I'm NOT talking about what sort of fonts you prefer in your comics, if I was then I would post this in Tips and Tricks!
What sort of fonts do you ike best in general?
I do graphic design work, so I deal with a lot of fonts and things daily, but we all have to make font choices all the time- in our comics, in papers we have to write, notes to people, presentations, posters we make… We have preferences about the fonts we prefer to see on websites, the font we like in movie titles, see in newspapers, see on signs, ads etc…
Even if we don't always realise it.
Hate- Comic sans.
-Almost every sensible person does. It has its place, somewhere, where it actually works, but that is limited. Generally it's the font chosen by older people for notices, newsletters, cards and posters when they want to give something an informal tone.
Ambivalent- Helvetica.
-It's a versatile font, with many different styles… However, for all the styles it has, there are many others that do each of them way, way better.
Fave print fonts- Serif fonts.
-Anything with serifs works better in print than sans serif fonts. It's just easier to read- so classic Time New Roman, time Europa, Centaur… and all the rest.
Fave screen font- Sans serif fonts.
-Serifs look crap on screen. All screens in existence are lower resolution than a page of paper, serifs just don't work well. So Classic Ariel, Veranda, Tahoma, etc.
Overall fave fonts- Futura and Avant Garde.
-These are very narrow, evenly sized, stylish fonts. Very old fashioned modernist (modernism is ironically an old fashioned retro movement now). These fonts were popular in the 1920s and 30s, they're very stylish, understated and simple.
Heh, unusual topic I know. I wonder if anyone else has anything to say about fonts in general.
Start publishing on
DD Comics!
Advertise with us
Comic Talk and General Discussion *
Fave Fonts? Text styles?
One of my comics contains a depiction of a lobotomy. After a piece of his brain is removed the character begins speaking with a comic sans font.
I think that sums up my opinion of comic sans.
I'm personally very fond of typewriter fonts. I always have a soft spot for anachronisms.
I also really like using a multitude of the blambot fonts. I don't know about them in general use, but they are great for making comics. (Unlike comic sans, grrrrr)
Something stupid.
…
*Sigh*
I like using my own handwriting, even for papers. I have that type of writing that can only be read by myself, so every teacher, boss and otherwise text reading superior I've ever had never dared fail me, for I might have scribbled down something really brilliant!
Nah, isa joke. I like verdana, a font called comic book, my own self made font called Scribbs, and furthermore I use lot's of fonts from movies like indiana jones, star wars etc. and fonts from companies, like burger king and mcdonalds.
Personally I like sans serif fonts for on-screen stuff too. I really don't have a print preference, just what every I need to use pretty much. I really don't get the point of Comic sans. It seems to me that you can go get a better looking font that conveys the same tone for free in just a couple of minutes. I happen to like the Anime Ace font from Blambot.com. As for my favorite fonts. I like serif fonts that have thin, graceful characters, much like you would see for the title of some space opera or something.
there was this one really cool one I found on one of the school computers once.
The lower case letters were normal Times New Roman but they had spaces inbetween them and when you actually used a space nothing changed. i t l o o k e d l i k e t h i s. But the cool part was the upper case letters were in the shape of lightning bolts! It was mad cool. So obviously I only ever wrote in caps lock with it.
I hate Papyrus. People use it for everything. And I hate it so much.
I also hate Curlz. Good lord I hate that font.
Good balloon lettering fonts are not so easy - I must've looked at hundreds before I settled on Meanwhile for my current strip.
My favourite kind of fonts though are the stylish jazz-age ones that Ozone mentioned, as well as 60s/70s horror and monster fonts, like these:
There are actually fonts out there that pretty much copies a cartoonist's hand-lettering style and recreates it as a computer font, but I have no idea where to find those or even if they are free fonts. Anyway, I think the idea of something like that existing is pretty cool to me.
I know this isn't a "What font do you use?" thread, but since someone asked what to use other than comic sans, and doesn't know where to get them… and someone already mentioned "go to blambot", I'm going to say you can also check acidfonts for good free comic fonts. (I use 'Letter-o-matic')
Years ago, I used to joke that Volte6 put very little effort into Drunk Duck, because DD's logo font (Aardvark Cafe) was (for a really long time) the very first font listed at Acidfonts. (It is currently third)
Someone said they like showy fonts from the 50's and 60's. I'd have to say yes to those, but I'd like to go back further to the 20s and then bring it up to the 60s or 70s. That was really the heyday of really good fonts used on business signs, record sleeves and movie posters.
