Google Fonts on Speckyboy Design Magazine

How to Speed up Google Fonts in WordPress

Brian Jackson — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 11:49:04 +0000

Today, I’m going to cover a few methods for optimizing and speeding up Google Fonts in WordPress. Images, of course, are and always will be the heaviest part of a web page, but according to HTTP Archive, as of October 2016, web fonts are just over 3% of an average page’s overall weight.

Even though the weight of web fonts makes up only a small portion of the overall web page, every optimization you make helps contribute to faster load times. Check out some ways below to speed up those fonts!

What are Google Fonts?

First off, for those of you who might not know, Google Fonts is an open-source (free) directory of over 800 web font families which you can use on your website. They are also available to download locally for print and other uses. Millions of WordPress websites utilize Google Fonts as it is a great free way to enhance the look and usability of your site.

If you are going for pure performance, system fonts will always win, but there is nothing like the professionalism and aesthetic of a good web font. And in fact, typography has been shown to affect conversions in a positive way. But everything has its cost. And so, it is important to understand how adding Google Fonts to your WordPress site affects speed and performance.

How to Use Google Fonts in WordPress

There are a couple of ways to add Google Fonts to your WordPress site. The first and default way is to grab them directly from Google. This method uses their global CDN to deliver the fonts quickly from different servers from around the globe.

When you add them to your site there will be an external request to fonts.googleapis.com.

The are also external requests to fonts.gstatic.com for the WOFF or WOFF2 versions depending upon browser support.

WordPress Plugin

If you are a WordPress beginner, the easiest way to add Google Fonts to your website is probably with a free plugin. The Easy Google Fonts plugin is a good popular example. As of writing, it currently has over 300,000 active installs with a 4.9 out of 5-star rating.

Add Embed Code From Google Fonts

It is important to note that most WordPress plugins add slight overhead, and so I prefer to add Google Fonts with their much simpler to use embed code. So, head over to Google Fonts and choose the font you want. For this example, I’m using Roboto.

Click on the “Customize” option. This is an important step as each font family has different font weights. Typically you will want regular, medium, and bold.

Note: Every font-weight you include adds to the overall load time of your fonts, so don’t just select all of them. The less, the better.

Then click on the “Embed” option. This is where you will want to copy the embed code it provides.

Take that code and put it into the section of your WordPress site. There are different ways you can do this, some might prefer to enqueue the fonts, but for this example I simply added the code to the header.php file. Note: This might vary slightly depending on the theme you are using.

Then, to actually make your WordPress theme use the Google Fonts, you have to add some CSS styles. Below is an example of what I’m using. If your theme admin panel doesn’t have a custom CSS editor you can always use a free plugin like Custom CSS and JS.

body {font-family:roboto; font-size:18px;}
h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {font-family:roboto; font-weight:700; text-transform:none !important;}
h1 {font-size:28px;}
h2 {font-size:26px;}
h3 {font-size:24px;}
h4 {font-size:20px;}
h5 {font-size:18px;}
h6 {font-size:16px;}

Now that you know some quick methods for adding Google Fonts to your WordPress site, I’m now going to do a few quick tests to see alternative ways of speeding them up. I ran some tests first with the setup above and the average speed came out at 418ms. Note: Each test was run five times, and the average result was taken.

Host Google Fonts Locally

Another way to deliver Google Fonts on your WordPress site is to host them locally on your web server. If your audience is in a certain geographical location and close to your server, it can actually be faster to host them locally than it is to use Google Fonts. Google Fonts CDN is great, but adding those additional external requests and DNS lookups can cause delays.

This method will typically only work if you are using fast hosting. In the example, I’m using managed WordPress hosting from Kinsta, which is ironically powered by the Google Cloud Platform.

To host locally I actually utilized a free tool called the google-webfonts-helper. This allows you to download the Google fonts locally more easily and gives you all of the CSS. Below is an example of what we will end up with. You will need to upload the fonts you downloaded to your web server. In this case, I put them in a folder called “fonts.”

/* roboto-regular - latin */

@font-face {
  font-family: 'Roboto';
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 400;
  src: local('Roboto'), local('Roboto-Regular'),
       url('https:/perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-regular.woff2') format('woff2'), /* Chrome 26+, Opera 23+, Firefox 39+ */
       url('https://perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-regular.woff') format('woff'); /* Chrome 6+, Firefox 3.6+, IE 9+, Safari 5.1+ */
}

/* roboto-500 - latin */
@font-face {
  font-family: 'Roboto';
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 500;
  src: local('Roboto Medium'), local('Roboto-Medium'),
       url('https://perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-500.woff2') format('woff2'), /* Chrome 26+, Opera 23+, Firefox 39+ */
       url('https://perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-500.woff') format('woff'); /* Chrome 6+, Firefox 3.6+, IE 9+, Safari 5.1+ */
}

/* roboto-700 - latin */
@font-face {
  font-family: 'Roboto';
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 700;
  src: local('Roboto Bold'), local('Roboto-Bold'),
       url('https:/perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-700.woff2') format('woff2'), /* Chrome 26+, Opera 23+, Firefox 39+ */
       url('https://perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-700.woff') format('woff'); /* Chrome 6+, Firefox 3.6+, IE 9+, Safari 5.1+ */
}

We then need to make sure to remove the embed code from Google Fonts in the header so that you no longer have those external calls. I then again ran some tests with the setup above and the average speed came out to 386ms.

Note: The web server is located in Iowa, and the speed test from Pingdom was run from Dallas, TX. So as you can see, even though the server is located elsewhere in the United States, it is still slightly faster to load Google Fonts locally on the server. Of course, you will want to test various locations yourself based on your own audience.

Host Google Fonts on Your Own CDN

Now for a third scenario. On the site above, I’m using a third-party CDN provider already (KeyCDN) to host all of the other assets(images, CSS, Javascript, etc.). What happens if we now throw our fonts on the same CDN, instead of Google’s CDN?

I’m using the free CDN Enabler WordPress plugin. This actually copies the fonts from the “fonts” folder on the web server to KeyCDN automatically. We then have to tweak the code slightly so that the path to the fonts is now pointing to the CDN (such as cdn.domain.com).

/* roboto-regular - latin */

@font-face {
  font-family: 'Roboto';
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 400;
  src: local('Roboto'), local('Roboto-Regular'),
       url('https://cdn.perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-regular.woff2') format('woff2'), /* Chrome 26+, Opera 23+, Firefox 39+ */
       url('https://cdn.perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-regular.woff') format('woff'); /* Chrome 6+, Firefox 3.6+, IE 9+, Safari 5.1+ */
}

/* roboto-500 - latin */
@font-face {
  font-family: 'Roboto';
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 500;
  src: local('Roboto Medium'), local('Roboto-Medium'),
       url('https://cdn.perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-500.woff2') format('woff2'), /* Chrome 26+, Opera 23+, Firefox 39+ */
       url('https://cdn.perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-500.woff') format('woff'); /* Chrome 6+, Firefox 3.6+, IE 9+, Safari 5.1+ */
}

/* roboto-700 - latin */
@font-face {
  font-family: 'Roboto';
  font-style: normal;
  font-weight: 700;
  src: local('Roboto Bold'), local('Roboto-Bold'),
       url('https://cdn.perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-700.woff2') format('woff2'), /* Chrome 26+, Opera 23+, Firefox 39+ */
       url('https://cdn.perfmatters.io/fonts/roboto-v15-latin-700.woff') format('woff'); /* Chrome 6+, Firefox 3.6+, IE 9+, Safari 5.1+ */
}

I then again ran some tests with the setup above and the average speed came out to 384ms.

As you can see, using a CDN is yet again just slightly faster. Not by much, but if you compare it to Google’s CDN, test it, it definitely is faster. Part of this is because it can utilize the same HTTP/2 connection, and it still reduces the external call and DNS lookup, just as hosting locally does. And of course, one advantage to this method is that it will be globally faster.

Summary

As you can see from the tests above, the Google Fonts CDN is great, but it might not always be the fastest. Of course, it will always depend on your own environment and where you are serving up traffic, whether it be to a local audience or global.

I recommend testing each method above for yourself and see which one is the fastest and works the best for your WordPress site. And remember, only load the font weights you actually need!

The post How to Speed up Google Fonts in WordPress appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

20+ Free Pixel Fonts for Creatives

Eric Karkovack — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 08:05:25 +0000

Everyone loves a retro aesthetic. Pixel fonts offer a great way to add this old-school techno look to your projects. They prompt memories of classic video games, computer systems, and plenty of pop culture references.

They’re also more flexible than you might imagine. App development is a natural fit. Or use them as a headline font for your gaming blog. They also add a touch of fun to print materials, digital artwork, and video presentations.

Pixel fonts also feature a wide range of styles. Like other fonts, you’ll find both serif and sans-serif options. However, there are also different levels of thickness and character spacing. Each brings a unique personality to the table.

In this article, we’ve rounded up over twenty free pixel fonts available for download. Find your favorites, add them to your collection, and bring on the retro vibes!

Lower Pixel Font

Free to Download

Enjoy the fun look of this video game-inspired pixel font. Look closely, and you’ll find a delightful mix of squares and rectangles – just like the arcades and consoles of old. The relatively thin weight also keeps things legible.

Super Pixels Font

Here’s a familiar font for fans of a certain classic game series. The package includes a full slate of characters, including punctuation. It’s an excellent choice for adding a bit of nostalgia to your project.

Fight! Pixel Font

Free to Download

Inspired by old-school fighting games, this typeface features an action-packed look. Its bold and italicized text would be great for headlines and banners. Just don’t get too carried away with your street-fighting and knock over a lamp!

