Free font: Moonshiner

Mattox Shuler has designed a new typeface called Moonshiner. It comes in uppercase regular and italic, with a few alternate characters when you type in lowercase. Find a link to download it for free right here.

I can visualize it on the menus for the new pub you're opening. Where you sell locally-sourced free range chicken and craft beers, and all your customers wear beards and tattoos and skinny jeans. Right?

(Via Pixel Pixel Pixel)

Free font: Grand Hotel

If you need a sweet, retro script that would look pretty on holiday cards, try Grand Hotel, a free OpenType font by Astigmatic. Get it right here at Font Squirrel.

Free font: Manteka

Manteka is a squarish, all-caps typeface by Eduardo Araya. You can download the TrueType font here for free. (Find the link under the t-shirt image.)

Free, hand-lettered signage font: Barata

Barata Display is a typeface inspired by the lettering on signs used by street vendors in Latin countries. The beta version is available for free for Macs from Estudio Arellano Type Foundry and can be used on personal and commercial projects. Get it here!

Free cross stitch font Costura

Here's a fun download: a cross stitch-style typeface by Simon Wiesmayr. Costura is free for personal and commercial use and comes in light, demibold, and bold weights. Get it here from Font Squirrel.

Free font: Bigmouth

Bigmouth, a "font experiment" by Timo Kuilder, is a free download available here at Behance. (When you get there, click the word "download" above the image.) It's a character set with limited punctuation, but could be cool when used at large sizes in headlines or titles.

Free thin fonts

Hi, all! I'm up to my eyeballs in design work, but pausing to fix some coffee and share some recent typographic finds. If you need a cool, skinny font for your next project, try these freebies: Hagin Caps, Florence, and Mountain Retreat. Happy designing!

Free font: Qumpellka No. 12

On the hunt for pretty script typefaces that don't cost a penny? Check out Qumpellka No.12 (scroll to the bottom of the page for download options). And for more typographical pleasure, visit We Love Typography, a visual roundup of gorgeous lettering by amazing people. Search by color or keyword for extra fun.

Free fonts and web design resources

Turning to the electronic side of design for a moment, I stumbled upon Pixel Pixel Pixel yesterday. It's a site full of free downloads for web designers mainly, but there are goodies there that everyone can enjoy. Free fonts, anyone? Check out the full archive of seamless patterns, textures, vector shapes, buttons, icons, and more at pixelpixelpixel.com. A huge thank you to the designers who have generously shared their work!

Free script font: Sevillana

Sevillana is a typeface designed by Olga Umpeleva and inspired by the lettering on commemorative plates on the walls of homes in Andalusia, Spain. Download it for free from Brownfox, an independent type foundry in Moscow.

DIY shrink plastic typography pendants

I played with shrink plastic in the toaster oven last night to make some fun typographic pendants.

I used white shrink film sheets made by Grafix, purchased at a local craft store. (Rumor has it that Shrinky Dink brand plastic is a little better, especially if you plan to make larger items. It curls less. But Grafix worked just fine for this.)


How to make your own pendants:
Print out images to trace onto plastic. They should be 250% larger than the intended finished size. Download my ampersand and "hey" shapes here, or make your own words or characters—try asterisks or names! I used Helvetica for the ampersand and Pacifico (a free font) for "hey."

With a pencil, trace shapes onto the shrink film. If you're using glossy film and it's difficult to make pencil lines show up, roughen the surface of the plastic a bit with sandpaper first.


Cut out the holes in the shapes with an X-Acto knife and trim the outer edges with a scissors. Punch a hole at the top if desired; I used a 1/8" punch.

Erase any pencil lines from the edges or they'll be baked on.

Following the instructions on your film package, bake the pieces in a conventional oven or toaster oven. I laid my shapes on a piece of cardboard and stuck them in a 300 degree toaster oven. I watched them like a hawk, yanking them out and flattening them a bit if it looked like the edges were curling so much they might stick together. Then I put them back in the oven to finish baking. Don't be horrified by the crazy curling that happens; as long as the edges don't get stuck together, the shapes should flatten out by themselves. When they stop shrinking (2-3 minutes), pull them out and press them with a spatula or more cardboard while they're still hot to get them perfectly flat.


Add a jump ring and chain, and you're all set.

Free font: Winnie the Hoop

Check out Winnie the Hoop, a contemporary rounded typeface you'll want to hug. It's the debut release of Teo Tuominen, a Finnish type and graphic designer, and inspired by you know who. As prescribed on the website, "Using this font to communicate a sad or grave message is not recommended." Get it for free right here at MyFonts.com.

Free font: Trocchi

If you're up for a Friday freebie, you might go grab Trocchi, a Clarendon-like slab serif type family by Vernon Adams. Bold and regular weights are available for download right here at Font Squirrel.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday, everyone! I'm on vacation next week, but I've prepared some posts ahead of time. I'm designating it Orange Week. Prepare to feast your eyes on orange galore! I've scoured the internet for the best orange things to put on, carry around, gaze at, sit on, and decorate with.

Valentina typeface

Valentina is a beautiful didone typeface designed by Pedro Arilla and named after his grandmother. It's available for use in personal or commercial work. So lovely! Download it here for free, or make a donation to keep Pedro going.

Free fonts from Font Fabric

Fellow designers, have you investigated the fantastic free fonts at Font Fabric? There are lots of useful typefaces in the giveaway section. Thank you, generous typographers!

I Shot the Serif typography game

Vent your aggressions on hapless letterforms at I Shot the Serif (also available as an iPhone game). Pick off the serif characters before time runs out, but don't shoot the sans serifs! Play the game here. (Via Chic Type.)

Free font: Sail

If you're in the market for a pretty, legible script, download Sail by Latinotype right here. It will set you back zero dollars.

Sullivan, a new typeface

Jason Mark Jones has designed a cool new typeface called Sullivan, available right here at the Lost Type Co-op. It comes in three variations: Regular, Bevel, and Fill. Layer them to create vintage-looking lettering. I dig it.

Five free fonts

Check out some more nice font freebies I found at Myfonts.com. Log in and add these to your cart for a complimentary download: Novecento Wide (scroll down the page to find the freebies), Nashville Serial, Abril Fatface, Deftone Stylus, and Wichita Serial. I often grab the free weights (ha, that sounds like I'm at the gym) for use in logo and print projects, and then go back and purchase the heavier or lighter weights as I need them.

New fonts from the Lost Type Co-op

I see that the Lost Type Co-op has added some new fonts since the last time I was browsing over there. Check out Arvil and Lavanderia in particular. To download them, you can make a donation to the designer in any amount or enter "0" for a freebie.