Free Fonts & Type Tools

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Cool Typography: Font Downloads, Lettering, Typefaces for Web Design and Print

Do you love fonts? I like to play with type and lettering. We go waaay back - my first contact with a computer was actually a CompuGraphic typesetting machine. I miss those days of when you could really work with ligatures, kerns and other font-type technical adjustments. But on the other hand, it's a lot easier to change fonts using my PC than to stop a machine and remove a film strip that's spinning on a drum.

Visit this lens to find the best fonts and typography web sites and lenses, plus learn how to do cool things with fonts. You can make cool word art and graphics using fonts and clip art or even just with fonts alone.

Look good in print and on your blog or web page with free fonts and type tools. Learn to avoid font mistakes when designing your own web site, blog or printed materials. Too many fonts make a project look like a ransom note - unless that's your desire, limit your design to 1 or 2 typefaces.

Copyright applies to fonts, too. Font designers work hard to make the typefaces we use. Always check Terms of Use for any free fonts you download - be sure they're okay to use without license or payment.

Follow Me, Find Me, Friend Me 

I've been online a long time, so there's a lot out there with my mark or thumbprint.

Fun with Fonts 

Letterforms - Visual Communication & Type as Art

Type is a way to communicate visually, and to enhance the meaning of displayed text. Letterforms as images are highly compelling and important to communication in all languages.

It seems like everyone loves "fonts" - you can find thousands of examples online by surfing the web sea of personal pages, DIY web sites, blog posts, MySpace pages and free "bling" banner maker font toys.

History is filled with examples of typographic embellishment or graffiti on every markable surface - from walls to books, buildings, flags, clothing, jewelry, handbills, print media and packaging.

One of the first things people try their hand at with any publishing tool is to change the typeface to another size, another style, another color ... then they progress to warping and special effects: shadows, curves, stretching, skewing, adding outlines, 3-D, "word art" and animation.

What is it about type that is so compelling and makes us want to play with letters? Who knows, but there are many places to find free fonts and type toys, so read on and have Fun with Fonts.

Font Fun - Font Fight 

Comic Sans the super hero ...

Font Fight

It's an all-out typeface-off in our sequel to Font Conference. See our videos a month sooner at http://www.collegehumor.com/originals, check us out at our mobile site and follow us at http://www.twitter.com/collegehumor

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Type-Heads - For Font Freaks and Typography Fans 

If you're really into typography, check out these links

SOTA : The Society of Typographic Aficionados
The Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA) is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization devoted to type, typography, and the related arts.
ATypI-Assoiciation Typographique Internationale
ATypI (Association Typographique Internationale) is the premier worldwide organisation dedicated to type and typography. Founded in 1957, ATypI provides the structure for communication, information and action amongst the international type community.
The Right Typeface for Text
PDF article from Before & After magazine - sharing its practical approach to graphic design since 1990.
Typofile Magazine - Home
Almost everything we know in the world can be described in just 26 letters--isn't that amazing? Yet this most visible
art--which we all see all around us each day--has long been invisible in most people's minds. Part of this was intentional - because the content, not the type, is the message.
EsperFonto - Type Face Selector
Typeface / Font selection system - choose the most appropriate FONT for your job with the help of this nifty online tool.

Heyyy Abbott - Type as Humor 

Visualisizing Humor

Who's on First? Typography

Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?" routine using typography only. website: http://web.mac.com/james_zito/JimZito/HOME.html Whos On First, copyright and used by permission with TCA Television Corp., Hi Neighbor and Diana K. Abbott-Colton

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Font Tools 

Bend me, shape me, glitter me, convert me ...

Free Font Warping Tools - Make 3D Text, Glittering Banners, Signs, Magazine Covers ...

What the Font - put a name to a face when you know what it looks like but not the font name.

Mac Font Converter - convert TrueType fonts to Mac fonts with this share ware tool

Font Toys 

Wordle - Beautiful Word Clouds
Wordle is a toy for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide.

Drop Caps & Manuscript Initials 

Illuminata and Attention Grabbers

Drop Caps are handy devices for guiding the reader to important information. You can create them with graphics, or with HTML, or with a desktop publishing program's typographic controls and features.

This drop cap example utilizes HTML style controls - check out HTML Squidoo Tricks to find out how to add this feature to your blog, lens or web page.
HTML Squidoo Tricks
HTML Squidoo tricks how to lens with sample codes & step-by-step instructions to change fonts, make drop caps, alter background colors, add images and lots more.
How To Article: Drop Cap
Use the Microsoft Word Drop Cap feature to make the first letter of a paragraph stand out.
Easy Magazine Style CSS Drop Cap Tutorial
Copy and paste CSS drop caps. Tutorial for drop caps including magazine and novel style big first letters in a paragraph.