Bitroad Edgy Y2K Pixel Font

Bitroad is a mashup of styles representing the 1980s and 2000s. The font makes a bold statement while staying easy to read. It includes multiple typestyles and is available in several popular file formats.

Sheko Headline Pixel Font

Free to Download

Bold retro stylings are a hallmark of Sheko. Use it in places where you want to make the most impact. It features tight kerning that’s perfect for headlines and titles.

Go Pixel Font

This all-caps pixel font will do wonders for your retro-themed designs. Each character features a variable outline that adds authenticity. It looks great in any size, and its low-contrast style offers a unique touch.

Dotemp 8Bit Pixel Slanted Font

Free to Download

Add some slanted perspective to your project with this 8-bit typeface. Dotemp is a serif font that faithfully recreates the look of classic computing apps. It’s a variable font with regular and pixel styles.

Anti Pixel Font

Here’s a font that mixes elements of the old and new. It’s a pixelated font, for sure. However, it’s highly legible and includes some anti-aliasing. This one is a great fit when a more subtle approach to retro is in order.

Handdrawn Pixel Font

Free to Download

Talk about unique, here’s a hand-drawn pixel font. The result is a fun typeface with classic looks and a decidedly modern charm. It also includes plenty of special characters to make it a versatile pick.

Arcade Pixel

Travel back to the days when arcades ruled with this classic typeface. You won’t find any fancy effects here. The look is simple – a good representation of what once was. Sometimes, that’s all you need to make a statement.

Retro Pixel Font

Free to Download

Here’s a font with a twist on the pixelated style. It features a rounded look to soften those sharp edges. It’s a nice alternative to the more brutalist options on this list.

Tiny5 Pixel Font

Free to Download

Tiny5 goes all out when it comes to pixelation. The characters are chunky, and the shapes are free of anti-aliasing. There’s simply no compromise. Therefore, reserve this one for use on headlines and banners.

Silver Pixel Font

Free to Download

Silver was built with game developers (and gamers) in mind. The multi-language font includes gamepad buttons with full keyboard and mouse prompts. Use it in your apps to give users an authentic experience.

Thaleah Fat Pixel Font

Free to Download

Be bold and tell a story with this thick pixel font. It’s aimed at game developers but is also a natural fit for website hero areas. It’s another handy choice for your typography toolbox.

Pixelify Sans Font

Free to Download

Pixelify Sans is a no-nonsense typeface that comes in four distinct font weights. That provides more flexibility than your average pixel font. It can be used in both large and small sizes and maintain readability.

Dogica Pixel Font

Free to Download

You may notice that Dogica is easier on the eyes than most pixel fonts. It offers monospaced and kerned versions. Either way, you’re getting a legible font that can be used at the tiniest sizes. That makes it an all-purpose winner.

Silkscreen Pixel Font

Free to Download

Silkscreen is a cross-platform pixel font built for websites and online apps. It’s an all-caps font with extra spacing between characters. It would work beautifully for the text headers on your tech blog.

Smallest Pixel-7 Font

Free to Download

Need a pixel font fit for smaller sizes? This one fits the bill with the ability to stay legible no matter how low you go. You might use it for those little design accents on websites and print documents.

MultiType Pixel Font

Free to Download

Give your projects a subtly pixelated look with this display font. It features a distorted style that will help your designs stand out. It’s proof that pixel fonts don’t have to be harsh.

Pigxel Modern Pixel Font

Free to Download

Here’s a style that looks like it comes from another galaxy. Pigxel brings a lot of curves to the pixel font playbook. Use it to create titles meant to send users far, far away.

NF Pixels

Free to Download

This minimalistic font’s origins can be traced to an iOS pixel art app. Thus, you can be confident in displaying it on any screen. It also includes plenty of symbols for added flexibility.

PICO-8 Pixel Font

Free to Download

PICO-8 is available in several flavors, including monospaced, all-caps, and wide. That makes it a good option for niche use cases. Beyond that, this True-Type font is a fun way to spice up your designs.

Pixel Millennium Font

Free to Download

This pixel font adds extra pizzaz with blocky glyphs and thick sizing. It’s reminiscent of the systems we saw in sci-fi movies from the 1970s and 80s. Perfect for transporting your designs into hyperspace.

Pixel Code Font

Free to Download

Write code the way our ancestors did – with a pixel font! Pixel Code is a monospaced font designed for use in code editors. It aims to maximize readability and includes a complete set of programming ligatures.

Nb Pixel Font Bundle

Free to Download

Here’s a collection of 20 pixel fonts – all with a public domain license. You’ll find a variety of styles to choose from. There are great options for fantasy gamers, along with more conventional typefaces.

The Power of Pixelation

Pixel fonts are one of the more fun typographic categories. You’ll find basic similarities. But the details are often what separates them. The font’s weight, shape, and letter spacing are defining factors. You can use them to create different moods and aesthetics.

So, choose your favorites and create something awesome!

The post 20+ Free Pixel Fonts for Creatives appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

The 10 Most Popular Google Fonts for UI Design

Eric Karkovack — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 21:51:04 +0000

The impact Google Fonts has had on the web is undeniable. Since its somewhat humble beginnings in 2010, the 1,500+ fonts now hosted by the library have been viewed well over 75 trillion times. Of course, the likes of Adobe and others have followed suit with font repositories of their own. The difference is that everything Google Fonts has to offer is free.

And it’s a good thing that free web fonts have come along. Typography on the web used to be incredibly boring. It started out with the limitation that a specific font had to be on a user’s system in order to be viewed correctly in a browser. Eventually, @font-face brought more options to the table. But licensing issues were often difficult to deal with (if dealt with at all).

The brilliance of Google Fonts is the flexibility you have with where and how you use it. You can load fonts via Google’s service or download them to place on your own server or device. Plus, they receive contributions from font artists worldwide. That has led to an incredible variety of available styles.

Of course, some fonts tend to be more popular than others. Thanks to the openness of the library, Google provides a nifty analytics page that breaks down how much usage each font receives. Let’s take a look at ten of the most used fonts in the library. Note that, in some cases, multiple members of the same font family are separate entries on Google’s list. We’ll avoid repeating ourselves in those instances.

Open Sans

It’s probably not much of a surprise that Open Sans leads the way as you tend to see it all over the place. WordPress even used it as the default dashboard font at one point. It’s clean, easy-to-read and comes in an abundance of styles. The condensed version also ranks as one of Google’s more popular choices.

Roboto

Again, we Google Fonts fanatics love our sans-serif type. This one is great for body text as it lends itself well to reading at smaller sizes. The look is also very modern and matches up nicely with more minimalist designs. It also saw a massive 65% jump in usage from February 2017-18. Also note that the condensed version is the sixth most-used font as well.

Lato

Did I mention the obsession with sans-serifs? Lato is one that I do find myself using a lot. As with its mates in the top three, it comes in a variety of styles and is a jack-of-all-trades. I think that helps to explain its popularity, along with the fact that it fits in with modern design trends.

Slabo 27px

Finally, a serif in sight! What makes Slabo 27px a bit unique is that both it and its sister font (Slabo 13px) are optimized for viewing at the pixel size reflected in its name. This flavor is a great choice for producing clear, readable headlines.

Oswald

Many designers look for web fonts that resemble classics – but without the licensing hassles. Oswald is one that is pretty well on point with the popular Alternate Gothic family. It has that same timeless look that brings a touch of class to any website.

Source Sans 3

This font is actually historic in that it’s Adobe’s first-ever open source typeface. Their intention was to create a font that would be a good fit for UI. It certainly does hold up as being very readable. There is a nice spacing between characters and plenty of styles to choose from.

Montserrat

Inspired by the Montserrat neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, this font sports a classic urban style. It’s a great all-purpose font that adds a bit of pizzazz to both headlines and body text. Its popularity has also led to the Alternates and Subrayada versions.

PT Sans

Created for the “Public Types of Russian Federation” project, Google reports that the majority of PT Sans’ usage is in Russia. In fact, it features character sets for every title language in the country. That being said, designers around the world are taking advantage of this font’s clean and modern look.

Raleway

Raleway was developed as a headline font meant to be used at larger sizes. However, it does work quite well for body text as well. Personally, I don’t know if any other font on this list fits the modern, minimalist style better. It’s also available in a dots version.

Lora

Rounding out the list is Lora, a subtly-detailed serif font. While it only comes in four basic styles, that seems to be more than enough for just about any use.

Bringing Great Typography to the Web

What stands out about the fonts above is that they are overwhelmingly a reflection of their core audience: designers. While the library is undoubtedly used by non-designers as well, the choices at the top of the list seem to show a professional attitude towards type. Notice the lack of any comic or whimsical styles.

Overall, these fonts have brought about a typographic revolution to the web. That’s something we designers should all be thankful for.

The post The 10 Most Popular Google Fonts for UI Design appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

15+ Free Fonts with Classic Typewriter Styles for Creatives

Paul Andrew — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 10:00:28 +0000

Typewriter fonts can bring a unique style to your creative projects. Their worn-out letters and subtle ink blots replicate those characteristics you associate with vintage typing machines. They are great for projects like posters, branding, or invitations that need a vintage aesthetic.

Most of the fonts in this collection have been digitally designed and inspired by classic typewriters. But we have also included some fonts that have been scanned from the typed text of real typewriters and have those original peculiarities like faded ink and uneven keystrokes.

Whether you’re looking for something clean and refined or a more worn, authentic feel, in this collection we share some of the best free typewriter fonts to help give your projects a classic touch.

