Font Substitution Strategies

When AI-generated text is unavoidable (the asset must include text that the model renders, not composited afterward), you need a font substitution strategy — a ranked list of acceptable alternatives when the model cannot render the primary font.

Substitution ladder for Exo 2: First choice — Exo 2 (the brand font, specified explicitly in the prompt). Second choice — any geometric sans-serif with similar x-height and weight distribution (Montserrat, Rajdhani, Titillium Web). Third choice — clean sans-serif (Roboto, Open Sans, Lato). Fourth choice — reject and regenerate. The model will attempt the first choice but may produce any of the second or third choices. The brand critic evaluates which tier the rendered font falls in and scores accordingly.

The substitution strategy also specifies what is never acceptable. Serif fonts: never. Script/handwriting fonts: never. Monospace: only in code-context imagery. Decorative fonts: never. These negative constraints in the generation prompt reduce the chance of wildly off-brand typography. "Use a clean, modern geometric sans-serif font. Never use serif, script, handwriting, or decorative fonts."