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If you are a graphic designer, you are probably familiar with the concept of typefaces and typography in general. There are at least 5 most popular types of fonts or typefaces based on visual aspects in graphic design. These five types are serifs, sans-serifs, slab serifs, scripts, and decorative or display fonts.
Among them, display typeface is probably the most varied category. It also hosts many fonts with intricate designs and decorative aspects compared to the other four. However, although decorative fonts are arguably the most artistic typeface, most of the fonts in this category are just that—artistic.
A wide variety of decorative fonts can quickly avert the viewers’ gaze to them but requires an extra effort to read in a smaller-sized, longer body of texts. But why, though, you may ask. This article will discuss what defines a display font, in what occasions they are usually utilized, what they can imply, and the examples of these fonts.
A display font or display typeface is a font or typeface that is primarily used for large-size headings rather than in an extended passage of body text. This type of font is relatively more eccentric and varied in design than the simpler and more restrained fonts typically used in body texts.
Another characteristic of a display typeface is that it typically contains more decorative aspects than other typefaces. As they are generally designed for shorter text like titles, taglines, or logos, readability tends to be the second thing in the designer’s mind when creating this type of font. Instead, it was designed to grab the attention of the viewers quickly.
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The attention-seeking nature of display typeface is why most of the fonts in this category tend to have more ornamental or aesthetical aspects embedded in the glyphs. From simple rectangular shapes to elaborate cursives, from thin and flowing to bold and rigid, the sky is the limit to decorative aspects in this typeface.
The quirky designs found on practically any design fonts are unsuitable for body copy, as smaller, jam-packed texts further hinder the readability. Instead, larger formats like posters, billboards, or magazine covers can utilize these fonts just fine due to their typically larger and shorter texts.
Display fonts’ existence can be traced back to the 18th century, along with the rising popularity of posters. Before this uprising, titles were more akin to calligraphic hand lettering, although some larger-sized letters were sometimes used. In 1770, English-typefounders began making big letters for posters and big commercial printings.
At the dawn of the 19th century, printing at large sizes was made possible by the then-newly invented riveted “sanspareil” matrices, along with new letter designs such as “fat face” typefaces, slab serifs, sans-serifs, and blackletter faces. Many of these newly invented display typefaces were aimed to attract attention with their aggressively bold and condensed form.
Though the term “display fonts” or decorative fonts may apply to a wide variety of different fonts and typefaces, they can be grouped into several categories based on their overall styles:
The fonts are designed to look like they were written or drawn by hand with ink or paint over paper. Texts written using this typeface tend to appear similar to calligraphy rather than digital graphics.
As the name suggests, the design of these typefaces was meant to simulate inscriptions engraved in hard materials like woods, stones, or metallic objects. Blank spaces, negative blocks, and clever shadowing give a three-dimensional feel to the texts.
They are either skinny or thick—there is no in-between. Fonts in this category either look like spaghetti or blocks of cheese. The decorative aspect of these categories lies in their simplicity and subtlety without relying on elaborate cursives, quirky shapes, or other decorative elements.
It is what it is—fonts designed without apparent style or concept. The beauty of this category lies in their unpredictable and seemingly random appearances. A well-utilized abstract typeface could balance the overall design project due to its shapes.
Display fonts can be applied to various design projects. However, they are most commonly used to deliver a statement, be it a title, logo, jargon, etc. It can be deployed as one of the elements in a design or as the design itself, like in typography. Bear in mind that each font could help trigger or emphasize different emotions to the viewers.
When launching a branding campaign, a brand or company often tries to visualize its vision and ideas to the public. They also want their target audience to associate them with something else, be it lifestyle, ideas, or even specific demography. These are usually delivered through a promotional video or public service announcement. However, what about printed media like billboards or newspapers?
Aside from visual aspects like photos or illustrations, one crucial aspect of a printed ad is copywriting—and for that, you’ll need a suitable display typeface. Choosing the right font would help your ad deliver the message and build the brand image more effectively. For example, if your brand aims for a more mature customer, use typefaces like serifs, slab serifs, or scripts. Similarly, use typefaces with thin strokes and elaborate cursives to emphasize a feeling of elegance and sophistication for your brand.
However, remember that using display fonts in your branding campaign media is more attention-seeking than message delivery. You have to make sure that the texts written in that font are the first thing the viewers read—it should even be the only readable text in a billboard ad. That is why decorative fonts are crucial for your branding project. With the right font, you can subtly engineer viewers’ implications for the brand.