Tox Typewriter Font

Free to Download

The free font Tox replicates the pressed ink-on-paper effect you typically find when using old-school typewriters. Its rough and uneven edges make it perfect for vintage or industrial projects.

Postmark Vintage Typewriter Font

Postmark Typewriter has a clean yet slightly distressed style. The regular weight’s thin lines and occasional ink blot give it a nostalgic feel. This font suits projects that need an authentic typewriter aesthetic.

Royal Quiet Typewriter Font

Free to Download

Royal Quiet Deluxe is a free font created using real typed letters from a 1950s Royal Portable typewriter. If you’re looking for a typewriter font with a crisp and uniform style and authentic glitches and flaws, this is the font for you.

Rons Serif Typewriter Font

With its strong strokes and worn characters, Ron’s Typewriter feels heavy and dramatic, making it perfect for poster design. This serif font comes with regular, light, and bold weights.

Courier Prime Typewriter Font

Free to Download

Courier Prime modernizes the classic Courier font while maintaining its monospaced design. It’s clean, easy to read, and versatile. This font works well for code or any other text-heavy documents.

Typewriter Inked Handwritten Font

This font combines a typewriter’s classic structure with a handwritten feel. The ink-smudged appearance and uneven character spacing give it an organic and personal touch. It includes regular, outline, and italic weights.

Bygonest Typewriter Font

Free to Download

Bygonest Typewriter is a worn and weathered free font with uneven strokes and faint imprints. Its rough edges make it look aged and used, creating the feel of old documents or typewritten letters.

TypedeerMono Typewriter Stamp Font

Typedeermono is a typewriter font with a slightly distorted, hand-pressed appearance that has been designed to look as though a rubber stamp created the letters. It includes both regular and stamp variations.

Radio Newsman Typewriter Font

Free to Download

Radio Newsman is a strong typewriter font that has been inspired by mid-century newsrooms. Its bold characters make it perfect for headlines or vintage-themed designs.

Frontype Typewriter Typeface

Taking inspiration from traditional typewritten text, Frontype is a clean serif font with slight imperfections. Those subtle blots give the impression of a freshly inked typewriter ribbon. It is perfect for retro projects that need to be legible.

TT2020 Typewriter Font Family

Free to Download

TT2020 offers a contemporary twist on classic typewriter fonts. Its precise lines make it feel modern while still retaining the irregularities that give typewriter fonts their character. This free font comes with six varied styles.

Xerography Typography Font

Free to Download

Xerography is a free serif font that imitates the look of a worn-out typewriter or copy machine. It has slightly rough edges with faded characters and a solid stamped background. This typewriter font would be perfect for bold poster designs.

Byron Mark I & II Fonts

Free to Download

These free fonts were created by scanning the characters typed on Byron’s classic Mark I and Mark II typewriters. The slight imperfections are real and will add vintage character to any design project you’re working on.

Dull Boy Typewriter Font

Free to Download

Dull Boy is a free typewriter font with varying letter shapes and uneven spacing. Its bold style makes it excellent for projects that need a worn-down look.

Remington Noiseless Font

Free to Download

This free font was created using a Remington Noiseless typewriter. It is a slightly rounded and gentle typeface with all of the imperfections you would expect to see in vintage typewritten text.

Veteran Typewriter Font

Free to Download

Veteran Typewriter has a rugged, worn look, with rough edges that perfectly replicate the characteristics of a well-used typewriter. This free font would be excellent for designs that need an antique aesthetic.

Special Elite Typewriter Font

Free to Download

Special Elite is a grungy typewriter font that has taken inspiration from the Smith Corona Special Elite (where its name comes from) and Remington Noiseless typewriters. This free font is available on Google Fonts.

Adler Regular Typewriter Font

Free to Download

Adler is a free typewriter font with heavily distressed characters, replicating the text of a heavily used classic typewriter. If you’re looking for a heavily smudged and grungy typewriter font, this is the font you want.

Punk Typewriter Font

Free to Download

Punk Typewriter is an edgy typeface with strong imperfections and erratic character shapes. Its bold, chaotic appearance would work well for projects that need a touch of rebellion.

Kyiv Machine Font

Free to Download

Kyiv Machine is a free typewriter font with industrial and mechanical aesthetics. Each character appears worn and uneven, giving the font a sense of history.

Typewriter Font FAQs

What are typewriter fonts?

They replicate the typed text of traditional typewriters. They tend to have irregular letters, ink imperfections, and grungy design quirks.
Can typewriter fonts be used for logo design?

Yes, they are great for logo design. They are excellent for adding vintage character to your designs.
Are all typewriter fonts monospaced?

Most typewriter fonts are monospaced, but some may have inconsistent spacing.
Are scanned typewriter fonts less polished than digital versions?

Scanned fonts are more authentic, while digital versions tend to be cleaner and more uniform.
Can typewriter fonts be paired with other fonts?

Yes, typewriter fonts often pair well with modern fonts, giving your designs a more balanced contrast.
Do typewriter fonts work best in large text sizes?

Yes, they do. The larger the text, the more you will see their unique details, like uneven strokes and ink imperfections.
Are these fonts free for commercial use?

Some fonts are free for commercial use, while others require a license. You should always read and review the terms and conditions of each font.

The post 15+ Free Fonts with Classic Typewriter Styles for Creatives appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

25+ Free Serif Fonts for Timeless & Elegant Design

Paul Andrew — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 07:43:53 +0000

Serif fonts play an important role in design, offering readability and a touch of sophistication. They are widely used in various design projects, from print to digital, due to their classic appearance and versatility.

High-quality free serif fonts are readily available, making it easier for designers to create professional work without breaking the bank.

When choosing a serif font, consider its readability, style, and how well it complements other design elements. Factors like the font’s weight, spacing, and overall aesthetic impact are essential.

This collection shares some of the best free serif fonts currently available, providing you with typefaces that combine aesthetics and functionality.

You might also like our collection of free Slab Serif fonts.

The Top Serif Fonts for Designers

Fénix Serif Typeface

Free to Download

Fenix works beautifully as a web font and is perfect for large displays due to its understated elegance. It offers multilingual support, includes plenty of special characters, and has stylish numerals and punctuation.

Arkibal Serif Bold Serif

Inspired by vintage typography and contemporary design trends, Arkibal Serif is a bold typeface perfect for various displays. It includes six font weights, web font compatibility, and stylistic variations.

Calendas Plus Serif Font Family

Free to Download

Calendas Plus is a classic serif typeface that will add a touch of sophistication to your typography. Its flexibility makes it excellent for various design projects. The regular style of the font is free to download.

Grillages Modern Serif Font

Grillages is a typeface that combines contemporary design with classic serif characteristics. Its readability and modern aesthetic make it an excellent choice for editorial design, branding, and more.

Marta Serif Font Family

Free to Download

Marta is a modern serif font family characterized by elegant and contemporary design elements. It includes regular, italic, and bold weights. This font is perfect for branding and editorial design.

Horizona Classic Serif Font Family

Horizona is a classic, timeless serif font family designed to give your typography a sense of elegance and sophistication. It includes regular, italic, bold, and italic bold weights.

Rumble Brave Vintage Fonts

This Rumble Brave collection of vintage fonts comes in three variations (serif, script, and dingbat). This font family is ideal for poster and logo design and print materials, like business cards.

Bitter HT Serif Font

Free to Download

Bitter is a contemporary typeface with an elegant and classic serif design. It comes in various weights, including regular, bold, italic, thin, light, and more. It is an open-source font that’s also available on Google Fonts.

YoungSerif Medium Serif Typeface

Free to Download

YoungSerif takes a fresh approach to serif typography from a studio known for creating modern fonts for the web. This heavy-weight, vintage-inspired serif typeface is perfect for headlines and posters.

Merriweather Serif

Free to Download

The Merriweather Serif font family was designed for web display and offers plenty of options through eight styles and weights: light, light italic, regular, italic, bold, bold italic, ultra-bold, and ultra-bold italic.

Behind The Nineties Retro Serif

Himalaya Set Type is a beautiful font duo (script and sans-serif) for your next design project. The hand-drawn serif characters have a rough edge, making them perfect for edgy posters, stationery, business cards, and more.

Lora Serif Font

Free to Download

Lora is an elegant serif font that includes multiple styles and weights, such as regular, italic, bold, and bold italic, providing versatility for different design applications. Lora is available on Google Fonts.

Bree Serif

Free to Download

Bree Serif perfectly replicates the flow of handwriting, retaining legibility and all the qualities that make serif typefaces ideal for the web. This free serif also comes with stylistic alternates for additional customization.

Afta Serif Font

Free to Download

Afta Serif is perfect for body copy while retaining traditional serif elegance. It comes in two weights: regular and italic, with uppercase and lowercase characters, numerals, and punctuation for the standard English alphabet.

Exodus Serif & Display Typefaces

Free to Download

Exodus is a free serif typeface with a luxurious aesthetic yet still appears simplistic. The bold lines of its alternate display characters can also give you a futuristic feel. From logo design to poster design, Exodus works perfectly!

Butler Serif Typeface

Free to Download

Inspired by the Bodoni font family, Butler is a free serif font with 14 weights, various ligatures, text figures, and more. It works perfectly on big displays and body copy.

Tryst Regular Serif Typeface

Free to Download

Tryst is a workhorse serif font that will work well on any type of design project, including web display and body copy. It includes uppercase and lowercase characters, as well as numerals and punctuation.

Knubi Regular Serif Font

Free to Download

Knubi is a friendly serif typeface with beautifully rounded swashes. It includes over 400 glyphs, supports 80 languages, and comes with a multitude of special characters.

