Categories / Inspiration

15 Best Fonts for Posters

People working in the office By Good Studio

Creative Market Last updated: April 25, 2024 · 11 min read
Pinterest

Designers are always on the lookout for interesting typography – a geometric sans serif font here or an interesting script font there – all because they want to create the most eye-catching poster they can possibly muster. But therein lies a challenge. While starting with a huge selection of typefaces (with the goal being to whittle them down until you find the perfect font style) may seem simple enough, it takes a lot of time in practice. You’ll be experimenting. Bouncing between a display font and a handwritten font over and over to try and find the right choice. Frankly – it’s exhausting.

You’re just looking for the right typeface. That one decorative font that communicates the message your poster is supposed to convey without being so overblown and garish that the poster itself is lost behind the text. A great typeface can make your poster stand out and be remembered, yet a bad font can detract from an otherwise fantastic design.

Likewise, graphic artists must also consider several aspects when making a poster. What message is the poster seeking to communicate? What are the dimensions of the poster? What are the colors they’re supposed to use? What should the text’s format be, and, maybe more importantly, what typeface should they use?

In order to achieve the intended design style, the typeface used on a poster is important. Because the words on a poster really transmit the company’s information to the observer, the typeface does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of the brand’s design. Font, on the other hand, can’t only be about looks; it needs to be clear and legible for your customers to understand what you’re selling.

Coming up With Font Ideas for Posters

Fonts are the backbone of a good poster. Keep in mind that the font you choose should be easy to read, regardless of how big or small it is, and should complement the poster’s theme or title. The right font can make viewers interested in what’s on your poster; the wrong one can cause them to walk away before they get halfway through the information.

Because they are simple to see from a distance, serif fonts are a suitable choice for posters. Arial, Helvetica, and Verdana are examples of popular sans serif fonts. Script typefaces can be used for posters as well, but they should be utilized with caution because they are difficult to read.

Although Times New Roman is a common serif font for posters, other serif fonts such as Georgia and Garamond can also be effective. When selecting a font for your poster, make sure to try it in various sizes to see if it is readable from a distance.

Identifying Your Target Market

When selecting a typeface for your poster, it’s important to consider your target market or demographic. You’ll want to pick a more current bold display typeface if you’re targeting young adults. You might wish to select a more classic typeface if you’re writing for an older readership.

It’s critical to examine the general tone of your message once you’ve defined your target market. If you want to create a lighthearted and pleasant ambiance, for example, you should use a playful typeface. On the other hand, you should select a conventional or professional typeface if you wish to convey a serious or professional tone.

What Is Your Message?

Design has the power to elicit a wide range of emotions on a subconscious level. As a result, you should think carefully about the photographs, color, and typeface you want for your project. For example, posters, whether printed or digital, are designed to be shown in public. As a result, you’ll need something big and eye-catching that’s still readable.

Color and font choices can make or break a concept. In a horror movie poster, for example, something dark or edgy should elicit fear. A food billboard, on the other hand, needs something simple yet effective.

Choosing a Font for a Poster

Keep these three points in mind when choosing a typeface for poster designs to guarantee that you choose one that is acceptable for your poster:

  1. Most designers will advise sticking to your trademark, but switching up your typeface for display and marketing isn’t a bad idea. This is particularly true for businesses who use script in their branding. Although it may appear appealing, block letters are preferred for increased readability. As a result, it’s best to plan ahead of time for the typefaces you’ll need.
  1. The appearance of serif and sans serif fonts will affect the overall feel of the poster or any other creative material you publish. But which of the two options should you go with? Here, there is no such thing as a bad choice. Sans serif fonts work well in modern and minimalist designs while serif fonts are ideal for classic and elegant designs. 
  1. You can mix and match fonts in some circumstances. Some typefaces include a font family that you can utilize in your poster to change the weights or styles.

The best font for a poster is one that entices the viewer to read what’s written on it. Of course, this is dependent on the message you want to convey with your poster, but some typefaces are clearly superior to others. 

Popular sans serif typefaces like Arial and Helvetica can be used in posters instead of more intricate fonts like Garamond, which may be difficult for some people to read quickly if at all. Using two separate typefaces, one for the title and the other for the body text, or perhaps combining both into the same piece, is another intriguing option. 

Know if You’re Choosing Fonts for Poster Boards Online or Offline

Due to the smaller sizes and low images, fonts for online posters are usually chosen to be easily readable. When typefaces meant for large-print items, such as books or magazines, are scaled down for a web page, they may not look as well. Some display fonts are designed for headers and titles, on the other hand, may be used very small without looking excessively thin or fragile.

