A brand's font choice is like the plumbing in your home: You don't think much about it until something goes wrong—and then it's a disaster.

The right font says so much about your brand, an infographic produced by branding development consultancy Creative Canary explains.

For example, the font you select for your brand will (or, at least, should) tell customers about your company's ethos. Serif fonts, like Times New Roman, portray professionalism and pragmatism, whereas handwriting fonts tend to be associated with brands that seek a friendly, approachable image.

The graphic also explains the different between a font and a typeface: The typeface is what we often today call "font," such as Arial, Courier, or Bradley Hand. But the font incorporates the typeface plus the attributes, such as the style (bold, underline, etc.) and sizing.