April 29, 2024
Just like web design, type design follows trends. And while there’s always room for an exciting outsider, we tend to see similar fonts released at similar times.
In this month’s roundup of the best new fonts for designers we can see one such trend: most entries are primarily suitable for running text — that is, normal paragraphs like this. It’s an excellent opportunity to compare typefaces and see what characteristics are common to fonts designed for body text.
Euchre
Euchre is a humble sans serif designed for running text. Its proportions and open structure guide your eye along the line, while its character is interesting without drawing attention to itself. The font has a range of features, from small caps to a condensed version, and a variable font is available.
Franziska
Franziska is a confident, solid serif with elements drawn from various traditions. As a result, Franziska has a distinct character all of its own. You can use it for running text, but up the weight and tighten the spacing, and it makes a great display face. There’s a variable font available.
TT Travels Text
TT Travels Text is a new text-focused version of the popular TT Travels typeface. It is a wide, geometric sans serif with a slightly square oval shape. This extremely versatile font is suitable for everything from running text to branding projects.
Mundial Narrow
Mundial Narrow is a beautifully executed geometric sans. It’s surprisingly hard to get a geometric sans right. There’s nowhere to hide; everything has to be just right. Mundial Narrow hits the sweet spot. If you need a geometric sans for a branding project, this is your typeface.
Frida Mono
Frida Mono is part of the ongoing trend for pulling humanist details into geometric typefaces, in this case, into a monospaced font. It features sharp details that set it apart from typewriter-style monospaced fonts, and it’s an excellent choice for UI elements that need to stand out.
Honesta
Honesta is a grotesque typeface that is imbued with a sense of calligraphy. The high contrast from stem to curve, particularly in the heftier weights, creates a visually engaging design that works well at display sizes.
Barnic Slab
Barnic Slab is a slab serif typeface with sharp outlines and simple shapes. It’s great for delivering straightforward messages with few embellishments. You can use it for branding or UI design, and it works well as a display font.
TT Commons™ Pro
TT Commons™ Pro is an update to the excellent TT Commons. It covers five subfamilies: Normal, Condensed, Compact, Expanded, and Mono. Each subfamily has 11 weights and an accompanying italic. There are not one but two variable fonts available, giving you an enviable typographic palette to choose from.
Astronef
Astronef is a modernist sans serif consisting of 8 subfamilies: Base, Extended, Wide, Large, Narrow, Condensed, Compressed, and Super. Each subfamily has nine weights and accompanying italics. The family provides a tremendous amount of flexibility.
Fixo
Fixo is a uniwidth type family — meaning that each character, across all the weights, is the same width. It’s a great choice when you need a variety of hierarchies in a UI design but don’t want to default into a monospaced font.
Kigo
Kigo is a whimsical sans serif with retro vibes. Inspired by the shape of a cat, it’s graceful, relaxed, and independent. There’s a regular style, but the rounded is softer and more approachable. A typeface to reserve for times when you need a display font packed with personality.
Periodica
Periodica is a graceful, transitional serif with generously curved brackets that soften the letterforms. It’s an excellent choice for large blocks of running text and a great workhorse for business communications.
De Britges
De Britges is a bold brush script inspired by vintage music posters. Alternate characters and ligatures make your designs feel more like lettering. I particularly like the numerals.
Make Way
Make Way is another contemporary serif that works great for both running text and, when enlarged and tightened, as display text. It has lovely details, like the subtle rounding of the sharp serifs and the teardrop counter on the lowercase e.
Chopin
Chopin is a geometric sans-serif inspired by vintage posters and book jackets. It combines wide and narrow characters to create a unique rhythm that enlivens the text. It’s ideal for logo design, branding, and display purposes.
Ben Moss
Ben Moss has designed and coded work for award-winning startups, and global names including IBM, UBS, and the FBI. When he’s not in front of a screen he’s probably out trail-running.