Abraham Lincoln Serif Font

Free to Download

Inspired by the actual president’s height, stature, and honesty, the Abraham Lincoln Serif is a free typeface that embodies those qualities. It is condensed, which is great for readability, but you can also use it in larger sizes.

Vollkorn Serif Font Family

Free to Download

The Vollkorn Serif font family comes with 12 grainy styles (from regular to semi-bold and extra bold with matching italics), support for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic alphabets and special characters, alternates, ligatures, and more. It’s truly the whole package for your kit!

Ginder Bold Serif Font

Ginder is a bold serif font designed to make a strong impact. This is the perfect font for creating headlines, titles, and other design elements where you need to grab the reader’s attention.

Neraphic Serif Font

Free to Download

Created by Letterena Studios, Neraphic is a modern serif font perfect for logo design and bold and distinctive titles. The license for this font is for personal use only.

Romancio Romantic Serif Font

Free to Download

The Romancio serif font is an expressive typeface with a romantic, script-like appearance. It’s perfect for wedding invitations, branding, posters, and any design project that needs elegance.

Chromate Serif Font

Free to Download

Chromate blends modern geometric shapes and bold serifs to create a classy, timeless font family. You can use this free font on both personal and commercial projects.

Restora Old-Style Serif Font

Free to Download

Restora is an old-style serif font perfect for vintage-inspired projects like book layouts, formal invitations, and more. The free version of the font includes Restora Extra Light and Restora Thin Italic.

Sreda Slab Serif Typeface

Free to Download

Sreda is a modern serif font with clean lines and a balanced design. It combines classic elements with a contemporary touch, making it suitable for various design projects, including editorial design, branding, web design, print materials, and more.

Mort Modern Serif Font

Free to Download

Baround Serif Font

Free to Download

Baround, with its rounded serifs and simple design, will add a touch of class to any project. It includes regular, italic, uppercase, and lowercase variants and is free to use on both commercial and personal projects.

Yenisei Modern Serif Font

Free to Download

Defgik Serif Font

Free to Download

What are Serif Fonts?

Serif fonts are characterized by the small lines or decorative features extending from the edges of each character. Known for their readability, serif fonts are commonly used in print design as their clear and distinctive characters make text easier to process.

While typically used in print, many serif fonts also work well for titles or headlines on the web. Some, like the serif fonts above, can be used body text online. However, it’s important to always choose your web typography carefully.

Note on Font Licenses

Font licenses outline how fonts can be used in design projects. To avoid legal issues, it’s important to read and follow the specific license terms of each font. This keeps your work legally compliant.

Most free fonts in this collection are available for both personal and commercial use. Some fonts are free for personal use but require a license for commercial projects. Others may have specific restrictions on usage. Always read the license terms for each font before using them.

Serif Font FAQ

Why Choose Free Serif Fonts for My Project?

Serif fonts add elegance and readability to your work.
Are Free Serif Fonts Good Quality?

The free serif fonts above are all high quality and created by talented typographers. They’re great for giving your project a professional look without costing anything.
Can I Use Serif Fonts for Web Design?

While traditionally more common in print, many modern serif fonts are optimized for screen readability, making them a great choice for websites and digital designs.
Can I Use Serif Fonts in Logo Design?

Serif fonts can give logos a classic and sophisticated feel. They work well for brands wanting to communicate reliability, tradition, or luxury.
Are Serif Fonts Suitable for Long Text?

Yes, serif fonts are often used for longer text like books and articles because their distinct strokes can make reading easier and more comfortable over extended periods.
Can I Pair Serif Fonts with Other Types of Fonts?

Pairing serif fonts with sans-serif fonts is a popular choice. The contrast between the two can create a balanced design.
Are There Different Styles of Serif Fonts?

There are traditional styles like Old Style and Transitional, and more contemporary styles, each bringing a different look and feel to your design. Experiment to see what works best for your project.
Are Serif Fonts Good for Print Materials Like Business Cards and Flyers?

Serif fonts are excellent for print materials. Their classic look can add a touch of elegance and clarity to business cards, flyers, and other printed media.

Elegant & Timeless Serif Fonts

With their elegant and classic look, these serif fonts are a valuable addition to any designer’s toolkit. By considering factors like font pairing, spacing, and readability, you can use them to balance traditional and contemporary aesthetics in your design work. Happy downloading!

The post 25+ Free Serif Fonts for Timeless & Elegant Design appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

20+ Free Fonts with Geometric Styles for Designers

Paul Andrew — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 19:29:09 +0000

Great typography is the art of arranging type to make written language clear, readable, and attractive. The right font can transform a design from ordinary to extraordinary, influencing how viewers interact with the content. It’s about creating an experience that communicates well.

Geometric fonts are modern, simple, and elegant. Their clean lines and minimalist shapes make them ideal for logo, poster, website, and branding design. Their simplicity and precision make them perfect for contemporary design projects.

Despite being free, the fonts in this collection have all been designed by professionals and are perfect for designers and creatives wanting to add a sophisticated touch to their work. These free geometric fonts are ready for your next design project!

Exo 2.0 Geometric Font

Free to Download

Elegant yet futuristic, Exo is a free geometric sans-serif typeface that works well for display, web, and smaller formats. It comes with nine different weights (with matching italics) and offers intricately designed characters that create an authentic futuristic feel.

Palmera Geometric Slab Serif

Palmera is a contemporary slab serif font. Its well-defined characters and geometric shapes make it an excellent addition to any designer’s toolbox. With multiple weights and styles, Palmera offers consistency and a modern aesthetic.

Subjectivity Display Font

Free to Download

Subjectivity is an experimental free display font that draws inspiration from geometric shapes. The small tails in the letters A, J, Y, and T add a hand-drawn touch to the font.

Horas Geometric Sans-Serif

Horas is a geometric sans-serif font with well-balanced characters, making it a practical option for various design projects. With multiple weights and styles, this font offers both flexibility and readability.

Barracuda Geometric Sans-Serif Typeface

Free to Download

Barracuda is a free sans-serif typeface with geometric flair intertwined with unusual character widths. This new take on type design makes Barracuda unique and balanced.

Franie Geometric Sans Font

Franie is a modern typeface with clean lines and geometric characters. It is an excellent choice for various design applications, and its different weights and styles give you plenty of flexibility.

Nexa Geometric Sans-Serif

Free to Download

Nexa is a geometric sans-serif family that offers plenty of options to make your next design stand out. Even though it’s bold, it’s perfectly legible in smaller sizes, making it an excellent fit for the web, too. You’ll get nine weights and 36 fonts.

The Metropolis Geometric Typeface

Free to Download

Drawing inspiration from minimalism, Metropolis is geometric, modern, and highly legible. It offers nine weights (each with matching italics), uppercase and lowercase characters, special characters with accents, numerals, and punctuation.

Norwester Geometric Sans-Serif

Free to Download

Condensed, bold, and beautiful, Norwester is a sans-serif typeface your design toolbox needs. It is geometric and draws inspiration from traditional sans-serif design while adding boldness. It is an all-caps font with alternates, numerals, and punctuation.

Kelson Geometric Sans-Serif

Free to Download

This sans font family is simple and effective. The Kelson family offers nine free fonts (from Sans Bold to Russian Light and everything in between) with numerals, punctuation, and multilingual support. It’s perfect for readable web copy and headlines!

Rhyder Geometrical Sans-Serif

Free to Download

Rhyder is a geometric sans-serif font perfect for display and text. Every character has been meticulously designed, and accents, numerals, and punctuation are also included.

League Gothic Open-Source Font

Free to Download

League Gothic is an open-source geometric font with bold characters. Its versatility and readability make it a dependable choice for designers who want to show professionalism and sophistication in their projects.

Object Sans Geometric Font Family

Free to Download

Object Sans is a contemporary geometric font family with sharp lines. It is suitable for various design projects and a valuable addition to any designer’s font collection. Explore its different weights and styles to create engaging and visually appealing typography for your next project.

DM Sans Geometric Font

Free to Download

Available on Google Fonts, DM Sans offers a versatile and contemporary option for your design needs. With its clean, readable characters and variety of weights, it adapts effortlessly to various design projects.

Franie Geometric Sans Font

Free to Download

Franie is a free geometric font family that will give any design project a contemporary and professional look and feel. Its readability and minimalist aesthetics make it ideal for designers wanting an elegant and engaging typography solution without compromising clarity.

Variera Utility Sans-Serif

Free to Download

Variera is a modern geometric typeface. Its readability and elegance make it perfect for web design, branding, or print material. Thin and Light are available with the free download.

Poppins Geometric Font Family

Free to Download

The popular geometric font Poppins is versatile and contemporary, with clean, well-defined characters. It comes in multiple weights and styles, making it perfect for designing websites, marketing materials, or business presentations. Poppins is available from Google Fonts.

League Spartan Bold Geometric Font

Free to Download

League Spartan’s uppercase characters project strength and sophistication, making it ideal for headings, logos, and branding. Its sharp, clean design ensures readability.

Manrope Modern Geometric Sans-Serif Font

Free to Download

Manrope is a versatile, stylish font with clean, geometric lines and a modern aesthetic. With multiple weights and styles available, this free geometric font offers flexibility and readability, making it a sensible choice for web, logo, and print design.

Arodora Light Geometric Font

Free to Download

Arodora is an elegant geometric typeface that focuses on readability and minimalist aesthetics. Its simplicity and clarity make it an excellent choice for professional and engaging typography.

Coolvetica Geometric Font Family

Free to Download

What are Geometric Fonts?

