Letter definition is one of the key factors to consider when designing a 3D color font. If letters are not defined enough, the meaning of the words will not be conveyed and will be unclear. A font like Agent Orange is a prime example of a well defined, three-dimensional font. Its thick lines, even on its unshadowed side, give it a chunky feel that make individual letters effortlessly easy to pick out and therefore simple to read.
Selecting the color of your font is an immensely important element of its design. Of course, single hued fonts should be colored so as to contrast with their background and be easy to read. However, a three-dimensional font is likely to comprise multiple hues as these multiple colors help to define shadows and textures that make the font stand out. If subtlety is what you are aiming for, choose a monochromatic color scheme; this is a color scheme elected from one segment of the color wheel, allowing you to make minute, tasteful changes in color. If a more attention-grabbing font is what you are after, select colors from opposite sides of the color wheel, as these will contrast and draw the eye.
Shadowing is what makes an essentially two-dimensional font on a screen or a piece of paper appear three-dimensional, by mimicking the effect of light falling at an angle on a three-dimensional object. The Archer 3D font uses basic shadowing to define the outline of its letters, exemplifying how instrumental shading can be in making your font stand out. Block shading is effective with black and white text, but for colored fonts, shading should be more considered and consist of juxtaposing darker hues of colors with lighter ones.
Adding texture to a three-dimensional font can be a nice way to finish your design. However, care should be taken when selecting a texture, as jumbles of lines and surfaces, often moving against the grain of the font, can make the words the font is representing difficult to read. This is called the dazzle camouflage effect and is exemplified with the Zebra font, which breaks the letters up, making them almost disappear from the page. Most of the time, an untextured, tastefully colored three-dimensional font will work better than a textured one.