What You Need to Know About Adding Text to Designs
When it comes to designs, texts and typography have a significant weight on the composition. They affect the final result and have an impact on the user. Besides, texts reinforce ideas and are a relevant element in certain designs such as wedding invitations, banners, flyers, etc.
However, using text and typography in your designs may be tricky, especially when trying to comply with microstock platforms’ requirements.
At Freepik, we aim to shed some light on the issue. In this post, we explain to you what’s the difference between editable text and outlined text and which one is preferred in each case. So, carefully read what we tell you here and take it into account for your next submissions.
Tips before starting:
- Use free fonts. Include in your designs fonts that are free for commercial use. Font Squirrel is quite popular among designers.
- Focus on usability. Some designs need to include editable text so that users can edit them — for example, templates, wedding invitations, banners, brochures, etc.
So, now: what’s the difference between editable text and outlined text?
1.Editable text
You can insert text in two different ways:
- By creating a single line of text from a point.
- By inserting a text box. In this case, the text is aligned with the box.
→ When is it recommended to use editable text?
In the case of templates, adding editable text is crucial for users to download your content and edit it. Example of templates that must include editable text are infographics, invitations, stationery, banners, packaging, logos, resumés, etc..
Have a look at the following examples:
Curriculum template
In the image above, titles have been created from a line of text, while text boxes have been used for the descriptions.
Wedding invitation template
Infographic
Logo
2.Outlined text
It refers to text that is converted to an outline, and thus, can’t be edited. This feature is usually used to turn text into a vectored format.
→How to outline text?
Create the text. Then, select the elements you want to outline and go to Menu → Text → Outline.
→When is it recommended to use outlined text?
- Titles: when the text is part of the design. For example, in menus, where titles play a leading role within the composition.
- Lettering: When using a paid font or a font that you created.
- Effect: in those cases where typography has a unique effect such as gradient, light, neon, or any other decoration.
In these cases, it’s recommended to use outlined text, but it doesn’t mean it’s a requirement. In fact, text can be editable as well. Have a look at the following example with a neon effect where users can edit the text:
As you can see, how you add text will depend on the design you’re creating. However, we highly recommend that you always think of users. If they can edit and customize your resources, they will download them, and you’ll get higher profits. Working with free fonts will ease the process for them as well, so don’t forget they are free for commercial use!