Geometric fonts are known for their distinct characteristics and rich history in design. They are defined by their use of geometric shapes and precise, uniform lines to create letterforms. They often use clean, minimalist aesthetics, with perfect circles, triangles, and rectangles forming the basis of their design.

Geometric fonts gained prominence in the Bauhaus and modernist movements. Over the years, they have evolved, with designers adding their twists and refinements while maintaining the core geometric principles.

Bauhaus 93 Type by the URW Type Foundry

Geometric fonts are a favorite among designers because of their versatility and timeless aesthetic. They are widely used in various design applications where their clean and modern look presents a sense of professionalism and sophistication.

Geometric Font FAQ

Why Choose Geometric Fonts for My Project?

They offer a crisp, minimalist style that works well in modern design. They can give your project a fresh and updated look, making them great for tech, fashion, and art-related projects.
Are Free Geometric Fonts High Quality?

Yes, the free geometric fonts here are all of high quality. They’ve all been designed by professional type designers.
Can I Use Geometric Fonts for Both Print and the Web?

Yes, geometric fonts are versatile and can be used for print and web design. They’re clear and legible, making them an excellent choice for various mediums.
How Do I Know If a Geometric Font Is Right for My Design?

Consider the overall feel of your design. Geometric fonts are best suited for modern and minimalist designs. You can try a few and see how they complement your design’s aesthetics.
Are There Any Special Considerations for Using Geometric Fonts?

Since they have a distinct style, make sure they align with your brand’s personality. Also, consider readability, especially for longer texts, as some geometric fonts work best in headings or short phrases.
Can I Use These Geometric Fonts in Commercial Projects?

Often, you can, but it’s important to check each font license. Some of the free fonts are available for personal and commercial use, while others might have restrictions.
Can Geometric Fonts Be Paired with Other Font Types?

Geometric fonts can be paired with sans-serif or serif fonts for contrast. Just make sure the combination complements the overall design and doesn’t overwhelm the viewer.
Are Geometric Fonts Suitable for Logo Design?

Yes, they’re often used in logo design due to their clean lines and modern appearance.
What Should I Avoid When Using Geometric Fonts?

Avoid using them in contexts where a more traditional or formal font is appropriate, as their modern look might not fit. Also, be cautious with legibility in smaller sizes or dense text.

The post 20+ Free Fonts with Geometric Styles for Designers appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

20+ Free Slab Serif Fonts for Bold & Modern Design

Paul Andrew — Sun, 13 Oct 2024 12:17:20 +0000

Slab serif fonts are known for their robust and rectangular serifs, giving them a sturdy, no-nonsense appearance. They play an important role in design because of their trustworthiness, strength, and reliability.

With their strength and confidence, slab serifs are often used to create striking headlines, memorable logos, and effective branding. Their versatility makes them suitable for various design applications, from posters and banners to UI design and packaging.

In this collection, we share some of the best free slab serif fonts for designers. Whether you’re an experienced designer or just starting your creative journey, these fonts will help to add a touch of timeless style and readability to your projects.

Chunk Bold Slab Serif

Free to Download

Chunk is a beautifully designed ultra-bold serif font. Its thick, rounded serifs give it a friendly aesthetic, making it suitable for various applications. Chunk is licensed under the Open Font License (OFL), allowing for free personal and commercial use with some restrictions.

Munky Slab Serif Font

Be as funky as Munky. This slab serif is perfect for fun design projects. It includes both uppercase and lowercase letters and works well as a display type, but you can also use it for shorter copy.

Nexa Slab Serif

Free to Download

Nexa Slab is a slab serif that combines the elegance of traditional serifs with a modern twist. With the free download, you will get both the regular and bold weights.

Slathers Ligature Slab Serif

Slathers is a slab serif display typeface with extra ligatures. It includes two weights (regular and bold), and it is perfect for logo design.

Klinic Slab

Free to Download

With its clean lines and sharp serifs, Klinic Slab beautifully balances modern and traditional aesthetics. It comes in various weights and styles and is free to download with the option to donate to the designer.

Regular & Stylish Luna Fonts

LUNA is a slab serif with a vintage aesthetic and modern twist. It has two variations: regular and stylish. Both versions include uppercase and lowercase characters.

BioRhyme Slab Serif

Free to Download

BioRhyme is a slab serif that combines elegance with readability. Its distinct letterforms, wide characters, generous spacing, and various weights and styles make it well-suited for many applications. It is also available on Google Fonts.

Zenzero Grotesk Typeface

Zenzero Grotesk draws inspiration from various typography styles to create a uniquely eccentric slab serif. It includes two font styles (regular and round) and numerous ligatures and stylistic alternates.

Roboto Slab

Free to Download

Whether aiming for a bold and commanding aesthetic or a more subtle and refined one, Roboto Slab provides the weights and styles to suit all your design needs. It is an open-source font that’s available from Google Fonts.

Geared Condensed Slab Serif

Free to Download

Inspired by mechanical engineering and industrial signage, Geared is a slab serif that’s ideal for vintage and retro design projects. It is available with a pay-what-you-want pricing model.

Aleo Slab Serif

Free to Download

Its strong legibility and clean lines make this slab serif an excellent choice for both print and digital projects. Aleo is free to use in both personal and commercial projects.

Arvo Slab Serif

Free to Download

Arvo is a modern slab serif that will add character and sophistication to any design. It has various weights and styles, including regular, regular italic, bold, and bold italic.

Andada Pro

Free to Download

Whether you need a bold, attention-grabbing headline or a more subtle and elegant body text, Andada Pro offers many weights and styles to match your design’s requirements. It’s open-source (released under a SIL Open Font License) and free to use, even for commercial projects.

Corduroy Slab Regular

Free to Download

Inspired by vintage typography, Corduroy Slab is a strong and sturdy display font that’s perfect for brands that want to lead the way.

Carton Slab Serif

Free to Download

Carton Slab is a beautiful all-caps font that will help you create a gentle and sensitive aesthetic. Inspired by letterpress typography, Carton Slab effortlessly combines traditional and contemporary design trends.

Weston Rounded Slab Serif

Free to Download

Weston is anything but typical. This all-caps slab serif offers a curvature that gives you a sense of friendliness. It comes in two versions (light and regular) and includes numerals and punctuation.

Vollkorn Serif

Free to Download

Vollkorn Serif includes 12 styles and weights (from regular to semi-bold and extra bold with matching italics), support for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic alphabets and special characters, alternates, ligatures, and more.

Twentywelve Slab

Free to Download

A simple slab serif,

Twentywelve is a simple slab serif. It includes bold, light, regular weights, uppercase and lowercase characters, numerals, punctuation, and special characters. Twentywelve is fantastic as a web font.

Lumberjack Font

Free to Download

Lumberjack, as its name suggests, has a hardworking aesthetic. This slab serif includes 385 glyphs, four variations (regular, rough, inline, and shadow), and multiple language support.

Ansley Display

Free to Download

Ansley is a display font that comes with six weights (from thin to inline). This free slab serif takes a friendly approach to vintage typography, you will love

Korneuburg Slab

Free to Download

Inspired by Austrian neoclassical architecture and the original Korneuburg font, Korneuburg Slab is an excellent and highly legible choice. The download package includes light, regular, and bold.

Alfa Slab One

Free to Download

Alfa Slab One features thick serifs, making it ideal for headings, titles, and other areas where you need to make a statement. It is available for free on Google Fonts.

Font Licenses

Even though a font may be free, it doesn’t automatically allow for unrestricted use. Fonts come with specific licenses. Some are for personal use only, while others permit commercial use. Some fonts may also ask you to credit the font creator.

You can usually find the license details for the font on the website where you downloaded it. If you’re unsure about the license terms, contact the font creator or choose a different font with clearer usage guidelines.

Slab Serif Font FAQs

What is a Slab Serif Font?

Slab serif fonts are recognizable by their bold, robust appearance. They have thick, squared-off serifs with uniform stroke widths, minimal contrast, and few if any, curved lines.
Why Choose Slab Serif Fonts for My Project?

Slab Serifs fonts will add robustness and confidence to your design. They are great for headlines, titles, and anywhere you need to make an impact.
Can Slab Serif Fonts Be Used for Both Print and Web?

Slab serif fonts can be used in both print and digital formats. They are particularly popular in print media for their readability and strong presence.
What Should I Avoid When Using Slab Serif Fonts?

Avoid using them in overly dense text blocks, as their bold serifs might reduce readability. Also, be cautious when pairing them with other bold fonts, which can overwhelm the design.
Can I Use Slab Serif Fonts for Logo Design?

Yes, slab serif fonts can be excellent for logo design, especially if you’re aiming for a sturdy, grounded aesthetic.
How Do Slab Serif Fonts Compare to Regular Serif Fonts?

Slab serifs are generally bolder and more pronounced than traditional serif fonts. This makes them stand out more, particularly suitable for headings and titles, whereas regular serif fonts are typically used for body text due to their readability.
Are There Any Famous Brands that Use Slab Serif Fonts?

Various brands use slab serif fonts in their branding. Examples include Sony, Volvo, and Honda.

Conclusion

As you have seen in our collection, there is a wide range of free slab serif fonts available, each with its own unique style. Experiment with these slab fonts in your projects.

Design with the boldness of slab serif font, and may your creative journey be both rewarding and successful.

The post 20+ Free Slab Serif Fonts for Bold & Modern Design appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

40+ Stunning Free Headline & Title Fonts for Designers

Paul Andrew — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 06:52:07 +0000

Choosing the right font for titles or headlines is a crucial part of the design process. It creates a visual hierarchy that makes your content more legible, memorable, and impactful.

