February 15, 2013

Excellent free fonts for your typography collection

20 Excellent Free Fonts for Your Collection

Typography is now an art form and can really make or break an ad, article layout, or website. Maximize your font drawer with a gambit of free fonts.
Browse these sites for great free font downloads:

Always keep a variety of fonts in your quick draw. From script to plain text, as well as some with a bit of artistic flare. Mixing your fonts can elevate the design of your promotional content, website etc.

Helpful tips when pairing different fonts:

1) Use fonts with similar feel but not too similar. Mixing fonts that only have slight variations can make for a messy appearance. Instead chose bold combinations to make for a dynamic design choice. We like to call this the Goldie Lock’s rule of choosing fonts that are “not too similar but not too different.”

TIP: Use at least 2 fonts to get some flare for your ad. We use this rule for all of our Florida marketing agency clients and it always gives us a great looking ad in the end.

[quote]

Here are a few examples of how we use fonts to spice up our ads.

[/quote]

2) Consider using the font in italics, bold or underlined for a different yet similar approach. It’s easy and can have a great impact on the overall look. Also think about all caps versus an all lowercase approach in your text to help emphasize certain aspects of your design.

3) Mix San-Serif and Serif fonts together. What is a serif you ask? It’s the little tale or line that extends from the edges of the letters. San-Serif fonts don’t have this accent detail where as Serif fonts do.

4) Unify fonts by simply using the same color palette.  Try using different shades of the same color or different colors with similar intensities or saturation level.

5) Think about the font weight and priority that it carries in design. Some fonts are naturally going to draw the eye first, so think about using these fonts for headers or titles etc. To get the right balance, test your font features. Does it have a bold, italic, or strong option?

20 of our favorite free fonts

Handwritten & Script

These handwritten and script fonts really ad a trendy, design forward feel to your ads. Use them for main headers for an attention grabber or use them to emphasize a side note, tip, or product detail. It’s a great way to make callout text have a stand alone feel.

Claire Hand: http://www.behance.net/gallery/aClaire-Handa-the-new-team-scope-free-font/1945173

Five Minutes: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Five-Minutes/890532

Sofia: http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/sofia

Wisdom Script: http://www.losttype.com/font/?name=wisdom%20script

Modern Serif

A bit on the chunky side, these fonts are great for headers, side notes and to make regular ol’ content copy stand out.

Poly: http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/poly

Bobber: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Bobber-Typeface/3371595

Hagin Type Face: http://fontfabric.com/hagin-free-font/

Znikomit: http://www.glukfonts.pl/font.php?l=en&font=Znikomit

Sreda Slab Serif:  http://fontfabric.com/sreda-free-font/

Foro: http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/foro

 

Sleek San Serif

These fonts are great for content copy or titles. Typically lighter in weight and thinner looks, these san serif fonts off a sleek feel to your promotions or websites.

Raleway: http://www.theleagueofmoveabletype.com/raleway

Flex Display Typeface: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Flex-Display-free-fonts/6032321

Haymaker: http://www.losttype.com/font/?name=haymaker

Font Reswysokr: http://www.glukfonts.pl/font.php?l=en&font=Reswysokr

Muncie: http://www.losttype.com/font/?name=muncie

Lintel Modern Sans Serif Typeface: http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/northernblock/lintel/

Quicksand: http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/Quicksand

Classic with a Twist

In love with Times New Roman? Well how about a twist on an old classic. Quite legible and understated, these fonts are great for content copy or as an elegant header.

Calluna: http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/Calluna

Forum: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Forum/3295480

Which ones did we miss? Do you have other favorite free fonts?

← Back to articles

And More

And More