Like printed ads, decorative texts in posters are meant to grab people’s attention and deliver a message. However, instead of engineering viewers’ implications, the purpose of texts in posters leans towards message delivery. Another key difference is that poster designers are expecting the viewers to stop and process the message. That’s why posters often feature eye-catching big text and images as well as smaller, finer body texts.
Since the texts are the actual message relay tool instead of a mere attention-seeking element, designers would prefer to choose fonts that better emphasize the nuance of the message delivered. Is it creating a movie poster? Use fonts that depict the film’s genre—creating a social activism poster? Choose fonts that give similar feelings to the activism—designing a social criticism poster? Choose fonts that embody the spirit of the critics.
Like any other font, tons of display fonts can be utilized in various design projects. Be it posters, billboard ads, home decors, or brand logos, and chances are you will find the right font to use if you know where to look for one. Here are some of the fonts you can consider using in your projects.
This font looks like it was hand-drawn using a marker or a highlighter inside a box. This quirky, all-capital font gives the design a unique and unusual feel. The contrasting letter in the box helps the texts’ readability over various backgrounds. You can customize the color of either the box or the letter itself, providing endless possibilities of color palettes for your design. You can purchase this font through this link.
This chick-inline font features smooth edges and curvy glyphs, making the fonts appear more effeminate. The handwritten-style glyphs are not exactly uniform—the uneven heights, slightly tilted angles, and no clear difference between uppercase and lowercase give the text written in this font an organic, humane feel. However, due to the shape of the glyphs, it is more suitable in brand logos, posters, and magazine article headlines. This quirky font is purchasable through this link.
This vintage-style font is inspired by the Victorian-era “wood type” letterings. The glyphs look like they are straight out of late 19th to early 20th books—bold, crafty, and classic. The wood-type lettering inspirations are present through the shaded areas inside the individual letters. If you plan to do a vintage- or classic-themed design project, go ahead and purchase the font in this link.
Another vintage-style font, the design of this display font looks like they are staying in the 40’s era time bubble. The thin brushstrokes with decorative serifs make the glyphs appear created for European aristocratic taste. The all-caps font comes with bonus ornamental vectors similar to the glyphs. This font is suitable for vintage or historical design projects, fine art exhibitions, high-profile events, or opera concerts. You can find this font via this link.
Another neo-classical typeface, Baltimore Royale, channels the sophistication and elegance of aristocrats to your design. The somewhat royal glyphs work best when paired with floral ornaments, and the medium brushstroke makes this font suitable for smaller and larger media. The simple-yet-intricate design of the font is a prime fit for high-end brand logos, social events, or even wedding invitations. If this is the font you’re looking for, grab it through this link.
We are moving from the elegant sophistication of the aristocrats to the glorious neon light signs of the ’60s and ’70s. Rockeflea offers glyphs inspired by vintage American diners, with sharp points and varying brushstroke thickness. Looking at the texts written in this font is like looking at a classic American muscle car—they look bold, curvy, and aggressive, but at the same time, they are gorgeous and elegant. Grab this glorious vintage font via this link.
Still, in the 60’s and 70’s hype train, Boldejack is like Rockeflea’s younger sister. They both features bold and curvy letters, but Boldejack looks softer with more defined curves and smoother edges. The letters also look more dynamic with uneven heights than Rockeflea’s more streamlined and uniform heights. If you aim for the more chick and sophisticated feels of the 60’s, this font is for you. You can purchase this display font here.
Are you looking for a suitable font for an electronic music festival poster? Trying to design a logo for a local science fair? Or perhaps organizing a science fiction pop culture event and in dire need of suitable font? Look no more, Terrestrials – Futuristic Font is what you need. These all-cap blocky slab serifs were designed to look like what the 2000s society would perceive as a high-tech, futuristic design. This font would look good on posters, web headers, logos—practically anything as long as it’s sci-fi themed. Find this futuristic font in this link.
Another futuristic font that looks like it came out of your science fiction movies. This sans-serif style font features a uniform height, thin strokes, and smooth edges suitable for high-tech themed occasions. However, compared to Terrestrials, Pentavalent feels a bit more modern and digital. This font is perfect for event posters, magazine headlines, gaming video thumbnails, or anything high-tech or futuristic-themed content. You can purchase this futuristic cyberpunk font here.
Because of the bold letters, this thick and quirky display font introduces fun and cheerful attitude to your design project. If you are designing a product logo, birthday invitation, or outdoor activity event targeted towards children, this font might be the perfect fit for your project. The shape of the glyphs works well with vibrant colors and sharp contrasts. However, due to the thick brushstroke, be careful if you are trying to deploy this in smaller printed media as it would hinder the readability. You can purchase this font here.