Your choice depends on your design style, target audience, and message. Typically, headline fonts are larger and more distinguished. The point is to ensure they are legible and do not overpower the design.

This collection offers over 40 clean, highly legible, and beautiful free fonts for creating headlines and titles in web and print designs. These fonts will give your typography the professional quality your readers and users demand.

The right font can significantly improve your design, whether for a website, a poster, or any print material. Use this collection to find the perfect headline and title font for your next project.

1. Aleo Font

Aleo is a free headline and title font created by Alessio Laiso. The ligatures are perfect for readability, and you can pick from six styles to create the perfect title for your next article.

2. Bariol Font Family

Bariol is a friendly and fun sans-serif font, perfect for headlines and titles. It sets a casual tone right from the start. The free version includes Bariol regular and Bariol italic, with more options available in the upgraded version.

3. RNS Camelia

Inspired by 1920s and 1930s New York street typography, RNS Camelia is a modernized demi-slab typeface. It offers 14 styles, from thin to black, and will make your headlines both glamorous and highly legible.

4. Calendas Plus

Add elegance to your projects with Calendas Plus, a beautiful classic typography typeface with intricate swashes and ornate details. It’s perfect for web headlines and print campaigns.

5. Foglihten F02

Foglihten is a beautifully designed script font with elegant ligatures that will take you back in time to the era of Victorian penmanship and love letters. You can download Foglihten for free.

6. Fénix Typeface

Fenix is perfect for your next project. Bold strokes interact with elegant lines to create a beautiful typeface for headlines. You’ll get uppercase and lowercase characters, numerals, punctuation, and other special characters for (mainly) European languages.

7. Movavi Grotesque Black Typeface

Movavi is a modern grotesque typeface ideal for shorter headlines, book cover titles, and more. It includes uppercase, lowercase, numerals, punctuation, and Latin and Cyrillic characters.

8. Municipal Typeface

Municipal is an outstanding free font for bold headlines. This strong sans-serif is all-caps, with lowercase characters triggering stylistic alternates with shadows. It also includes numerals and punctuation.

9. Marquis Organic Font Duo

Vintage with a modern flair, Marquis is a bold serif and sans-serif font duo. It offers an organic feel because it was hand-made, and each font has four styles (regular, bold, italic, and outline). It’s perfect for headlines, and you’ll get 12 logo templates, too!

10. Lovelo Font

Lovelo is a bold font family that is perfect for display campaigns. It includes three free fonts: black, line bold, and line light.

11. New York Font

The New York font family includes eight unique styles, each with a grungy, distressed texture. From New York Regular to New York Shadow Line, it’s perfect for vintage and retro designs!

12. Promesh Athletic Font

Create a victorious atmosphere with Promesh Athletic, a free display serif font inspired by athletic typography and the mesh texture you would’ve seen on LeBron’s jersey.

13. The Douglas Collections

The Douglas Collection is a family of beautiful fonts for your next headline or logo project. You’ll get 12 hand-made fonts with an outdoorsy, vintage aesthetic, as well as graphic elements and logo templates to help you create something incredible.

14. Biko Font Family

Biko is a friendly and outspoken sans-serif. Its bold versions work perfectly for headlines, and lighter versions guarantee readability. Biko is free for personal use, and you will get four versions: light, regular, black, and bold.

15. Nexa Font Family

Simple and futuristic, Nexa is a sans-serif font family that’ll work well for headlines, display campaigns, and even shorter texts. You can download four versions for free: Nexa Bold, Nexa Text Bold, Nexa Light, and Nexa Text Light. It also offers multilingual support (extended Latin and Cyrillic included).

16. Knubi Font

Knubi is an excellent choice for your next typography design. You’ll get uppercase and lowercase letters, special characters, numerals (with fractions), and more.

17. Fanwood Font

Fanwood is a distinctive serif typeface with four versions: regular, italic, text, and text italic. It’s perfect for adding a touch of elegance and tradition to headlines and longer paragraphs.

18. Maven Pro Font

Maven Pro builds on the original Maven typeface by including three lighter weights. These additions give you more options, making it versatile for your design projects. It’s free for personal use.

19. Kelson Sans

Kelson Sans is an update on the original Kelson font family with new features. This free sans-serif typeface has nine styles, including bold, light, regular, and regional variations (Bulgarian and Russian).

20. Corporata Font

Corporata includes seven distinct weights. Uppercase characters are bold and ideal for headlines, while the lowercase characters will bring a modern touch to body copy. This typeface offers plenty of options for various design needs.

21. Myra Font

Myra is a decorative sans-serif typeface inspired by vintage typography. Its Art Deco style is perfect for big headlines, logo design, and display campaigns. Although it’s an all-caps font, using lowercase characters gives you character alternates without curls.

22. Mathlete Font

Mathlete is a fun font that includes four unique versions: skinny, skinny slant, bulky, and bulky slant. You’ll also get matching numerals and punctuation, capturing the essence of handwritten flow.

23. Hammersmith One Font

A bold sans-serif, Hammersmith is a typeface you can rely on. Its strong lines make it excellent for large headlines and titles, but it retains its legibility even in smaller sizes. You’ll get uppercase and lowercase characters, numerals, and punctuation.

24. Fenix Font Family

If you want your headlines to radiate elegance, give Fenix a try. This free typeface is incredibly versatile and also works well for display and print campaigns.

25. Manteka Font

Manteka is a bold, all-caps sans-serif that’s perfect for large headlines. The font includes numerals and punctuation, making it an excellent choice for brands that want to show innovation and a modern mindset.

26. Homizio Font Family

Homizio is a versatile sans-serif font family suitable for web headlines and print campaigns. It includes six weights: thin, light, regular, medium, bold, and black. Some styles include ligatures, adding a unique touch to your designs.

27. Mission Script

Mission is a gentle script font perfect for blog headlines and designs with a refined feminine aesthetic. The designer created it to celebrate brush script fonts, and it shows.

28. Sreda Font

Sreda is a slab-serif font that works great for headlines but can also be used at smaller sizes. Sreda also supports Cyrillic characters.

29. Edmondsans Font

Edmondsans is a highly adaptable sans-serif font available in three weights. It offers stylistic alternates, non-lining figures, and meticulously crafted lowercase characters, making it an essential asset for your design toolbox.

30. Intro Font

Intro is a modern sans-serif with beautifully quirky strokes that will improve your headlines and make your designs seem more friendly. In the free version, you’ll get four fonts.

31. Verb Font

Verb is a sans-serif that’s perfect for all types of design projects. The fonts in the family are lively, and you can get two for free: Verb Light and Light Italic. Verb Light also works great for longer paragraphs.

32. Mission Gothic

Inspired by the era when letters were hand-painted on wood, Mission Gothic is bold and beautiful. It can be used for headlines and web displays. You will get five weights and two styles.

33. Oranienbaum Font

Modern but inspired by elegant vintage typography, Oranienbaum is fantastic for both headlines and body text. This serif has recognizable strokes and ligatures, making it stand out; it’s perfect for refined brands.

34. Abraham Lincoln Font

Inspired by Abraham Lincoln himself, this font is tall and reliable. This humanistic display typeface carefully incorporates serifs into a condensed, legible format. It’ll stand out in headlines, titles, and other print and web campaigns. The Abraham Lincoln typeface is free for personal use.

35. Archive Font

Archive is a bold sans-serif typeface with strong geometric forms. It’ll stand out in headlines, but you can also use it for poster and logo design. It’s an all-caps typeface with Cyrillic characters.

36. Kreon Font

If you’re looking for a funkier serif, take a look at Kreon. This serif is lively and buoyant, perfect for friendly brands. You’ll get three weights: light (great for paragraphs and body copy), regular, and bold (great for headlines and titles).

37. Ostrich Sans

Ostrich Sans is tall and dynamic. It includes over 200 glyphs and various weights, including inline effects for stand-out headlines and posters. The black weight grabs attention, while the inline italic version looks fresh and innovative.

38. Varela Font

Varela is a simple, single-weight, workhorse sans-serif. Varela Sans has nice curvature, which gives it a friendly feel, but it’s a no-nonsense font for no-nonsense brands.

39. Muchacho Free Font

Muchacho is a serif with a Wild West aesthetic that integrates vintage typography with modern trends to create a unique (and free) addition to your design kit. You’ll get three weights: regular, bold, and italic.

40. Novecento Sans Font Family

Novecento Sans uses various typography trends to create a unique font family for headlines and titles. This free font has everything you need, from the wide ultra-light version (perfect for elegant designs) to the sturdy demi-bold weight with its Bauhaus aesthetic.

41. RBNo2

These are the droids you have been looking for! RBNo2 is a modern gothic sans-serif font family with strong, straight lines. It’s perfect for contemporary designs and headlines.

42. Source Sans Pro

Source Sans Pro offers a plethora of font weights for all sorts of projects. They’re all sans-serif fonts, and you’ll have your choice of weights: from the simple extra light for body copy to the ornate, bold italic that will grab everyone’s attention.

43. Governor Font

Governor is a distinctive font inspired by Art Deco typography and Miami Beach signage. It includes uppercase characters only (no numerals or punctuation), making it best suited for short, impactful headlines.

44. Sheep Sans Font

Sheep Sans is a friendly, modern sans-serif. It’s a great workhorse font, but it also has the potential to make your headlines more inviting. You’ll get two versions: Sheep Sans Regular and Sheep Sans Bold. In addition to that, Sheep offers special characters, numerals, and punctuation.