I'm sure my grandpa being a sign painter back in the day has done nothing to bias me in this regard… >.>
Actually, what I meant by "there are fonts out there that imitate hand lettering" was that there are fonts that look similar to, say, Jack Kirby's or Bill Watterson's writing. Thanks for the links anyway, but I use a font called Segoe Print for my cartoons mostly because it was the most similar to my own handwriting. Digital Strip is also a pretty good font.
Actually, what I meant by "there are fonts out there that imitate hand lettering" was that there are fonts that look similar to, say, Jack Kirby's or Bill Watterson's writing. Thanks for the links anyway, but I use a font called Segoe Print for my cartoons mostly because it was the most similar to my own handwriting. Digital Strip is also a pretty good font.
This is the link you're looking for http://www.comicbookfonts.com/masters/list.html?sid=0001KwgzQhK6wacgn03R9J8&keywords=fonts/BL
They are a bit expensive. But go back on the first of next year, they offer all of the fonts on the site for the price of whatever year it is. Meaning next year all fonts will be $20.11 which is a pretty good deal since some fonts are over a hundred dollars on there. The sale only last one day though.
One of my favourite fonts is Gil Sans Ultra Bold. It's actually similar to the font used in "Urbaniacs", one of the sites I visit.
But I LOVE the old 60-70's style fonts, and Art Deco fonts. I have a soft spot for art deco, and for the 50-60's era for design, and anything really, really cheesie. (I have a soft spot for cheesie music too, especially self-aware cheesie music. Go Aquabats!)
But Comic Sans MS is like a screaming warning klaxxon.
If I want something to look informal, I use Comic Book Commando (same one I use for my comic since my printing is bloody awful)
There's a program out there that will actually create a font from your own hand-printing. I wish I could remember it.
There are actually fonts out there that pretty much copies a cartoonist's hand-lettering style and recreates it as a computer font, but I have no idea where to find those or even if they are free fonts. Anyway, I think the idea of something like that existing is pretty cool to me.
The font I use on Izzy Wanders is from my own handwriting.
You guys should visit dafont, there are literally thousands (okay, maybe not a lot of thousands) of fonts.
I like, depending on the mood, a super plain "modern" font. Sans serif, and typed in all lowercase makes it even better. (I've got a thing for lowercase.) Something like Arial or Helvetica, which I can't afford. :(
My favorite font of all time is Gil Sans. I put everything in that font, and don't change them until the end if I have to.
That or something hand-writingish and/or super distorted. I also have a thing for hard-to-read handwriting. (Mine is, unfortunately, perfectly legible.)
So I think it varies from clean minimal to super messy wtf.
Also, Gil Sans.
I wish I could use my own handwriting! Too bad my penmanship is so bad, I can't even read it sometimes…
You guys should visit dafont, there are literally thousands (okay, maybe not a lot of thousands) of fonts.
Yo, good website. Even though half the time I feel like I'm stealing.
Blackletter fonts
If you don't know what blackletter is… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackletter should help.
There's beauty in these fonts that is quite often missing from modern looking ones, but on the other hand, a lot of Blackletter fonts uses characters that could be difficult to read (I actually have a stack of pre WW2 books written in these and certain characters are pretty much unrecognizable). But they are beautiful.
Unfortunately, if mixed with my fave cover color scheme (which is black + white + red) they come off as very "nazi" looking, so yeah, gotta be careful how I use them. Don't want any retards accusing me of stuff…
Advertise with us
DDComics is community owned.
The following patrons help keep the lights on. You can support DDComics on Patreon.
- Banes
- JustNoPoint
- RMccool
- Abt_Nihil
- Gunwallace
- cresc
- PaulEberhardt
- Emma_Clare
- FunctionCreep
- SinJinsoku
- Smkinoshita
- jerrie
- Chickfighter
- Andreas_Helixfinger
- Tantz_Aerine
- Genejoke
- Davey Do
- Gullas
- Roma
- NanoCritters
- Teh Andeh
- Peipei
- Digital_Genesis
- Hushicho
- Palouka
- Cheeko
- Paneltastic
- L.C.Stein
- Zombienomicon
- Dpat57
- Bravo1102
- TheJagged
- LoliGen
- OrcGirl
- Fallopiancrusader
- Arborcides
- ChipperChartreuse
- Mogtrost
- InkyMoondrop
- jgib99
- Call me tom
- OrGiveMeDeath_Ind
- Mks_monsters
- GregJ
- HawkandFloAdventures
- Soushiyo