This quirky little number is based on a typeface originally named Turtle, which made a very brief appearance in Letraset's product line catalog in the 1970s. Admittedly, its uses are limited, but its cryptic and playful nature will reward those with imagination. Both versions of this font include the complete Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets.

This elegant and somewhat edgy typeface is a faithful revival of Numantina, designed by Carl Winkow amd released by Madrid's Fundición Tipográfica Nacional in the 1940s. The lowercase letters take their design cues from medieval Spanish uncial lettering, making this face a natural choice for intriguing headlines and subheads. Both versions feature the complete Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turskish 1254 character sets, with localization for Lithuanian, Moldovan and Romanian.

This Albert Auspurg offering from 1915 for the German foundry Schelter & Giesecke was originally called Kolibri, or Hummingbird. The design combines formal elegance with a carefree, wide stance, making it a perfect choice for inviting headlines. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets.

A Japanese design firm called Maniackers put together a typeface design in 2001, which they called Snail. This typeface is based on that design, with a few tasty modifications and some industrial-strength kerning, so that the letters literally slither across the page. This font contains the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

This elegant titling face is based on an American Type Founders release from the 1920s named Sterling. Hairline serifs and graceful curves give this typeface a certain grace and charm that will brighten up any project. All versions of this font include the Unicode 1250 Central European character set in addition to the standard Unicode 1252 Latin set.

A random scan from a late nineteenth-century German type specimen book, encountered on the internet, provided the pattern for this surprisingly contemporary face. Although all of the characters are parallel to the baseline, the unusual dimensional treatment tends to give the impression that they slant upward to the right. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode 1252 Latin and Unicode 1250 Central European character sets.

Here is a faithful rendering of Albert Auspurg's a 1927 expressionistic masterpiece, Messe Grotesk Licht. Its raw power and compact letterforms make for commanding and engaging headlines. 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 hefty little number is an amalgam of two typefaces from the Flower Power era, Dave West’s Elephant Gothic and Wayne Stettler’s Neil Bold. It’s an extrabold, sassy headline face that will get your message across, loud and clear. Both versions include the complete Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets, as well as localization for Moldovan and Romanian.

Morris Fuller Benton’s Eagle, designed for ATF in 1934, which did yeoman-like duty on many WPA posters of the time. This version, unicase as was the original, has been designed to set tight, so that it creates dense and commanding headlines. All versions of this font include the Unicode 1250 Central European character set in addition to the standard Unicode 1252 Latin set.

One in the series of fonts called Whiz-Bang Wood Type, intended to be set large and tight. Brazos is an ultrabold, ultrawide sans-serif face that takes up a lot of horizontal territory, but fits in little vertical space. Named after the famous river in Texas. Both versions of the font include the 1252 Latin and 1250 CE character sets (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

Extrabold and exuberant caps from a blackletter face rendered by Ross George in his perennial Speedball Text Book have been combined with a more restrained and traditional lowercase to create a unique and striking typeface that will definitely get noticed. Both versions of this font include the complete Latin 1252 and CE 1250 character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

This no-nonsense titling face is based on a Morris Fuller Benton 1934 offering for American Type Founders called, simply, Poster Gothic. Its crisp, clean lines and subtle Art Deco modeling make for attractive and attention-getting headlines. Available in plain and prismatic styles. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

Based on a disco-era typeface named—perhaps not surprisingly—Disco, this offering has strong geometric elements which blend together nicely to form tight, commanding healines. This font contains the complete Latin language character set (Unicode 1252) plus support for Central European (Unicode 1250) languages as well.

This rough, raw typeface is based on the lettering in Ben Shahn's iconic poster protesting the execution of Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicolo Sacco in 1927. All possible uppercase and lowercase forms have been kerned, and activating Contextual Alternates in OpenType-aware applications will alternate those forms for a more random appearance. Both versions contain the complete Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets.

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.

No secret here: this typeface was inspired by the opening credits for the television series "Justified." Alternate upper and lowercase letter to achieve the effect, or—in OpenType-savvy programs—activate the Contextual Alternates (calt) feature. Thin numbers can be found in these positions: ~^{}[]|\<>. Both versions of this font support the Latin 1262, Central European 1250, Turkish 1254 and Baltic 1257 codepages.

This workmanlike typeface is based on the Metro series, designed by William Addison Dwiggins in the 1930s for the Mergenthaler Linotype Company. Its clean lines and balanced color make it suitable for text and headline work alike. Available in three weights, plus italics. All versions of this font contain the complete Unicode Latin A character complement, with support for the Afrikaans, Albanian, Basque, Bosnian, Breton, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Faroese, Fijian, Finnish, Flemish, French, Frisian, German, Greenlandic, Hawaiian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Latin, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Maltese, Maori, Moldavan, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Provençal, Rhaeto-Romanic, Romanian, Romany, Sámi, Samoan, Scottish Gaelic, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Turkish and Welsh languages, as well as discretionary ligatures and extended fractions.

