This growing family of friendly faces is based on the typeface Bravour, designed in 1913 by Martin Jacoby-Boy for the D. Stempel AG foundry in Frankfurt am Main. The wide stance and very large x-height shared by the family members makes them warm and inviting, and equally suitable for use in headlines or text blocks. All versions of this font include the Unicode 1250 Central European character set in addition to the standard Unicode 1252 Latin set.

The letterforms of Lucien Bernhard's stylish, if somewhat anorexic, Bernhard Fashion were beefed up and complemented with thick-and-thin stroke variation to create this elegant family, available in normal and bold weights. Additionally, Bernhard's variant forms have replaced several of the letters which commonly appear in other revivals. The Postscript and Truetype versions contain a complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252); in addition, the Opentype version supports Unicode 1250 (Central European) languages as well.

Lewis F. Day, in his 1910 classic Alphabets Old and New, filed this work by Laurence Schall under the category of Celtic-inspired, and surely it is both. This font included a few special extras, including a Celtic cross in the florin position, a Celtic knot is the dagger position, a shamrock as the asterisk, and a double shamrock in the double-dagger position. Both versions of this font include the Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

Type designer Friedrich Poppl is perhaps best known for his classic text faces and elegant scripts, but it seems he had a playful side as well. This frisky face is based on Dynamische Antiqua, which Poppl did for the Stempel foundry in 1960, but which was never released. Bright, bold and bouncy, it’s the perfect choice for headlines with impish impact. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

A handlettered headline in the January 1953 issue of Park East magazine by wacko album artist Jim Flora provided the inspiration for this exercise in extreme lettering. Check out the [brackets] and the bullet point... like, endsville, daddy-o. Due to the complexity of this typeface, the font has no math operators. The Postscript and Truetype versions contain a complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252); in addition, the Opentype version supports Unicode 1250 (Central European) languages as well.

Lettering on a menu from a Pennsylvania hotel, circa 1930, provided the inspiration for this happy-go-lucky take on the alphabet. Lowercase letters are variants of the uppercase and kerning has been applied to every possible letter combination, so feel free to double-clutch the shift key to create a truly handlettered feel with this font. Both versions of this font include the complete Latin 1252 and CE 1250 character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

In ye olden days, nothing said “personalized business correspondence” like a typewritten letter, and several type foundries cast simulated typewriter fonts so authentic-looking “personal” letters could be mass-produced. This typeface is based on one such font from a href="/foundry/atf/">American Type Founders, which was patterned after the letters of the Smith Premier No. 3. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin and 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan) character sets.

The pattern for this font was found in the 1906 specimen book for the Keystone Type Foundry under the name Ancient Gothic, which is a pretty accurate description of the particular appeal of this typeface. Use it liberally anytime you want to add an air of mystery or menace...or simply some quaint charm. Both versions of the font include complete Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1524 character sets, with localization for Moldovan, Romanian and Turkish.

The inspiration for this proto-Art Nouveau typeface showed up in the 1887 type specimen book of Farmer, Little & Co. under the name Vassar. Its bold, sinuous curves, which take unexpected turns now and then, make it the perfect choice when you want to command attention...in a dignified, Ivy League kind of way, of course. All versions of this font include the complete Latin 1252 and CE 1250 character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

The Ayes have it! The 1909 specimen catalog from the H. C. Hansen Type Foundry of Boston contained a lovely decorative face named Congress, which is the pattern for this font. It's a winning choice for distinctive headlines, and the uppercase letters are also suitable by themselves for use as decorative initials. The PC Postscript, Truetype and Opentype versions contain the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

Sheet music from the 1921 edition of the Ziegfeld Follies provided the blueprint for this sparkly, sprightly font. Upper and lowercase characters are identical, with the exception of the letter s, which offers a version of the letter with a big caboose rather than an overbite. Named for David Bowie’s 1972 breakthrough album. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

This in-yer-face kinda face is based on a broad brush font from "The New ABC of Showcard & Ticketwriting" by C. Milne, published in Australia in the late 1930s. Brought to my attention by Ms. Kat Black, and named in honor of Ms. Kat's grannie, to whom the book originally belonged. The Postscript and Truetype versions contain a complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252); in addition, the Opentype version supports Unicode 1250 (Central European) languages as well.

