Why your brand doesn't need more than two typefaces

It's tempting to think more typefaces mean more versatility. In practice, the opposite usually happens: every additional typeface is one more decision someone has to get right every time they produce a piece, and one more chance for the system to look inconsistent.

Two typefaces (one for headings, one for body copy) are enough to cover 90% of a brand's real use cases: web, social, print, presentations. A well-chosen combination gives enough contrast between hierarchies without needing a third typographic voice that, most of the time, ends up competing with the other two instead of complementing them.

Rigatonni's system uses exactly two: Recoleta for moments of brand personality, Gellix for everything else. That deliberate restriction is what makes any piece, no matter who produces it, feel part of the same system.

If your brand already has three or more typefaces floating around, that doesn't mean everything needs to be redone. But if you're defining the system from scratch, starting with two is a decision that saves you inconsistencies down the line, not a limitation.