It’s said that what goes around, comes around, and there’s no better proof of the saying than this typeface. Originally released as Latin Antique by the Stephenson Blake foundry in the 1880s, this face achieved renewed popularity in the 1950s, and it’s back again as, like, Coolsville, Daddy-o. Both versions include the complete Unicode Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets, as well as localization for Lithuanian, Moldovan and Romanian.

Central Type Foundry of St. Louis issued this quirky little gem under the name of Quaint Roman around the turn of the twentieth century. This version is a little less gnarly than the original, but retains all of its eccentric charm.

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 typeface—originally called Elefanta—enjoyed popularity stateside in the late nineteenth century, an import from the Karl Brendler & Söhne foundry of Vienna. Its graceful yet playful elegance makes it suited for a wide range of projects where projecting warmth is desirable. Both versions contain the complete Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets.

This typeface made its first appearance in Schelter & Giesecke's 1915 specimen book. It exhibits the cleanness and crispness one might expect in a sans-serif face, along with a few unexpected grace notes that make it warm and friendly, as well. Both versions of this font include the complete Unicode Latin 1252, Central European 1250 and Turkish 1254 character sets.

A classic typeface with timeless appeal, based on the venerable Weiss Initials II, designed by Eric Rudolf Weiss for Bauersche Gießerei in 1931. Essentially a monocase font, this version also includes variants located at lowercase a, e and g. Both versions of this font contain the Unicode 1252 (Latin) and Unicode 1250 (Central European) character sets, with localization for Romanian and Moldovan.

Another William H. Page classic, Gothic Dotted, provided the pattern for this bold and brassy typeface. Both versions of this font support the Latin 1262, Central European 1250, Turkish 1254 and Baltic 1257 codepages.

A little Compacta, a little Impact, a little photolettering from the 70s, all rolled into one make for a unique headline face that commands attention. Although this font is primarily unicase, the lowercase positions feature stylistic alternates, so can can mix things up and pack them in. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

This typeface gets its inspiration from a face designed by Vincent Pacella for PLINC named Bingham, and is evocative of steam locomotives and the Old West. Both versions of this font include the Unicode Latin 1252 and 1250 Central European character sets, with localization for Moldovan and Romanian.

This snappy little number was inspired by a PLINC typeface by Murray Fuchs called Erwin, which has been redrawn and improved for the digital age. Use Contextual Alternates to "bounce" the text, and Discretionary Ligatures to enable some interlocking letter combinations. Both versions of this font include the complete Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

This series of free fonts features symbols and icons for use in information graphics. Glyphyx One includes symbols related to transportation, while Glyphyx Two includes symbols related to leisure activities.

The Speedball Handbook strikes again, with this charming and playful offering from the pen of Ross George. Use it whenever you're tempted to use Comic Sans. Both versions of this font support the Latin 1262, Central European 1250, Turkish 1254 and Baltic 1257 codepages.

Lettering specimens from 1910 by an unnamed Dutch calligrapher provided the inspiration for this quirky and somewhat mischievous Art Nouveau font. Both versions of the font include the 1252 Latin and 1250 CE character sets (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

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.

Considerable heft and clean lines—with a few whimsical grace notes—characterize this font, based on a typeface originally named "Ryter Night". Powerful yet playful, this gentle giant is the perfect choice for engaging headlines. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

Here's a faithful rendering of an old face from the James Conner's Sons specimen catalog of 1888, alternately known as Aetna or Painter's Gothic. Its compact descenders allow for tightly-spaced headlines. Both versions of the font contain the complete Unicode Latin 1252 and Central European 1250 character sets.

This typeface finds its inspiration from hand-lettering by Albert Roller for Ver Sacrum magazine in 1903, made famous by its revival on many psychedelic posters of the 1960s. Both flavors of this font feature the 1252 Latin, 1250 Central European, 1254 Turkish and 1257 Baltic character sets.

This typeface family includes Spanish Roman letters and “Griffo” style italics, both hand-drawn by Francisco Lucas in Madrid, 1577. The letters, sometimes slightly mismatched in size or off the baseline, capture the look and feel of sixteenth-century printing. Both versions of the font include 1252 Latin, 1250 CE (with localization for Romanian and Moldovan).

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.

An offering from the 1910 specimen book from Inland Type Foundry, originally called Drew, provided the pattern for this engaging little face. Both versions support the Latin 1252, Central European 1250, Turkish 1254 and Baltic 1257 codepages.

Here’s another happy camper based on the work of master penman Walter Heberling. Its quirky character and offset baseline make for interesting and enticing heads and subheads. All versions of this font include the Unicode 1250 Central European character set in addition to the standard Unicode 1252 Latin set.

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.

Originally issued as Apollo by the Central Type Foundry of Saint Louis, this face evokes the glamor of late Victorian era. Both versions of this font support the Latin 1252, Central European 1250, Turkish 1254 and Baltic 1257 codepages.