45. Infinity Font

Infinity is a free sans-serif font inspired by the number 8 and its similarity to the infinity symbol. This font follows geometric principles to create stunning headlines. It can also be used in shorter paragraphs.

46. Weston Font

Weston offers the best of both worlds: vintage typography and futurism. This rounded slab serif is perfect for creative headlines. You’ll get two free fonts: Weston Light and Weston Regular.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are Headline and Title Fonts?

Headline and title fonts are bold, legible, and designed to capture attention. Perfect for headers, covers, and web page headings, they have thicker strokes to ensure your messages make an impact.
What Makes a Font Suitable for Headlines and Titles?

A good headline or title font should be attention-grabbing and readable. It needs to make a statement and draw readers in while being clear enough to read at a glance.
Can I Use These Fonts for Body Text as Well?

Generally, headline fonts are designed for short, impactful text and may not be suitable for body text due to readability over longer content. It’s best to pair them with more readable fonts for body text.
Can These Headline Fonts Be Used in Logo Design?

Headline fonts can be very effective in logos, offering a strong presence and instant brand recognition.
Are Sans-Serif or Serif Fonts Better for Headlines?

Both work well. Sans-serif fonts offer a modern, clean look, while serif fonts bring a classic, sophisticated touch. The choice depends on your design’s overall style and message.
What Should I Avoid When Choosing a Headline Font?

Avoid fonts that are too decorative or intricate for quick readability. Also, avoid fonts that don’t align with the tone and character of your content or brand.
Can I Use Multiple Fonts for Headlines in the Same Project?

While possible, it’s best to limit the number of different fonts to maintain consistency. If you use multiple fonts, ensure they complement each other and don’t clash.
Are There Trends in Headline Fonts I Should Be Aware Of?

Yes, font trends can change. Currently, bold and minimalist fonts are popular for headlines. However, choosing a timeless font can be more beneficial for the longevity of your design.
How Important is Font Weight in Headlines and Titles?

Font weight is crucial. A bolder weight generally works better for headlines to grab attention, while lighter weights might be used for subheadings or less prominent titles.

Conclusion

It doesn’t matter if your headline font is serif or sans, thick or thin, or regular or bold. What matters is that the title font is legible, distinguished, and, most importantly, doesn’t overpower your content or design.

With the proper application, your title or headline font will add a distinctive and intriguing element to any UI or print design project.

All of these free fonts will give your typography the professional impact your readers or users demand.

The post 40+ Stunning Free Headline & Title Fonts for Designers appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

40+ Free Sans-Serif Fonts for Modern Design

Paul Andrew — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 16:07:26 +0000

Font choice is about setting the right tone, conveying a message, and capturing attention. Among the various types of fonts available, sans-serifs have carved out a special place among designers. Their simplicity gives them a modern and uncluttered feel, making them the go-to choice for creating a contemporary design.

In this collection, we share the best free sans-serif fonts available. It’s a treasure trove for those who are looking for fonts that combine aesthetic appeal with functionality. From modern and minimalist to bold and powerful, the range of sans-serif is surprisingly diverse.

You will find fonts perfect for headlines that demand attention, body text that needs to be readable, or UI designs that require a particular style. These fonts aren’t just beautiful; they’re versatile and can adapt to various design contexts, from print to digital.

For freelancers, hobbyists, or seasoned professionals, this collection provides sans-serif fonts that can improve any design project. Whether you’re designing a logo, a website, a mobile app, a presentation, or a social media post, font choice is essential.

Fivo Sans Modern Display Font Family

Free to Download

Fivo is a contemporary font family that subtly improves your design. It comes in various weights, from bold to extra black, and will quietly improve your typography.

Confine Sans-Serif Typeface

Confine is a bold sans-serif font with robust characters. Step outside the ordinary and embrace the strength of this sans-serif in your next brand design project.

Kelson Sans Font

Free to Download

The Kelson family offers nine free fonts with numerals, punctuation, and multilingual support. It’s perfect for readable web copy and headlines.

Bourbon Grotesque Font

Free to Download

Bourbon Grotesque has a retro feel with a touch of modernity. As a free, all-caps font, its distinctive vintage aesthetic is perfect for branding and logo design.

Rosity Modern Sans-Serif Typeface

Rosity is a sans-serif typeface that blends clean and crisp lines with sophistication. Created for contemporary design, it gives your typography a gentle elegance, ensuring every word has a subtle, modern appeal.

Airone Extra-Bold Sans-Serif Font

Free to Download

Airone’s free, extra-bold sans-serif style adds a bold statement to any design. It is ideal for larger titles and headlines.

JUST Sans Minimal Typeface

JUST Sans’s clean and simple design makes it an excellent fit for a wide range of projects. This font deserves a spot in everyone’s font collection.

Rostack Bold Heading Font

Rostack is a bold and condensed font with solid strokes and compact letterforms. It’s perfect for headlines, titles, or any design that needs a bold, consolidated style.

Nexa Sans-Serif Font Family

Free to Download

Nexa is a geometric sans-serif typeface family that offers plenty of variations to make your typography stand out. Even though it’s bold, it’s perfectly legible, so it’s a good fit for the web, too.

IBM Plex

Free to Download

IBM champions innovation and cosmopolitanism, so it’s no surprise their official font, IBM Plex, reflects those values. This serif typeface family offers extensive multilingual support, including Arabic and Hebrew. IBM Plex conveys engineering perfection.

Faune Font Family

Free to Download

Designed for the French Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Faune is a font family that offers both sans-serif (Faune Text) and script (Faune Display) variations. Both fonts are incredibly versatile and well-suited to various design projects.

Fira Sans Serif

Free to Download

Fira is the quintessential IT font, embodying Mozilla’s open-source culture. It offers three weights with matching italics, multilingual support with special characters, and a monospaced variant, making it ideal for web display.

Alegreya Sans HT

Free to Download

Alegreya Sans HT blends humanist typography with modern readability. The bundle includes 28 fonts, including extra bold and extra bold italic, and comprehensive multilingual support. It’s the complete package for any design project.

Peace Sans

Free to Download

Peace Sans is a font with a friendly and approachable design. Its curves ensure readability on both small and large displays.

Mohave Sans Serif

Free to Download

Mohave, initially an all-caps sans-serif typeface, has evolved into a complete font family. It now includes four weights—light, regular, medium, and bold—each with matching italics. Its neutral character shapes make Mohave ideal for branding materials and web displays.

Neris Display

Free to Download

Neris is a sans-serif font designed for display and shorter paragraphs. It breaks away from the traditional sans-serif fonts with slanted lines and unique curvature.

Dense Sans Serif

Free to Download

Try Dense for improved legibility and a streamlined design. This sans-serif typeface offers three weights: thin, regular, and bold. Bold excels on large displays, while thin and regular are ideal for web copy.

Canter Sans Serif

Free to Download

The elegant Canter sans-serif font combines bold lines and sharp turns, offering six display styles, including 3D, shadow, and outline. It’s ideal for headlines, posters, and branding materials.

Sabado Sans Serif

Free to Download

Modern and bold, Sabado is a sans-serif font family that’s ideal for display design. It offers two styles: Sabado regular and Sabado italic. This font will add a unique touch to your projects.

Rhyder Sans Serif

Free to Download

Geometry is perfection, and Rhyder captures this with its nature-inspired design. This geometric sans-serif font works well for both display and text. Each character is meticulously detailed, including accents, numerals, and punctuation.

Langdon Sans Serif

Free to Download

Langdon is a bold sans-serif designed to make an impact. Its strong lines and dramatic style are perfect for headlines and posters. It includes numerals, punctuation, and various special characters.

Myra Sans Serif

Free to Download

Myra proves that sans-serifs can be just as striking as scripts. It has thin lines, rounded corners, and exaggerated swashes. It’s perfect for web, print, apparel, and more!

Adam Pro Sans Serif

Free to Download

Adam Pro is a sharp, clean sans-serif typeface inspired by the Futura font family. It’s an all-caps font with numerals and various weights.

Aileron Sans Serif

Free to Download

Aileron blends futurism and humanism, creating a balanced sans-serif influenced by the Neo-Grotesque design movement. With 16 weight combinations, including italics and bold variants, Aileron is perfect for contemporary display and print design.

Big John & Slim Joe Sans Serif

Free to Download

Big John and Slim Joe are two sides of the same coin. Big John is bold and beautiful, while Slim Joe is thin and modern. Both fonts are all-caps sans serifs, and they play off each other beautifully.

Moon Rounded Sans

Free to Download

Moon is a rounded sans-serif typeface with three weights. It includes uppercase and lowercase, numerals, and special characters for multiple languages. This makes it suitable for a wide range of design projects.

Source Sans Pro

Free to Download

Source Sans Pro is Adobe’s first open-source typeface. Drawing inspiration from the best sans-serif typefaces, it provides twelve weights, extensive language support, and special characters. Source Sans Pro is ideal for user interface (UI) design.

Maven Modern

Free to Download

Maven Modern expands on the original Maven typeface with three light fonts, including an ultra-thin hairline font. It’s an excellent choice for web display, headlines, and label design.

Intro Sans Serif

Free to Download

The Intro typeface is a sans-serif type collection consisting of 72 fonts. You can download four of the fonts for free. This sans serif is incredibly playful yet modern and refined. It’s perfect for text and UI designs!

Ostrich Sans

Free to Download

Ostrich has a distinctive inline style and special characters for various languages. With options ranging from dashed to heavy weights, this sans-serif offers excellent versatility.

Cabin Sans Serif

Free to Download

Cabin is a free sans-serif font with a wide range of weights and both Roman and italic styles. Its perfectly adjusted rounded elements add a distinct personality to your designs.

