Fonts...a language all their own.

Fonts have long been a love of mine as I am constantly designing pieces for our business as well as other businesses and the correct usage of fonts are the foundation of great design. In fact, my nickname is "Font Queen!" 

Long ago, I understood that fonts are a language, speaking directly to the person viewing them.

Some fonts are bold, some are graceful, and some are just plain, but they too have their place.

I thought I would share some of my current faves, why I love them and two websites where I either download them at no charge or I pay a bit for them.

Realizing that fonts are categorized as follows, I will give you my favorite in each category:

Serif: Traditional styles such as Times New Roman or Bodoni. When I want to use serif, I usually choose Times New Roman. Good for large areas of text.

San Serif: Simple, plain, and modern such as Helvetica, Gill Sans or Futura. When I want simple and plain with a modern edge, I choose Champagne and Limousines as it is a bit skinnier and feels younger. If your project requires more "meat" then choose the others mentioned here. San Serif is good to use when you have a lot or text and it needs to be easy to read.

Script: When I think about Script, I usually don't want a formal one like Chopin or Scriptina though they do have their place. I like to tiptoe out a bit more and play with more creative Scripts like Jellyka (most of her collection is awesome), Fortunates December or Mutlu for a wilder look with more curves.

Hand Drawn (Hand Lettered): This is where I spend most of my time searching for just the right font/feeling to convey my message. These are like the spice in a recipe; you don't want to use too much, but just enough to get attention. 

These are the headline fonts. Some of my current faves, though too many to mention here, are Hello Beautiful, Moon Flower, Made with B, Fish and Chips, Lilly Belle, Magnolia and so many, many more. This is my favorite category to create my designs around.

I also love any font that includes Swishes, Swashes or other hand-drawn elements that I can add to my designs.

Now as to where to get fonts as well as other design elements that come in handy...

I LOVE a new place I discovered this year that sends out free fonts and hand-drawn designs every week. Along with these free items, they also send out recommended fonts and much more for minimum purchase. It is called Creative Market.

My "go-to" place for fonts is dafont.com and they remain at the top of my list, even after many years of using them. Check out hundreds of fonts by category...you will be astonished at how many there are! 

I contribute to anyone whose font I use on a constant basis. Jellyka is found here and we use many of her script fonts on a constant basis.

As we enter a new year, take the time to refresh both your printed and digital pieces.