This unusual Gothic face was found in the 1882 McKellar, Smiths and Jordan specimen book under the name Borussian, a then-current variant of “Prussian”. This version is true to the original, so please note: a few of the uppercase characters—notably E and G—are rather unusual, so proceed with caution. All versions of this font include the Unicode 1250 Central European character set in addition to the standard Unicode 1252 Latin set.

In 1936, Erich Mollowitz designed a typeface named »Rheingold Kräftig« for the German type foundry J. D. Trennert & Sohn (Hamburg-Altona). The original letterforms have been extended and beefed up a bit, and the result is a rollicking, righteously retro romp…a perfect choice when you want to strut your stuff. The PC Postscript, Truetype and Opentype versions contain the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

This rugged typeface is based on letterforms in the Cherokee Syllabary, reputedly devised by a gentleman named Sequoyah in the early nineteenth century. In addition, Native American petroglyphs—some authentic Cherokee designs, some from other tribes—are included in several positions. The name of the typeface, however, is authentic Cherokee, and can be loosely translated as “Yo! Wuzzup?” Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

A 1990s-vintage Radiohead poster by Jermaine Rogers provided the go-by for this tight, trippy techno face. Jermaine's design, it turns out, was an adaptation of a Ray Larabie font, Dignity of Labour. This version cleverly combines stark geometry with Art Nouveau sensibilities to produce a kind of Digital DNA feel. This font contains the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

Here’s a revised and updated version of one of my oldies, based on the typeface Chic, designed by Morris Fuller Benton. The addition of small caps, improved kerning, and an expanded character set make this one an excellent choice for projects that demand grace, elegance and a bit of mischievous fun. This font contains the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

This rugged rascal is based on at old ATF “original” design called “Hearst” (although Frederic Goudy claimed it was a pirated version of one of his designs). Its commanding, rough-hewn character makes it suitable for headlines, but its large x-height makes it practical for subheads as well. Available in roman and italic versions. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets.

Two handlettered typefaces from J. M. Bergling’s 1914 classic, Art Alphabets and Lettering collided to produce this lively and unusual combination. The caps were originally called "Morocco", and the lowercase are taken from his Keramic Text. The result suggested more of an Egyptian flair, in an offbeat kind of way, and so it got its name. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

This robust, roly-poly typeface is patterned after a 1974 release from the Ludwig & Mayer foundry of Frankfurt am Main named Big Band, and designed by Karlgeorg Hoefer. The type color is even darker than the original, and the result is a delightful face that will definitely attract attention. 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 Boston Type Foundry called the pattern for this elegant typeface "Moslem," suggesting the exotic appeal of faraway lands. The face succeeds in fulfilling its promise, with remarkably little extraneous fussiness. The font's name suggests that it's a wise choice for headlines which tout the lure of distant charms. 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 Cleveland Type Foundry strikes again, with this delightful little number from their 1893 specimen book, originally named "Mikado". This version takes its name from one of the characters in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta of the same name, and the name aptly describes the tasty nature of this frolicking face. Both versions of this font include the complete Latin 1252 and CE 1250 character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

This is a new and improved version of an old freeware font named Materhorn, hased on a design originally called Fanfare, designed by Louis Oppenheim in 1927 for H Berthold AG. The outlines have been completely redrawn, the entire font has been thoughtfully hand-kerned, and OpenType features have been added. Additionally, the font contains not only the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus also support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages

Gravure was designed by Morris F. Benton in 1927 for American Type Founders and was also released in 1929 by the London foundry of C. W. Shortt. This luminous face has a slightly naïve charm seldom found in incised typefaces. Ornamental and engaging, it’s a perfect choice for headlines with warmth and grace. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin and 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan) character sets.

The 1912 American Specimen Book of Type Styles from ATF featured a quaint little offering called "Tabard", whose antique charm was enhanced by several rather quirky alternate characters. This version tosses out the standard characters and keeps the quirks in the works: the result is warm, engaging, slightly mischievous and a whole lot of fun. The Opentype version of this font supports Unicode 1250 (Central European) languages, as well as Unicode 1252 (Latin) languages.

Hold on to your Hats and Stand in a convenient Door Frame, and be warned that anything you have on your desktop that is not nailed down is going to hit the floor when these characters thunder across your hard drive. Perfect for sound effects like BOOM! THOOM and, er... RUMBLE, this font family is an Earth Shaker!

This lively script is based on a handlettered offering from The Hunt Brothers, which they called simply "Ornamental Italic". Ornamental, yes, but there’s also a lot of action and attitude in this typeface. Please note that, due to the extreme slant of the characters, spacing in the font has been optimized for upper- and lowercase use. Both versions of this font contain complete Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Cross the irrepressible Samuel Welo with a bit of found matchbook art and voilà! You have this retro charmer, proudly found on the kind of neon signs that offered an invitation to dine and dance. To continue the baseline treatment between words—or to extend it on either side—use the _Underscore character. Both versions of the font include complete Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1524 character sets, with localization for Moldovan, Romanian and Turkish.

This bold yet elegant script is patterned after the logotype lettering from a 1927 issue of the French film magazine named, not surprisingly, Ciné Miroir. Ornate without being fussy, this font’s large x-height gives it a strong color, a commanding presence and a remarkably contemporary feel, even after more than three-quarters of a century. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Lewis F. Day, in his book Alphabets Old and New, offered this typeface as an example from sixteenth-century England of lettering incised in wood. The font is essentially monocase, but there several lowercase letters are alternate letterforms. Please note that, due to the ornate nature of the letterforms, this font 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.

This typeface was designed specifically for producing movie posters, as well as VHS and DVD packaging for them. The uppercase letters are ultracondensed, and the lowercase letters are small caps, approximately a third the size of the uppercase. Also included are various logos and symbols suitable for the intended use, including those for MPAA ratings, and various audio and video formats. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

The roly-poly serifs, inspired by West Banjo, designed by Dave West, add such irrepressible charm to this typeface that you just want to pinch its little cheeks, if you are so inclined. Equally at home in the 1960s, when it was originally released, as the 1860s, from which it drew its inspiration. 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.

This family is based on an offering in Barnhart Brothers & Spindler’s Type Specimen Catalog No. 9, issued around 1910, originally named "Grant". It makes a handsome addition to the Whiz-Bang Woodtype series, and is available in both a Rustic and Refined version. Named for a town in Texas, which the locals pronounce "Reh-FURRY-o". Both versions of this font contain complete Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Set the mirrored ball spinning, and get down to Funky Town. Based on a period piece appropriately named Disco 79, this version shifts the concentric elements so that they appear to be lit from below, adding impact and, perhaps, even a sinister touch. You'll also find special treats at the dagger, double dagger and section mark positions. This font contains the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

One in the series of fonts called Whiz-Bang Wood Type, intended to be set large and tight. Ouachita Way is an ultrabold and boxy caps and small caps font, especially well-suited for commadning headlines. Based on nineteenth-century “Grecian” fonts, the name comes from a forest and a river in Arkansas. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Patterned after cheap neon signage, this face has class, all of it low. Uppercase only, the lowercase positions are filled with an assortment of cheesy neon graphics, intended to be used at twice the point size of the caps. Named after a 70s TV show about a hotel with a defective neon sign. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

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