HK Grotesk Sans Serif

Free to Download

HK Grotesk is a sans-serif inspired by traditional Grotesque typography, making it ideal for bold messaging. It includes uppercase and lowercase letters, numerals, punctuation, and a variety of special characters.

Qanelas Soft

Free to Download

Qanelas Soft has a rounded design that creates a gentle, inviting look. This sans-serif includes 20 weights, each maintaining a friendly tone. Ideal for UI design, body copy, and more.

Moderne Sans

Free to Download

Moderne plays with curvature and sharp lines to create a clean sans-serif typeface for your next project. Inspired by the Roaring 20s era typography, Moderne was adapted to contemporary font trends.

Blogger Sans

Free to Download

Blogger is a well-rounded sans-serif typeface with plenty of options. It comes in four weights, with matching italics, alternates, and stylistic sets for different alphabets (e.g., Cyrillic).

Katahdin Round

Free to Download

Katahdin is a rounded, extremely modern sans-serif typeface that works perfectly in print and the web. Its round corners make it friendly, and with multilingual support, it’s the whole package.

Rubik Sans Serif

Free to Download

Created for the Rubik’s Cube Exhibition in Jersey City, Rubik has been expanded to include multilingual support (including Cyrillic and Hebrew characters). Today, it’s a free, well-rounded sans-serif font that can be used across various projects. You’ll get five font weights with matching italics for personalization.

Relancer Display Typeface

Free to Download

Inspired by Art Deco, Relancer is an all-caps, sans-serif font with numerals and some punctuation options. It combines perfect geometry and a clean look for elegant designs.

Overpass Sans Serif

Free to Download

Overpass is an open-source font designed for UI projects. It offers eight weights with italics and a monospace option for a retro touch. It’s perfectly legible, making it an excellent choice for your next project.

Coves Sans Serif

Free to Download

Coves is a lively sans-serif font with a full range of characters, from uppercase and lowercase to special symbols and accents. Its rounded edges and slanted lines create a vibrant feel, making it a favorite for modern brands.

Raleway Sans Serif

Free to Download

Raleway, initially designed as a single thin font, has grown into a versatile sans-serif family. It now includes nine weights with italics and a variable version. Raleway is an elegant option for web design.

What are Sans-Serif Fonts?

Sans-serif fonts are known for their clean and precise aesthetic. Unlike serif fonts, they lack the small lines or strokes at the ends of letters. This absence of serifs gives sans-serif fonts a simple, uncluttered appearance with uniform line weight, which makes them highly readable.

This clarity is particularly useful for digital media, where screen readability is important. Designers appreciate sans-serif fonts for their modern and flexible style.

They work well in various design projects, from web and logo design to print materials. Their simplistic design makes them easy to pair with other font styles.

How to Install Fonts

Installing Fonts on Windows

Download the Font: Download the font you want to install. Fonts are typically downloaded as compressed files (ZIP or RAR).
Extract the Font: If the font file is compressed, extract it using built-in Windows tools or a third-party tool like 7-Zip.
Install the Font: Once extracted, right-click on the font file (usually with a .ttf or .otf extension) and select Install. Your new font is now ready to use.

Installing Fonts on Mac

Download & Extract the Font: If the font is compressed, double-click the file to extract it. Mac’s Archive Utility will handle the extraction.
Install the Font: Double-click the font file. A preview window will appear with an Install Font button. Click the button to install it, and then you can use your new font.

Sans-Serif Font FAQs

Why Use Sans-Serif Fonts?

Sans-serif fonts are clean and modern. They provide excellent readability on screens, making them ideal for digital use. Their simplicity offers a contemporary and professional look.
Can I Use Sans-Serif Fonts in Logo Design?

Yes, sans-serif fonts are popular in logo design. Their clean lines and simple appearance can create a strong and memorable brand identity.
Are Sans-Serif Fonts Good for UI Design?

Sans-serif fonts are excellent for UI design due to their clarity and readability. They work well in various screen sizes and resolutions, ensuring users can easily read text on any device.
Are Free Sans-Serif Fonts as Good as Premium Ones?

Many free sans-serif fonts are high quality and comparable to premium options. While some premium fonts offer unique features or styles, free fonts can often meet your needs without cost.
Are Sans-Serif Fonts Suitable for Print Materials?

Sans-serif fonts are suitable for print materials, especially for headings, subheadings, and short blocks of text. Their clean lines ensure that the text remains legible, even at smaller sizes.
Can I Pair Sans-Serif Fonts with Serif Fonts?

Pairing sans-serif fonts with serif fonts can create an attractive contrast. This combination is often used to differentiate headings from body text, providing a balanced design.
Do Sans-Serif Fonts Work Well in UI Design?

Sans-serif fonts are highly effective in UI design due to their legibility and modern aesthetic. They help create a clean and user-friendly interface that contributes to the overall user experience.
Are There Different Styles of Sans-Serif Fonts?

Yes, sans-serif fonts come in various styles, including geometric, humanist, and grotesque. Each style offers a unique look and feel, allowing designers to choose the best fit for their project.

Conclusion

The sans-serif fonts you choose will depend on your project’s purpose and design goals. The right font can make your designs clear, engaging, and tailored for your audience.

Having a variety of sans-serif fonts in your toolkit is essential. Because of their clean style, they are suitable for all design work. Each font has its own unique feel, allowing you to find the perfect match for your project.

Try these fonts out and experiment with different variations. You’ll be surprised at how much they can improve your work. The perfect font can make your design look outstanding. Happy designing!

The post 40+ Free Sans-Serif Fonts for Modern Design appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.

The Easy Way to Host Google Fonts Locally

Eric Karkovack — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 07:00:40 +0000

With well over 1,250 free, open-source fonts, Google Fonts is an amazing resource for web designers. Virtually every typographic style is available here, and 135+ languages are represented.

Typically, these fonts are implemented via the Google Fonts API. Add a few code snippets to your website, call the fonts in your CSS, and call it a day. Easy, right? And the process can be even easier if you’re using a plugin or theme that lets you select fonts as you go.

But there are also compelling reasons to host Google Fonts locally on your web server. Privacy is one, as some jurisdictions have ruled that remote font hosting violates European GDPR laws.

Performance is another potential consideration. While there is some debate about local hosting vs. the Google Fonts API, the difference seems to be relatively small. The option of utilizing a content delivery network (CDN) is also a possibility.

If you’re looking to host Google Fonts locally, we’ll introduce you to an easy way to implement them. Seriously – you could be up and running within a few minutes!

Identify the Google Font(s) You Want to Use

The first step in the process is to identify which Google Fonts you want to use in your project. Browse the official site and take note of the following:

The font name;
The style(s) you want to use;
The language(s) you need;

Download the Google Font

Now, you could download your selections directly from Google Fonts. And while there’s nothing wrong with this method, it can be a bit cumbersome.

To use the fonts on your website, you’d have to also call the locally-hosted files via @font-face in your CSS.

That involves looking at Google’s source code for each font, then choosing the correct character set and changing the src attribute to match where your fonts are stored.

For example, if we want to use Roboto’s “light” style, the CSS looks like this (comments added/edited for clarity):

/* latin - is this the only character set we need? */
@font-face {
font-family: 'Roboto';
font-style: normal;
font-weight: 100;
src: url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/roboto/v29/KFOkCnqEu92Fr1MmgVxIIzI.woff2) format('woff2'); /* Change to match your local font location */
unicode-range: U+0000-00FF, U+0131, U+0152-0153, U+02BB-02BC, U+02C6, U+02DA, U+02DC, U+2000-206F, U+2074, U+20AC, U+2122, U+2191, U+2193, U+2212, U+2215, U+FEFF, U+FFFD; /* This isn't needed at all */
}

Perhaps it’s not the worst thing in the world. But if you have several fonts, each with multiple styles, this can become very tedious.

Add Google Fonts Using Google Webfonts Helper

Hosting your Google Fonts locally doesn’t have to be so complex. The google-webfonts-helper is a tool that makes the process incredibly smooth. It does all of the heavy lifting for you.

Before we start, take note: there may be version differences between google-webfonts-helper and Google Fonts itself. Google Fonts are improved over time. Not using the API means not always having the latest versions.

To get started, search for the font(s) you want to use. Note that you can only work with one font at a time. The steps below will need to be repeated for each additional font.

In our case, we’ll find one of Google’s most popular fonts, Roboto, from the list.

Next, it’s time to select the character set (charset) and styles we need.

Based on our character and style selections, google-webfonts-helper generates the necessary CSS. By default, the code aims to support as many browsers as possible. However, we can also choose to focus on modern browsers as well.

It even allows us to edit the base directory where we want to store the font files. This will be instantly reflected in the CSS.

With all of our settings now applied, a .ZIP archive is available to download. We’ll unzip the archive to the chosen destination and upload it to our web server.

Finally, we’ll paste the provided @font-face code into our CSS. Making note of the font-family attribute, we can add these fonts to whichever CSS selectors we’d like.

Serving Google Fonts Locally

With a few simple steps (and an assist from google-webfonts-helper), you can forego the Google Fonts API and host fonts locally. It not only improves user privacy but also helps to avoid potential complications from API downtime or performance bottlenecks.

That being said, locally hosted fonts do mean more work for your web server. Thus, it’s still important to utilize caching and other optimizations. These factors should be considered before you take the plunge.

Regardless of how you use Google Fonts, it’s nice to know that there are multiple ways of doing so. This allows you to choose the best method for your needs. And hosting them locally may be the right way to go.

The post The Easy Way to Host Google Fonts Locally appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.