Künstler Grotesk ML is one of a number of typeface designs that attempts to reconcile Germany’s blackletter tradition with the international familiarity of roman letterforms in a simple, robust design suitable for meeting the demands of a modern industrial economy, while rejecting the extraneous ornamentation of the departing Victorian era. It is an all-cap design with a number of playful ligatures. It has an appealing boldness that reverses well. Künstler means ‘artist’ in German. I had always assumed it was a person’s name until I came across the translation. Lesson: conjecture is not fact. Grotesk refers to a sans serif letterform tradition. Kunstler Grotesk was originally released by Bauer'sche Giesserei of Frankfurt am Main circa 1900. Künstler Grotesk ML represents a major extension of the original release, with the following changes: 1. Added glyphs for the 1250 Central Europe, the 1252 Turkish and the 1257 Baltic Code Pages. Added glyphs to complete standard 1252 Western Europe Code Page. Special glyphs relocated and assigned Unicode codepoints, some in Private Use area. Total of 350 glyphs, 260 kerning pairs. 2. Added OpenType GSUB layout features: pnum, salt, dlig (19) and hist. 3. Revised vertical metrics for improved cross-platform line spacing. 4. Redesigned mathematical operators. 5. Included tabular (std) & proportional (opt) numbers. 6. Refined various glyph outlines. 7. Made CcNnOoSsZz-kreska available (salt). 8. Incorporated alternate glyphs in lower case.

Xylotype guru Rob Roy Kelly identified this specimen from his personal collection as "Phanitalian". This addition to the Whiz-Bang Woodtype series takes its name from a small Texas town in the middle of nowhere which has risen to international prominence—at least for folks interested in such things—as the site of the World Championship Chili Cook-off. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

One in the series of fonts called Whiz-Bang Wood Type, intended to be set large and tight. Jefferson Pilot’s unusual letter treatment isn't for every project, but for projects that need a great "old-timey" look, it’s perfect. Named for a city in East Texas that was a port city on the late 1800s, but today is landlocked. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

This face is a bit of a time traveler. It combines the lowercase from a font called simply Square Gothic from the 1888 James Conner’s Sons specimen book with the uppercase of Morris Fuller Benton’s 1932 monocase masterwork Agency Gothic, resulting in a high-tech typeface right at home in the twenty-first Century. Available in three weights. All versions of this font include the Unicode 1250 Central European character set in addition to the standard Unicode 1252 Latin set

Lewis F. Day, in his Alphabets Old and New, presented these letters as examples of rustic Roman lettering of the first through third centuries, AD. An uppercase-only typeface, most of the lowercase positions are occupied by letterform variants. It should be noted that the name does not refer to a savory dish made from a nocturnal American marsupial; it’s Latin for “I can dance”. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

The name comes from a British expression about two things that couldn't be more different, and it suits this offering to a tee. The uppercase of this typeface is based on 1930s lettering by French poster artist Charles Loupot, and the lowercase is based on 1910s lettering by German plakatmeister Ludwig Hohlwein. Oddly, the two seem to play together well. Both versions of the font include the 1252 Latin and 1250 CE character sets (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

REALLY fat faces seem to be popular these days, so here's my take on one. The strokes have been expanded to the brink of illegibility, but the letters remain distinguishable, especially in context. Also included are alternate versions of the letter A—suitable for use as first and last letters in a word— in the ASII circumflex and ASCII tilde positions. This font contains the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

The typeface Weiner Grotesk, designed by Rudolf Geyer for the H. Berthold AG foundry of Berlin in 1912, provides the pattern for this classic Jugendstil font. The design is very versatile: used as all caps, you can create elegant, compact headlines; and, as upper and lower, you can create subheads with decidedly dramatic contrast. Either way, this one is a "Weiner". All versions of this font include the Unicode 1250 Central European character set in addition to the standard Unicode 1252 Latin set.

