favorite font sources

Choosing the right font for your project is a big task. On the surface, it seems like one of the most simple aspects, but in truth, a font can make or break a design!

Every font has a sort of personality that it brings. (One of my favorite posts I've written was one about your personal typographic style over on Studio 404 awhile back!) We all have certain types that we are drawn to, but even our favorites aren't always the best choice for every project. Everyone has heard about the hate for Comic Sans or the forbidden font Papyrus, but what about finding ones that are great to use? Here are few of my current favorite sources:

Free Fonts

• Font Squirrel: lots of options that are easy to narrow down by type.
• Lost Type: a unique collection of great fonts (pay what you can model).
• 1001 Fonts: a large collection of lots of styles.
• Behance: it's a little harder to search, but you can find some great fonts, like this one.

Pro: free fonts are a great way to experiment with font types without having to make a large investment. Con: they don't always have the extras that come with paid fonts or the attention to detail (like letter spacing) in the design. Also, make sure that you check that the fonts are free for commercial use, not just for personal use, if you plan to use them outside of personal projects!

Paid Fonts

• MyFonts: beautiful fonts by awesome independent designers and foundries (like this one).
• Creative Market: a wealth of options, including lots of calligraphic and script fonts.
• Fontspring: large library of quality fonts.

Pro: you usually get lots of glyphs (or extra characters beyond the basic letters) in paid fonts, attention has been paid to all the details of the typeface, and you are supporting the work of type designers! Con: the best ones can be a hefty investment.

Bonus: one of my favorite tools is Wordmark.it - you can enter a word or phrase and it will show you how it looks in every font installed on your computer! Talk about fast comparison techniques.

What are some of your favorite resources for great fonts?

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