The main 20-th century handwritten display font in the USSR, usually performed with a flat brush or a wide poster pen for all kinds of signage during 1920-1990s. It had also many analogues in other countries, but never was that popular as in the Soviet Union, used everywhere.

The simple song title "May I", found on the sheet music from the 1934 Bing Crosby-Carole Lombard film "We're Not Dressing" was hand lettered in a blocky, ultra-bold Art Deco design that foreshadowed the techno look of the 1970s and 1980s. This became the basis for Art Techno JNL.

Here's a workmanlike interpretation of John Pistilli's eponymous extreme Didone, originally designed for VGC in the 1970s. The typeface's strong contrasts and graceful nuances guarantee that your headlines will get noticed. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets.

Based on the logotype lettering for the Dutch magazine Geillustreerd Schildersblad in 1940, this devilishy different Deco font will add a bit of naive charm to any project it graces. This font contains the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

An offering by lettering artist Harvey Hopkins Dunn for the 1930 classic, American Alphabets, provided the inspiration for this graceful, engaging typeface. Use it liberally to exude elegance, or to turn on the charm. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

Kings in Disguise is a chunky, balloon font of the sort used extensively during the 1970s. It has a retro, disco feel and is ideal for signs and logos. The name comes from a great comic book series published in the late 1980s. The engraved style has a limited character set.

Performer JNL, is a typeface re-drawn from condensed hand lettering found on a piece of vintage sheet music. Fairly basic in style, there are still some hints of the Art Deco influence that permeated the 1930s and 1940s art, design and typography. Available in both regular and oblique versions.

This casually elegant script, similar to the logotype lettering found on Mason jars (hence the name), is patterned after an offering from the 1930s chapbook 60 Alphabets by The Hunt Brothers. The Opentype version of this font supports Unicode 1250 (Central European) languages, as well as Unicode 1252 (Latin) languages.

Triborough JNL is the heavier-weight version of Wingate JNL, a narrow, all-caps font from Jeff Levine. Evoking the feel of 1930s and 1940s store and architectural signs, use Triborough JNL along with its counterpart for a nice dual-weight contrast... or by itself for an elegant Art Deco look.

The book Modern Alphabets, published in 1930, called this diamond in the rough from Continental Typefounders Nova Bold. Well, it’s neither new nor modern anymore, but it’s a warm, friendly face that’s sure to please. Both versions of this font contain complete Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

This unusual face features letterforms inspired by an Austrian travel poster designed by Johann Süssenbek in the 1930s, and rendered in a bold chiaroscuro manner. In case you're wondering, Escondido is Spanish for hidden. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

On April 20, 1950, film comedian Jerry Lewis indulged his love of cameras by opening up Jerry Lewis’ Camera Exchange on Vine Street in Hollywood. It closed in 1951. Thanks to an image preserved within newsreel footage of the shop’s grand opening night, a glimpse of the post-Art Deco signage with its unusual, block style lettering inspired a digital version. Highly unusual and best for novelty projects, Shutterbug JNL is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Selene Book is a sans-serif font family designed by Leonardo Di Lena and derived from Selene. The font is based on geometric forms with as few improving legibility optical corrections as possible. If you need a minimalist font, technical but friendly and elegant, this is your choice. There are glyphs for all languages ​​with Latin, Greek and Cyrillic alphabets, all the basic ligatures, old style numerals and five Latin capitals alternates that catches the 1900-1950 font styles.

Baseball is a bold and sturdy script with its roots deep in the 1940s and 1950s Americana. Baseball is great for for sports team or bar logos, beer labels or anything where you need a bulky script with a lot of character. Baseball is equipped with several OpenType features: Standard Ligatures and Contextual Alternates for smooth connections. Try Swash, Stylistic or Titling Alternates when working with customized headlines. and combine with the Baseball Swoosh to complete your designs.

Salto was developed by Karlgeorg Hoefer and introduced in 1952 by the foundry Gebr. Klingspor in Offenbach. The capital letters were drawn with a brush, the lower case with a broad-tipped pen developed by Hoefer especially for the task. Salto reflects the Zeitgeist of the 1950s, appearing frequently in advertisements during the years of the Wirtschaftswunder. The font’s extravagance and dynamic quality arise from the contrast between the strong, zestful capitals and the more reserved lower case letters.

This disarming beauty is based on a typeface named "Archer" from the 1905 specimen book from Barnhart Brothers & Spindler. The original was a rather light face; this beefed-up version highlights the face’s charming quirks quite nicely. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

Books Script — this is a good-hearted font, which was created based on the books of the Soviet period between 1960 and 1970. This font is perfect for illustrators and books which are designed for children. Scope: emotionality, uneven rhythm, display, titles, illustrations, soviet, USSR, poetry, ipad apps, fairy tale, epic poem

The letterforms for this unusual display face were inspired by a 1930s ad for Tanguy Crepes, by an uncredited artist. Due to the ornate nature for this font, it has a limited character set, but does include all letters, numbers and punctuation for the Unicode 1252 Latin and 1250 Central European character sets.

Camelia is an demi–slab display type family with reversed strokes to achieve an unexpected look and rythm. Was designed and optimized for use in large sizes. It is inspired by the geometric typefaces of the 1920s and the egyptiennes of the 1930s. An emphasis on circular and rectangular shape give it the identity.

