If you understand the importance of fonts within any given design, you’ll understand how important it is to choose the right fonts. It’s true, a font can either make or ruin a design, and more often than not — it’s the former that happens.
Take website templates or themes for example. Many of them have promising design structures, but far too often they get ruined because the designer chose a poor selection of fonts. And don’t get me started on that same repetitive stuff that we see happening in the field.
So, if you want to make a statement and make it original — you have to put in the time and effort to find unique fonts. And this is sort of the premise for this excellent roundup. Rather than have you go out there and mindlessly look for fonts — we’re putting together a tremendous resource of typography and font-related websites.
Some of these are sites that act as directories for fonts, while some are going to be marketplaces where you can make a purchase. And we also have a few tools here that provide information on the best font pairings. Heck, there’s even a font inside here that’s based on the logos of popular brands.
And if that sounds like something you’d love to learn more about, please keep reading as we discover these sites together.
1001 Free Fonts
As one of the oldest-running font websites, 1001 stands out with its diverse selection of typographic choices. At the time of writing this, more than 2200 fonts are available for free download using 1001’s site.
Fonts in categories like Computer, Outline, Modern, Typewriter, and all-time favorites like Script and Serif. This is not only a site that’s easy to use but also a site that delivers pleasant fonts for your search queries.
DaFont
DaFont has to be one of the biggest font resources that we have ever seen. The site indexes more than 40,000 fonts in an incredibly diverse set of categories. You can browse fonts based on specific themes, or list them by their publishing date.
Also, you can look up fonts from specific authors, or see which fonts are the most popular among all site users. And, if you are a designer yourself, why not submit a font of your own to the DaFont library?
An important thing to remember about DaFont is that each font uses a license specified by the uploader. So, if you plan to use these fonts in your commercial projects, you really need to make sure that the license allows you to do so.
DaFont allows authors to publish their PayPal address so that you can donate to them directly.
FontDatabase
If you’re a designer, FontDatabase will quickly grow on you with its precise recommendation algorithm.
In other words, FontDatabase recommends fonts based on two factors. The first factor is the type of font you want: format, informal, serif, and minimal.
And the other factor is how much more distinct you want the font to be.
So, for example, if you like Sans Serif — you can use FontDatabase to find a font that’s more formal than Sans Serif. But also to find a font that’s more minimal than Sans Serif.
It’s an amazing tool to add to your typography tools list because it’s so damn effective. No need to waste your time to manually check each font, and simply get specific recommendations whenever you need them.
Archetype
Archetype helps you identify fonts that you like and suggests the pixel-perfect typography styles that you can apply. As a result, your designs won’t feel like they are being carried by an uneven set of font settings.
Rather, by using Archetype — you can ensure that your design structure follows a persistent style. A style that’s perfect for providing exceptional user experiences.
There are a handful of these tools out in the wild, but Archetype has one of the better UI’s to work with.
Typewolf
You can’t talk about typography sites and tools without including Typewolf. This platform has been the leading resource for all-things-fonts for millions of designers across the globe.
The site is run by Jeremiah Shoaf, who does all of the work himself, manually by hand. And by all of the work we mean he produces font recommendations, font pairing information, and also publishes a daily ‘Site of the Day’ listing.
The Site of the Day listing is a list of sites that have proven themselves to use exceptional typography. And as such, the sites provide a lot of inspiration for both veteran and aspiring designers.
You know what they say, typography is what makes the design work. And Typewolf is one of those sites that really help out in the decision making of choosing the right font.
Font Review Journal
The Font Review Journal is a platform maintained by Bethany Heck. Bethany has worked as a Design Head for companies like Medium, Vox, Microsoft, and IBM.
And with this site, she’s trying to help provide designers with useful insight and feedback on great typefaces. Her focus is on both older fonts, but also new additions that are being published only now.
My goal isn’t to prescribe a number score or valuation on a typeface — rather, I want to celebrate, analyze, demystify and inform designers who are looking to improve their typographic choices. I won’t be reviewing any fonts here that I don’t personally use and see value in. — Bethany Heck
If you are someone who struggles to find great fonts on the regular — you’re going to love Bethany’s site because of how much attention she pays to detail.
FontSpark
FontSpark aims to provide designers with more choices. And wants to do so because most designers generally stick to a selection of a few fonts only. This creates a lot of repetitive patterns that don’t promote creative inspiration or growth.
As a result, FontSpark tries to deliver font choices that are both high-quality but also outside of the norm.
It’s mega easy to use as well, you can just type in some text and generate new font suggestions with one click.
The secret recipe is that FontSpark is recommending only the best of the best fonts.
And that means the inclusion of platforms like Adobe Fonts and Google Fonts.
FontSquirrel
Finding ‘free’ fonts isn’t always that difficult of a thing. What’s more difficult is finding fonts that are TRULY free. Meaning, not limited to personal use only. Which is what Font Squirrel is focusing on.
This database/library of fonts lists only those typefaces that can be 100% used in both personal and commercial projects. And I have to say, over the years — these guys have managed to create one heck of a database. A lot of the fonts are extremely high-quality.
And if you don’t want to browse, you can use the search engine to narrow down your search to very specific subsets. E.g. Sans Serif fonts, or fonts that have been tagged as Retro. You can also filter out by license types, family sizes, and more.
FontPair
One of the toughest things to do when it comes to typography is to find good font pairings. A font pair is generally what ties the entire design together. But, more often than not, it’s not as easy to find a great body pairing for that original header font that you found.
So, FontPair is trying to address this problem. And does it with hand-picked font pairings that will instantly give your designs a refreshed feel.
You can select from different style pairs, like Display with Sans Serif, or Sans Serif together with Monospace. And if that doesn’t work, then look up fonts manually.