Specialty Font Sources 

Font Diner
Retro style fonts and type history - cool, hip fun site.
Free Scrapbooking Fonts
The Best Scrap You can Find... Online!
MusicEffect Band Fonts
Fonts from band logos-band fonts, music fonts, metal fonts, different fonts. Indexed by band name, with cool mouse-over previewer.
ENIGMA FONTS
All of the Fonts on this site are made by Brian Kent, and all are Freeware. You can use them any way you want (Personal use, Commercial use, or whatever).
Kat's Fun Fonts!
Free original alpha ding and pictorial fun fonts!
Neferchichi's Tomb at neferchichi.com
Neferchichi's Fonts - trial downloads and full collections for sale. Includes Egyptian heiroglyphics and numbers, Egyptian deities and symbol dingbats.
64 Free Fonts
Free fonts from CoffeeCup Software
10 Awesome Free Handwritten Fonts | My Ink Blog
It's no secret in the MyInkBlog community the hand drawn websites are a growing trend, and one that I rather enjoy. This post will showcase ten such free handwritten style fonts that are sure to add a touch of personality to you next design.
Graffiti Fonts
Graffiti fonts - limited edition free download. Fonts include: FatCap, Magik Marker, RapScript, Paint Cans, Scrawler, Cali Chisel plus VectorGraff Drawing Application, 30 Stock Images, Opcion Font Viewer & more.

Funky Font Video 

Tramp Typography

Tramp Typography

Animated typography to music (Tramp by Lowell Fulson)

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Making Ding Bats, Glyphs, Symbols from Fonts 

Type a key, get a picture ...

Cool Dingbat Collection Font Paradise ding bats collections

Tom 7/Divide by Zero Hand drawn and grungy dings

FontGarden Dingbats - many categories of unusual dings including borders, dividers, tags and buttons useful for scrapbooking

Typography & Font Lenses 

Learn about type and design from these lensmasters

WTF - What the Font Typeface Identifier 

Forget the name of the font? You can figure it out with this nifty tool.

Have you ever forgotten the name of a font or typeface you used to design a project or spruce up a written document? It's frustrating, and also very common - even for professional designers. Well, don't pull out all those catalogs and sample sheets, just use this font identification program to figure out that familiar face ...

The best samples to submit are scanned images with characters about 100 pixels in height on a horizontal baseline. MyFonts offers many other helpful tips and guidelines for submitting a font for identification.

What the Font is a neat online tool that can help you figure out what font you used. You can upload an image to the database or specify an URL that has the font and you'll get assistance from the font detectives at What the Font, a service of Myfonts.com.

More Font Fun - Font Conference 

Font Conference

This video wasn't long enough, so we made it double-spaced. Watch this on CHTV and view credits at http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1823766 Free CHTV video podcast on iTunes: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=268957390 CH Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CollegeHumor/6363207806

Runtime: 3:00
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Graphics Lenses 

Free graphics resources on Squidoo

Word Music - Kinetic Typography and Fonts that Move 

Live Out Loud

Kinetic Typography - Live Out Loud

Example of Kinetic Typography created by Johnny Lee

Runtime: 0:25
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I Used to be a Typesetter ... 

and I do remember (although did not operate) the Linotype hot lead machine

Hey, I'm a Squidoo Rocket Mom ... I can do anything!

Lensmaster Pastiche, aka Lee Hansen, has been a member since August 12 2007, has rated 1,057 lenses, favorited 445, and has created 103 lenses from scratch. Lee Hansen donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund, Room to Read, and Fund for Peace. This member's top-ranked page is "Clip Art Borders & Frames". See all my lenses

Find Me Online with DandyID 

What's Your Type? 

Say hi, tell me about your font or design lens, suggest a link ...

Pastiche wrote...

Julie - great question. You can use WTF - What the Font to figure out typefaces from any image sample or URL. I've just added this resource to the lens. Thanks for asking!

ReplyPosted May 19, 2009

JaguarJulie wrote...

Lee -- is there some type of tool to be able to identify what a font is? I've sometimes done a design with a particular font, but then can't remember which font it is!

ReplyPosted May 18, 2009

enslavedbyfaeries wrote...

This is a very helpful resource! Adding to my faves for future use because I am always looking for fun new fonts for school projects and scrapbooking. :)

ReplyPosted December 20, 2008

ThomasC wrote...

A great lens! I found some new fonts to use! Thank you and keep up the great work! Angel blessing for you!
ThomasC

ReplyPosted December 20, 2008

Aika wrote...

Very interesting. I have only a few font style, definitely I'll downloads some of these.

ReplyPosted December 16, 2008

 
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