Samuel Welo’s “Studio Handbook for Artists and Advertisers” was a popular book of inspiration for sign painters, graphic artists and designers from the 1920s through the 1960s. Many digital revivals of Welo’s hand lettered typography have been made available. Formal Notice JNL is one such revival, and is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Berling is an old style typeface based on the classical Venetian model used by Aldus Manutius at the end of the fifteenth century. Berling was first cut by the Berling foundry in 1951 with further weights released in 1958. The Berling font family is intended primarily for setting text in books~ journals and magazines.

This family of faces is based on the series Riverside Drive, designed by Peter Max for Photo-Lettering Inc. in the early 1970s. However, several letters have been altered to maintain design consistency and to improve legibility. Both versions of this font support the Latin 1252, Central European 1250, Turkish 1254 and Baltic 1257 codepages.

Here is another attempt to create a font for invitation work unlike any already out in the world. In casting about for a name, I decided to call it Valerie after Valerie Hope, a mindreader of days long gone, who played California theatres in the 1930s and 1940s. And who, incidentally, was my mother.

This elegant monoline script is based on a typeface called "Médicis" from a Deberny and Peignot catalog, circa 1920. Graceful but robust, it is equally suited for invitations, announcements and headlines. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Avenida was created by architect and designer John Chippindale in 1994 and is a constructed typeface that leaves a cool, sophisticated impression. An Art Deco typeface inspired lettering found on buildings constructed in Spain's Andalucian region in the 1930's and 1940's. Avenida is best suited to headlines and short to middle length texts.

The main 20-th century handwritten display font in the USSR, usually performed with a flat brush or a wide poster pen for all kinds of signage during 1920-1990s. It had also many analogues in other countries, but never was that popular as in the Soviet Union, used everywhere. The softened modern humanistic version.

Break out the love beads and fire up the lava lamp! Here’s a fresh take on the Artone alphabet, designed by Seymour Chwast in the 1960s. Beefy, bodacious and bottom-heavy, this typeface keeps on truckin' along. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

A 1970s Photolettering catalog indentified the pattern for this typeface as "Exotique" ...from France, no less. Named for a French expression meaning “pun,” this face is, indeed, witty and playful, with nary a groan in sight. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets.

A rather droll unicase typeface, discovered in a 1970s chapbook of suggested lettering for Soviet propaganda posters, inspired this bouncy beauty. Way more fun than a barrel of Volga Boatmen. The PC Postscript, Truetype and Opentype versions contain the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

A travel poster from the 1940s for Mexican tourism provided the inspiration for this voluptuous font with a strong architectural feel. A few unexpected idiosynracies in the letterforms add to its charm. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

An older typeface belonging to a family of sans serif fonts known as Grotesque (or Grotesk in the classic spelling) has been re-drawn by Jeff Levine and released as Album Cover JNL. The font's name is derived from the fact that this typeface was found on many long-playing record jackets during the 1950s and 1960s. To add a look closer to that of hand-set type, there are minute variants in some of the heights of the characters.

No prizes for guessing this font family was inspired by the 1950s - the sounds (Buddy, Eddie, Elvis), the styles (polka dots, petticoats and Dior's New Look), and the kitsch, from furry dice above the dashboard to plaster ducks over the mantlepiece! A particular point of reference is the furnishings and fabrics of the Fifties (with their distinctive kidney shapes and angular curves) as showcased in the Festival of Britain 1951. See also my other fun fonts Barrowboy, Calypso and Pier Arcade.

Linotype Balder is a part of the Take Type Library, winners of Linotype’s International Digital Type Design Contest. Designed by Lutz Baar, Balder is reminiscent of advertisement and poster typefaces of the 1950s and 1960s. It is composed of only capital letters, making it perfect for initials and headlines. Balder looks as though it were written with a broad tipped pen. Its light serifs at the tops of the characters and the slant of some of the strokes give Balder a dynamic feel.

Feltboard JNL was drawn from images of letters and numbers contained in a felt board (also known as a flannel board) sign kit from the 1940s or 1950s. The irregularity of stroke widths and character shapes is representative of the actual shapes of the die-cut pieces found within this kit. Note: The cap height is slightly smaller than normal for the respective point size. This will give the effect of wider line spacing - similar to that of hand-made signs.

British designer Bob Newman's Horatio family is a delightful look back into the modernists experiments of the 1920s. This geometric sans serif design was created in 1971, and was originally released by Letraset. We are please to offer the family in digital form, in light, medium, and bold weights. Many designers during the 1920s were interested in reforming the alphabet, and wanted to reconcile letterforms with the machine and manufacturing technology of the age. Herbert Bayer at the Bauhaus was one of many designers who developed a universal alphabet," creating letters using only the simplest of geometric forms. Similar experiments in 1920s-style revivals were also created during the 1970s, most notably Herb Lubalin's ITC Avant Garde Gothic."

A typeface named Times Gothic, which made its first appearance in the 1905 ATF specimen book, inspired this headline sans. Use it to add a bit of quirky visual interest to headlines and subheads. Both versions include the complete Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets, with localization for Lithuanian, Moldovan and Romanian.

Here’s a typeface with a stance as big as Texas. It’s based on Vincent Pacella’s 1960s oeuvre for Photo-Lettering, Inc. called Pacella Vega Extended 10, and named for a county in Central Texas, home of Possum Kingdom Lake. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

A 1930s luggage tag from an eponymous hotel provided the inspiration for this face. The uppercase letters lean to the left and the lowercase letters lean to the right, so aLtErNaTiNg the two will give your headlines a little bounce. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).