It’s a wonderful resource once you get into it. And it is so because it offers instant gratification for applying major changes to your designs;
Adobe Fonts
Adobe excels in countless areas when it comes to design. And after acquiring Typekit, the organization also became a prominent force in the typography field.
These days, Adobe Fonts are used in tens of millions of websites, and the site indexes thousands of premium-quality custom-built fonts.
The only caveat is that this service isn’t free. You do have to sign-up as a paying customer, and the pricing starts at $9.99 per month for a single app project.
If you want to stand out with your typefaces, then Adobe Fonts is likely a solid choice. They also index fonts into ‘packs’, such as Headline Pack, UX Pack, or Brand Identity Pack.
Having access to these pre-collected directories of fonts can really speed up your designing process.
Google Fonts
Google fonts aren’t all that bad. I mean, a large proportion of all websites are using Google Fonts to some extent. It’s the favorite font choice for developers to include in WordPress themes. And also, Google Fonts are extremely vetted to ensure pristine quality.
We believe the best way to bring personality and performance to websites and products is through great design and technology. Our goal is to make that process simple, by offering an intuitive and robust directory of open source designer web fonts. By using our extensive catalog, you can share and integrate typography into any design project seamlessly—no matter where you are in the world. — Google
Fonts like Open Sans, Lato, and Roboto are true treasures of our time. Timeless typographic manifestations that will light up any design project. And completely free. Free for personal use, for large-scale commercial use, and even your apps.
Typespiration
Are you looking for concrete inspiration for your next project? An inspiration that’s more than just a font pairing? Well, Typespiration is a site dedicated to this exact purpose.
Typespiration does provide examples of font pairings, but more than that — it also provides color schemes for each pairing, and you can download the ready-made files to instantly apply the fonts to your project.
Rafal Tomal has endless experience in working with world-class companies to provide great design experiences. And Typespiration really shows Rafal’s passion for great typefaces, and how those typefaces can be integrated inside modern design frameworks.
Fontfabric
Fontfabric is not your typical platform for getting new fonts. It’s a unique platform run by a select few designers who are deeply passionate about building professional typography experiences.
These designers have had their work used by brands like CNET, Nike, Nestle, and a ton of other big names. It’s not easy to land deals with brands that serve hundreds of millions of customers. And because Fontfabric has done so, it goes to show their dedication towards creating typefaces that have the ‘Wow factor!’.
So far, Fontfabric provides fonts in the category if Sans, Serif, Rust, Display, and Script. And, they actually have a couple of great free fonts available for instant download as well. So, if you ever wanted to try out a “truly premium” font, then now is your chance.
Creative Market Fonts
Creative Market is among the most recognizable names in the digital assets industry. If you ever need a new website template or an illustration for your website — you’ll always want to check what Creative Market has to offer. Also, CM sells stock photos, icons, patterns, objects, themes, plugins, and even some 3D content.
It’s the leading platform in helping digital creators sell their work online. And, apart from all of the above-mentioned resources, Creative Market is also very well known for its diverse fonts selection. At the time of writing this, the Fonts directory shows that there are more than 27,000 unique listings.
And many of those listings include multiple fonts at once. So, I would say the number is closer to 40,000 fonts altogether. Alas, these are not free fonts, so you have to decide beforehand if a monetary investment is something that you’d like to make.
There are more than 600 fonts available for under $3. And more than 1,800 fonts in the $5 price range. But on average, an exceptional font with thorough optimization is going to cost you somewhere around $10-15. In all fairness, it’s an investment worth making.
I say so because Creative Market always gets the best designers to publish their work. And the really popular fonts have a ton of reviews and user feedback. So you’re never just shooting for the stars with any particular font.
GraphicRiver Fonts
Similar to the previous listing, GraphicRiver is just as recognizable of a name in this industry. Largely because GraphicRiver is part of the Envato network. Without question — THE largest digital marketplace for goods related to design, development, and so forth.
And while GraphicRiver does have a lot fewer fonts to offer — around 3,000+ in total — it makes up for it in quality and customer support.
The most popular fonts have hundreds of sales, and you can easily sort them by using the ‘Best Sellers’ filter option. Additionally, you can look at what’s trending, and use the ‘Trending Items’ filter.
All in all, this is an extremely reliable source of premium-quality fonts. You can use filters and other sorting options to find exactly the type of typeface that suits your needs.
And one more thing: using sites like GraphicRiver to purchase fonts means that you’re most likely never going to see that same font again. This allows you to give your users that premium typography experience, without needing to worry that another competitor is going to hijack your typeface choices.
Brand New Roman
If you’re up for some silliness, then check out Brand New Roman. While this is not an official typeface per se — it does provide a unique solution to everyday problems.
Brand New Roman is not a typeface based on letters, rather — it’s using brand logos as a way to provide a typeface experience.
So, if you were to type out ‘My Business’ — all of the letterings would be done using logos from well-known and recognizable brands. It’s a unique take on an old idea, and I have to say — it’s kind of exciting.
While I don’t see much use for this font in public projects, I can definitely see some use inside indie projects and such.
A wonderful idea that has been executed flawlessly.
FontBundles
Font Bundles gives you the quality you desire, without putting an exponential dent inside your wallet. The site is run by designers who have put in countless hours of finding, analyzing, and finally approving world-class fonts to be included in their bundle offers.
Unlike other premium platforms that make your purchases binding — Font Bundles offers exclusive 1-month money back guarantee. So, if you end up not liking the font during a 4-week period, you can simply request a refund.
But, even then, at this low of a price range for this high of a quality work — it’s hard to imagine a situation where you’d want to do a refund.
