Play More: A Chic and Cheery Font Duo for Creative Branding
It was a quiet Tuesday morning and I was staring at a blank brand board for a new client — a cozy little skincare boutique that wanted a fresh, modern, and approachable visual identity. I knew the logo needed to feel warm, personal, and just a little whimsical. That’s when I remembered Play More, a font duo I’d recently added to my collection: a mix of friendly dingbats and a bold display typeface that promised to bring a touch of charm to any design.
I opened up Illustrator and typed out the brand name in Play More’s display font. Instantly, the screen felt more alive. The rounded edges and slightly bouncy baseline gave the text a soft, approachable vibe — exactly what this brand needed to feel inviting. I layered in a few of the dingbat icons from the set to frame the wordmark, and just like that, the first logo draft had a personality.
Bringing Play More into the Brand Identity
What makes Play More stand out is its dual nature. The display font is playful without being childish — it walks that fine line between trendy and timeless. The dingbats are cute, yes, but they’re also versatile. They’re not just for scrapbooking or greeting cards; used subtly, they can elevate a brand’s visual language across multiple touchpoints.
For this skincare brand, I started integrating Play More into other identity elements. The dingbats became subtle dividers in the website layout and were used as bullet points in email templates. The display font was used for all headlines and key messaging — from packaging labels to social media headers. It worked beautifully in both uppercase and sentence case, and the character set included enough alternates to keep things visually interesting without feeling forced.
Real-World Use Cases for Play More
Once the logo and basic identity system were in place, I began testing Play More across different brand materials:
- Packaging Design: On a small product label, the dingbats served as a decorative border and added a touch of whimsy. The display font was used for product names, and even at a small size, it remained legible and impactful.
- Social Media Graphics: Instagram posts featuring the brand name in Play More stood out in the feed. The font’s rounded forms gave the visuals a softness that complemented the brand’s natural aesthetic.
- Printed Marketing Materials: Business cards, thank-you tags, and even window decals looked fresh and modern with Play More. The dingbats made great icons for contact info or social media handles.
- Website Headers: Used as a web-safe font (via a proper web font kit), Play More gave the homepage hero section a cheerful tone that matched the brand’s voice.
Pairing Play More with Other Fonts
While Play More is expressive on its own, it really shines when paired with a more neutral typeface. For body text and secondary messaging, I chose a clean sans serif to balance the boldness of the display font. Occasionally, I mixed in a soft script for short quotes or testimonials, which added a handcrafted feel without clashing.
One thing I noticed is that Play More works best as a headline font or accent typeface. It’s not ideal for long blocks of text due to its stylized nature, but that’s perfectly fine. It’s meant to grab attention and add character — and in that role, it excels.
Design Considerations and Practical Tips
Before committing to any font for a full brand system, I always test it in multiple contexts. With Play More, I made sure to:
- Check its readability at different sizes — especially for packaging and print materials.
- Preview the dingbats in both color and black-and-white to ensure they translated well across media.
- Review the included alternates and ligatures to see how much flexibility the font offered.
- Verify that it supported the necessary languages and character sets, especially since the brand might expand into international markets.
- Confirm that the font license allowed for commercial use across all intended applications — from digital ads to product packaging.
One of the most pleasant surprises was how well the dingbats scaled. I used them on a small sticker label and also as large icons on a poster — and both looked crisp and intentional. The font files were well-organized, and the dingbats came in both outlined and solid versions, giving me design flexibility without extra work.
Final Thoughts on Using Play More in Branding
At the end of the project, the client loved how the brand felt both modern and heartfelt. Play More gave the identity a sense of playfulness that resonated with their target audience — young, conscious consumers who valued authenticity and design.
If you’re working on a branding project for a boutique, creative studio, handmade shop, or any small business that wants to stand out with a personal touch, Play More is definitely worth a test run. It’s not just a font — it’s a design tool that brings warmth, charm, and clarity to your visual storytelling.
Just remember to use it thoughtfully. Let Play More be the star of your headlines and accents, and pair it with more neutral fonts for balance. And as always, test it in real-world applications before locking in your final designs.
