15 Fresh (and Free) Fonts for 2012

Linc Wonham — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:15:00 GMT

The most compelling Web designs rely on creative uses of typography, which requires both smart and original thinking when it comes to font selections.

With the inventories of free online font libraries such as Google Web Fonts and Typekit being added to regularly, and even more custom fonts being created daily, there are virtually thousands of open-source font families to choose from for your next design project.

Poring through thousands of fonts can be time consuming, however, and time is a commodity that few designers have in excess. So, WM has compiled a list of 15 fresh, free fonts to help get you started. If you would like to add something to the list, please do so in the comments section below:

Aovel Sans: A classy font that is best used for headlines of 16 points or larger.

Archive: A contemporary, versatile typeface with strong geometric forms.

Carton: A strong and sensitive slab-serif font inspired by letterpress.

FV Almelo: When a character has an alternative to all caps, you will find it by using lower-case.

Hagin: Constructed with strong geometric forms in old-school style, this serif font is applicable for just about any type of design.

Homestead: This is an elegant slab-serif typeface that achieves an avant-garde look and feel.

Jura: An elegant serif typeface of narrow proportions with distinguishing details, this font will maintain legibility even at small sizes.

Lavanderia: Featuring numerous open-type features and three weights, this font was inspired by the lettering seen on laundromat windows in San Francisco’s Mission District.

Molesk: A vintage-looking typeface that works well for headlines and logos.

Novecento: This font face is designed to be used mostly for headlines, visual identities or short sentences, both in big and small sizes.

Otama e.p.: A quiet but confident typeface created for selling expensive and fashionable things.

Parisienne: A casual, connecting script that has a slight bounce and intentional irregularity, making it a typeface for a variety of uses.

Poly: The initial design plan aimed to define an alternative system of diacritical marks to be used in parallel with standard punctuation marks.

Scruffy: Inspired by writing with a black marker, this rough-edged, uppercase-only font comes in regular and light weights.

Weston: A rounded slab-serif that is suitable for modification in logos and headlines to spice up any design.

'Net Features : fonts for 2012