A heavy unnamed Gothic typeface from the 1890 William H. Page Foundry woodtype specimen book provided the template for this bold, brash, no-nonsense face. It's designed to set tight, so your headlines will definitely get noticed. Named for a town in West Central Texas which is noted for being the home of the Buffalo Soliders in the late 1800s. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Whoever knew the Red Menace could be such fun? This bold and bouncy face is based on a Cyrillic alphabet presented in the book Schrifti Alphabeti, published in the Soviet Union in 1979. It rollicks and frolicks, and might even fetch your slippers. Special thanks to Charles Barsotti for permission to use The Pup to promote this doggone-good product. The Postscript and Truetype versions contain a complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252); in addition, the Opentype version supports Unicode 1250 (Central European) languages as well.

This family, in normal and bold weights, is based on Advertisers Gothic, designed by Robert Wiebking for Barnhart Brothers & Spindler in 1917. The original might be considered a transitional design between Art Nouveau and Art Deco; this version accentuates the Deco traits, adding a thick-and-thin treatment not found in the original. The large x-height and short descenders allow for compact, commanding headlines with a carefree charm, a.k.a. bell'agio. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

One in the series of fonts called Whiz-Bang Wood Type, intended to be set large and tight. Pilot Point is based on an older font found in Dan X. Solo’s book on Circus Type; the designation fits perfectly. The font gets its name from a small town in Northeast Texas, where several scenes from Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde were filmed. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

As recently as forty years ago, computers consisted of racks of vacuum tubes, each rack about the size of a refrigerator, with enough racks to fill a good-sized family room required to do routine data processing. This font is based on a monospaced typeface used on a lineprinter from that time, the Unisys 0776. Although its origins are strictly retro, the face retains a timeless techno edge, even today. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

Something about the swoopy loops in the uppercase characters of this typeface, originally called "Ronde", reminds one of the signature 'do of a certain real-estate-mogul-turned-TV-celebrity, and so this font was named. Delightfully different, this face can be playful or formal, as suits the the occasion. To complete its nineteenth-century creds, the font includes classic bishops fingers at the ASCII tilde and ASCII circumflex positions. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

By the time that the 13th edition of the Speedball Text Book appeared in 1938, silent movies were a thing of the past; nonetheless, intrepid author Ross F. George included this typeface, originally intended for title cards, in the volume. Elegant and inviting, the occasionally quirky letterforms feature subtle diamond-shaped accents that add just the right touch of sparkle. The PC Postscript, Truetype and Opentype versions contain the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

Here's a flashback to the sixties, which originally went by the rather unimaginative name of Triline. It's available in two versions: regular and swash caps. In the swash version, the uppercase Q is a "Qu" ligature; a plain Q is located in the ASCII circumflex position (SHIFT+6 on PC or Mac). Named for the heroine of a medieval romance. The Postscript and Truetype versions contain a complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252); in addition, the Opentype version supports Unicode 1250 (Central European) languages as well.

A snappy single-stroke alphabet from The New Lone Pine ABC of Showcard and Ticketwriting, which Aussie author C. Milnes suggested should be executed with a well-loaded brush, provided the inspiration for this loose, lilting retro script. Its condensed letterforms and tight spacing allow for larger headlines than most brush scripts, and its bouncing baseline adds an extra dollop of visual fun. The PC Postscript, Truetype and Opentype versions contain the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

The Zanerian Manual of Alphabets and Engrossing, published in numerous editions since 1895, featured many elegant and elaborate script typefaces. However, it seems that, from time to time, calligraphers just want to have fun, and this little number is definitely fun. Light, lively and just a little loopy, Red Hot Mama is sure to add just the right amount of spice to your special project. Both versions contain the complete Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

This curly, swirly antique offering is based on a Victorian-era typeface called "Fillet". Opening and closing flourishes can be found at the brace and bracket positions, and the ribbon effect can be carried between words by using the underscore character in place of a space. Due to the highly ornate nature of this font, it does not contain math operators, fractions or superior numbers. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin and 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan) character sets.

