Arial, Times New Roman, Impact... it seems like we all have fonts we love, fonts we hate, and maybe even fonts we love to hate (Comic Sans, anyone?)
Fonts (or typefaces to the typophiles out there) are a tremendous asset to the design process. Your choice of typeface serves as the voice for your message and can convey the personality of your business, product or service - modern or traditional, industrial or natural, serious or fun. While you technically can specify any font installed on your computer in your email design, you might stop to consider how many of your subscribers have "BoosterRocketLight83" installed on their system. Rather than take the risk that your award-winning email design doesn't display as you intended, consider using "web safe" fonts instead. These fonts are likely to be present on a wide range of computer systems, and often come pre-installed, increasing the likelihood that everyone can view your original design. They can also display when images are blocked – giving the subscriber a preview of your message before opening the email.
Before you contemplate what kind of personality Impact has (or perhaps you're debating between Arial and Verdana for the 698th time and need a good laugh), wander over to the Font Conference for a quick primer in font typology:
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