in headlines, titles, and short phrases. It's perfect for your logo, your product name on a label, your café's menu headings, or a powerful quote on your website's hero section. I'd avoid using it for extended body text, like the full description on your product page or the lengthy paragraphs on your blog. For those, you'll want a cleaner, more neutral companion font.
On small labels, ensure the text is set at a size where the font's fancy details remain clear and don't become a blurry mess. On mobile screens, it performs well for prominent text but always preview your graphics on a phone to check clarity. In printed packaging and product mockups, its character truly comes to life, adding tangible quality.
Creating a Cohesive Look with Font Pairings
No font lives alone in a brand. The magic often happens in pairing. Submarine's personality pairs wonderfully with simple, clean sans serif fonts. Think of using a straightforward sans serif for all your body text, descriptions, and contact information. This lets Submarine shine as the star for your headlines, while the sans serif provides effortless readability. For a more editorial or elegant feel, pairing it with a classic serif font can also work beautifully. The key is to let Submarine be the accent—the memorable voice—supported by a more readable, quiet partner.
A Note on Licensing and Technical Details
Before committing any font to your commercial brand materials, always check the license. For a font like Submarine, ensure your use is covered under its commercial license, especially if you're printing it on products for sale or using it in client work. Also, look into the included file formats to ensure they work with your software, and check for features like alternates or ligatures that can give you even more flexibility to create a unique look. Multilingual support is crucial if your market extends beyond a single language.
Typography might seem like a detail, but in the crowded marketplace, details decide. Moving from a default font to a purposeful choice like Submarine isn't just about aesthetics; it's a business decision. It signals that you care about the entire experience of your product or service. It builds consistency across every touchpoint, from the box in a customer's hand to the post on their screen. That consistency builds trust, and that trust builds a brand that lasts.