Here's another gem from perennial Speedball penmaster Ross F. George, originally called Split Caps. George's original design has been enhanced with the addition of lowercase characters, borrowed from another of his alphabets, and adapted to the style of the caps. This font derives its name from one of the catchphrases of the estimable Stooge-in-Chief, whose signature hairdo can be found in place of the Section mark. Both versions of the font include complete Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1524 character sets, with localization for Moldovan, Romanian and Turkish.

The family tree of this friendly face runs deep. Its primary inspiration is Twentieth Century, designed by Saul Hess as a monoline version of Paul Renner’s Futura. The design was reinterpreted by Herb Lubalin as Avant Garde in the 1970s. This version softens the harsh geometry of the original designs with rounded line endings: the result is a warm, inviting face that is elegant, confident and inviting. All versions of this font include the Unicode 1250 Central European character set in addition to the standard Unicode 1252 Latin set.

What’s the good word? This elegant, stylish typeface, based on an early twentieth-century Barnhart Brothers & Spindler release, named simply "Engravers Upright Script". Based on French ronde letterforms, this version is bolder—which makes it suitable for text settings, even at smaller sizes—and has more pronounced stroke contrast—which makes it suitable for headlines. Versatile, handsome and charming, this typeface is an invaluable addition to any type repertoire. Both versions of the font contain the complete Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

This typeface is a new and improved (really!) version of one of my most popular freeware fonts, Team Spirit, which has made appearances in the Tank McNamara comic strip and on Blue Collar TV. Add the “nose” at the front with an open parenthesis -(- and add the tail with a close parenthesis -). To continue the bar beneath between words, use the _underscore in place of a space. No math operators and limited punctuation, but complete accented characters for the Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

In Lewis F. Day’s 1910 classic, Alphabets Old and New, the author presented the inspiration for this typeface as an example of German monumental lettering, most likely to suggest not that the typeface was really big, but that it had been found on German monuments. Bold yet charming, the face takes its name from a picturesque village in the Bavarian Alps which was the ancestral home of the Gröbl line of Curtii forebears. Both versions of this font include the complete Latin 1252 and CE 1250 character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

The specimen book Alphabete: ein Schriftatlas von A bis Z identified the pattern for this typeface as Stymie Black Flair. Although neither the designer nor the original foundry is identified, it bears a strong resemblance to the work of Dave West for Photolettering in the 60s and 70s. Big, beautiful and bodacious, it’s a natural choice for attention-grabbing headlines. Many alternate characters available: see the full character map. The PC PostScript, TrueType and OpenType versions contain the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

Letterpress type, crafted by H. Th. Wijdeveld, founding editor and chief designer of the legendary Dutch art and architecture magazine Wendingen, provided the inspiration for this typeface. The original design graced a 1925 issue examining the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, and Wijdeveld created his typeface by assembling bits of standard brass rules. This version features several of the meanders typical of Wijdeveld’s graphic design in the dagger, double dagger, ASCII tilde and ASCII circumflex positions. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

The inspiration for this font made its first appearance in the 1897 American Type Founders specimen book, under the name "Lithotint". As the name suggests, the original was tinted gray (diagonal lines formed the body); this version is solid and spooky, too. The font contains a few ghostly graphics, including ghosts at the bracket positions, a haunted house at the backslash position, and a scary backdrop at the ASCII tilde and ASCII circumflex positions. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

Tucked inside the November 5, 1927 issue of a German signpainters' trade paper was a single sheet headed Der Schilder und Schriftenmaler, which featured an alphabet called "Neue Fraktur". An exuberant (if somewhat unconventional) combination of Art Deco sensibilities and blackletter forms, the font retains its freshness, even today. Included in this version are Deco bishops fingers at the bar and broken bar positions, and a styling, horn-blowing herald at ASCII circumflex and tilde positions. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin and 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan) character sets.