I am working with some great guys at a company called Forest for the Trees on an update of their current web site. They wanted to maintain their color scheme and not stray too far from their logo, as it was already in print several places. We are still in the process of tweaking the layout, but along the way we have run into a question and thought it would be helpful to get a group opinion.

The question is, how much does font choice really matter? Is it just a personal preference thing, or does it make a difference in who you choose to do business with? Common design wisdom says that font choice makes a big difference in a company’s brand, but how much difference does it really make?

Pretend you’re a customer who needs help with what Forest for the Trees excels at: building a content strategy for your web presence that matches business goals and then presenting that content through mixed media. Here are two versions of the web site with two different font styles:

Version 1 – Rounded | Version 2 – Non-Rounded

Which appeals to you more? Which would you rather do business with? Why? Does the different font style give you a different impression of the company or is it arbitrary?

Try not to look at the other comments before you leave your own as we’re looking for your initial reaction, uninfluenced by others’ opinions. Looking forward to your comments!