13.12.12

FAVORITE FONTS OF 2012


It's that time of year again when I run down some of my favorite typefaces of 2012. I limited myself to the top ten and let me tell you, it was no easy feat. With so many new and exciting fonts being delivered to the design community on a daily basis, it's hard to whittle it down to a mere ten. Some of the fonts I've chosen have made regular appearances in my my own work and some of them, I have yet to utilize at all. ……but no doubt will be beaten to death in the upcoming year. Let's do this!

1. SAHARA
This is a great art deco styled font from the Lost Type Co-Op. It's got a beveled 3D quality as well which makes it really great for headlines and big type. The Lost Type Co-Op, in itself, is an amazing resource with tons of great looking fonts and Sahara is just another amazing addition to their ever growing catalogue. Dig into it!
2. HAGIN CAPS MEDIUM
I've started to implement this font into a project for work to help blend professionalism with a little unique whimsy. Its slap serifed style allows me step away from the regular web safe fonts of, let's say, Times New Roman and create something a little more unique to the brand. It's easy to read and evokes a good sense of modern style. It's got a little "western" vibe about it too that really appeals to me. What more could you ask for?
3. DB KLACKS REGULAR
I haven't had the opportunity to use this font yet. I grabbed it from fontstruct.com a few months ago and although I've tried plugging it into a variety of projects, it just hasn't worked out. However, I really love this type. Something is going to come along where this font really does the trick. I'm keeping it in my arsenal for when that time comes. It's almost as if Cooper Black and Bodoni Poster had a mutated baby.
4. ALEXIS LTD
Lost Type Co-Op does it again. They really push the boundaries of what it means to create a retro or vintage styled typeface for the modern age. This font reminds me of some long lost 60's children's book. I've been able to use it sporadically in a few recent projects. It helps in conjuring up something fun and unique all while maintaining some unique slick design practice. I could never get away with using this font for anything to be taken professionally (or even very seriously), but for you average concert poster or record cover, this thing really comes in handy.
5. ALLER
This is a pretty straight forward font that doesn't rely on a lot of bells and whistles. Ever get tired of using Helvetica and want something with a little more 'edge'? Try Aller. There are elements about it that I really like. For instance, I like the use of curved lines intermingling with this pointed "arrow-like" edge for some of the letters such as 'R' 'X' and 'K'. The lowercase letters are great for content and creates a good "interlocking" quality. It takes some of the things I like about Century Gothic and melts it together with something a bit more conservative like Helvetica. Sleek and sharp!
6. AVANT GARDE GOTHIC BOLD T
Avant Garde has been around for ages but I've only really started using it more regularly this year. As I mentioned before with Century Gothic, This fonts utilizes a lot of the same vibes and turns it into something bigger, bolder, and more intense. This font is like Century Gothic on Steroids.
7. BIGNOODLELETITLING
I found myself using this font for a number of logos that I have been working on this year. It's a tall styled font with a very compact style which lends itself greatly to fitting a lot into a little. My only real complaint is that in order for it to be a tad more readable, you need to space out the letters slightly. However, then it loses it's "compactness" Still, give this font a chance when playing around with sublines even short bursts of call outs or content.
8. TRASHCINEMA BB
I'm a real sucker for movie posters of the 70's and 80's. Especially really low budget ones. I love the blocky, almost hand rendered type in many of those old advertisements. It's sleazy without being too obnoxious. Trashcinema BB really brings me back to a quirky time where everything had to be action packed and exciting. Those old posters demonstrate great detailed work. Yet chock full of recklessness! I think a lot of the type represents that as well. A lot of 60's motorcycle and hot rod films have utilized this technique and it fascinates me to no end.
9. IDLER DETAIL
I recently purchased this font because I was looking for something representative to 'Sullivan' yet with a sliver more glamour and excess. Idler Detail is a fun 3D styled font great for logos or short headlines. I've used it twice in two different mediums and it really brings the project to a new level. Obviously it depends on the project and what you are trying to accomplish, but if your looking for something to really pop off the page and into people's faces, this is a great font to explore.
10. CITIZEN SLAB 
Deming EP might be one of my all time favorite fonts ever and it seems like this year, a number of imitation fonts have been released to take its place. Silverfake is an almost identical reproduction yet not as solid. Citizen Slab is also pretty closely related but it's slightly taller and some of the serifs have an angled feel to it that I really like. You could almost put Citizen Slab and Deming EP together and barely notice any differences. But each one stands alone as a solid typeface. Give it a whirl.

Many of these typefaces are free. So what are you waiting for?!