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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321842 views
2655 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

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

Runtime: 96
454337 views
520 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

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 App - Fun with Fonts and Text

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.

Fun Font Fashions and Gifts 

Text Expressions and Fonts Make Cool Art

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.
Free Scrapbook Fonts by KevinandAmanda.com
Free handwritten and playful fonts for personal or commercial use (see terms of use for requirements to use commercially or to purchase a license without linking).
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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curated content from YouTube

Doodle Fonts, Ding Bats, Glyphs, Symbols 

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

Deliahs Doodles from Fonts for Peas Happy little doodle characters and caricature fonts, free download for personal use

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: 180
686045 views
3858 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

Clip Art and Font 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

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159375 views
80 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

Font-Tastic Type Freaks Mug 

Cool retro type designer mug by Steve Mehallo

Font Me Typography mug
Font Me Typography by mehallo
Create custom coffee mugs with zazzle



Historical font measurements, classifications, decimal conversions, proofreader marks ... plus, beverage holder! Perfect gift for graphic designers, web developers; anyone who works with fonts. Vintage style, detailed black and white mug, black interior.

I Was Once a Typesetter ... 

Does anyone under 35 even know what that means?

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

Lensmaster Pastiche has been a member since August 12 2007, has rated 1,505 lenses, favorited 538, and has created 127 lenses from scratch. Lee Hansen donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund and Room to Read. 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 ...

submit

Letter Art - Flickr Photos 

Calligraphy, graffiti, lettering, typographica

My handwriting by jtbrennan

My handwriting

Halal Typeface Classic by AG Trucolor

Halal Typeface Class...

FF Netto in use: Schloss Schönhausen by FontFont

FF Netto in use: Sch...

FF Netto in use: Schloss Schönhausen by FontFont

FF Netto in use: Sch...

FF Netto in use: Schloss Schönhausen by FontFont

FF Netto in use: Sch...

Redesigned Logo by Jayel Aheram

Redesigned Logo

Sponsored by Caf-Pow by Torley

Sponsored by Caf-Pow

Held by lostash

Held

Patent Attorney License by Jay Tamboli

Patent Attorney Lice...

Bad font choice by Jay Tamboli

Bad font choice

automatically generated by Flickr

by Pastiche

I'm a graphic designer and typeface-loving font freak. Fonts are fun and an easy way to create design on a budget. I'm a Squidoo Rocket Mom,a Giant S...

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