The most appropriate typeface for your poster will be determined by its content. You’ll need an easy-to-read font if you have a lot of text. Most classic sans serif fonts are believed to be simpler to read than a serif font, making them an excellent choice for long text passages. If script typefaces are too small or used for extended amounts of text, they might be difficult to read.

Finding the Best Poster Fonts

The typefaces below will help your text stand out and emphasize the message and feeling you want to portray through your banner and poster design, whether it’s a quotation poster, a poster making a bold statement, or a fun, sunny poster. The best thing is that, in addition to poster design, they’ll be a terrific addition to your toolkit for generating product promotional visuals, magazine covers, logos, and branding identification.

What better way to draw attention to yourself than with some imaginative lettering? With so many photos floating around the internet, it takes more than good pictures to get the attention of netizens; it also helps to have some catchy titles and headings. They don’t get much snazzier than custom-created font – especially when it’s utilized in posters, as we’re sure you’ve figured out by now.

Fun Fonts for Posters

For your poster, choose from a variety of fun fonts that are both playful and cute. These bold fonts, which were created with a younger audience in mind, will be sure to catch the attention of any young reader.

Lemon Milkshake

Bearing a slight passing resemblance to a slab serif font – at least in terms of sheer boldness – Lemon Milkshake separates itself with the cool lines running throughout the capitals and a slight slant on the letters. It’s a layered font – perfect for graphic designers creating summer vibes.

Magic Charm

Though it’s not a free font, you frankly won’t care when you see the little touches of joy that Magic Charm brings to the table. Observant users may notice a slight resemblance to the Lucky Charms font – they’re different fonts but they both send the same message.

The Utterly Delightful Font Pack

Everything you need to know is in the name here, from the gorgeous semi-cursive lowercase letters to the wonderfully inventive capitals. There’s so much variety here, yet you still get a nice clean font for your posters.

Formal Fonts for Posters

Elegant and timeless, formal script and calligraphy fonts are commonly employed to add a sense of class to wedding invitations, official documents, and greeting cards. A fancy or formal font gives your work a polished, professional appearance.

Legatum Font Family

Classic elegance personified – that’s the key to this great font. It’s highly readable while showcasing a more professional personality in your marketing materials.

Bodega Script Elegant Wedding Font

Where Legatum oozes elegance because of its sharp lettering, Bodega does the same thing with beautiful scriptwork. Think of it as using different elements to achieve the same result – a striking font guaranteed to catch the eye.

Analogue

When you choose fonts for posters, you have to think about the message they convey. “Simplicity” is that message for Analogue, with its subtle letter curves resembling classic handwriting while still offering a sharp typographical style.

Creative Fonts for Posters

These fonts create colorful, whimsical, and elegant graphics-within-a-font that can be used on any project. Whether you’re looking for a vintage style or want to rock the retro explosion with fonts, each one is a work of art with a firm grasp of writing and design.

Hello Sailor

One of the best fonts for those who want to bring a splash of color to their posters, “Hello Sailor” is buoyant and beachy. Perfect for beachside cafes and coastal events.

Polygonal Vector Font

There’s a 3D effect at play with Polygonal, making the letters feel like they’re jumping off the page of your poster. But it doesn’t come across as techy – this is still a nice and soft font that’s a great choice for a more creative design poster.

MEMPHIS Type Collection

You’ll be walking in Memphis with this interesting font, which makes use of dots, geometric shapes, and thin lines as the building blocks of its letters, rather than limiting them to flourishes for the lettering.

Sleek Fonts for Posters

The minimalist style is quite prominent in the design world. This typeface set is great for modern designs spanning from websites to printed goods, as it is sleek, stylish, and versatile.

Equinox

A popular font for anybody who wants to express a chilled nighttime vibe with their poster. Equinox is the “stargazer” of this font collection – relaxed, elegant, and with just the slightest of sci-fi touches.

ULTRA

From slight sci-fi to extremely modern, ULTRA pulls no punches when it comes to showcasing the best of what contemporary font design has to offer. Missing lines in letters like A and R can affect legibility for some, but that’s a small price to pay for so much style.

Augustine – Condensed Sans Serif Font

While modernity is still the focal point for Augustine, the font has a more classical edge that makes it aesthetically pleasing to more than just the tech head.

Thick Fonts for Posters

Thick typefaces are ideal for creating posters, publications, and logos for new businesses. This font will make your drawings stand out by making them bolder and more obvious; it exudes strength, power, and confidence.

HAUS Sans Extra Bold

Thin strokes have no place with HAUS – it’s a big and bold font that’s perfect for any graphic design project focused on making text stand out over imagery.

MADE TOMMY

If you feel like the best fonts for posters have to be as clear and simple as possible, MADE TOMMY is a great choice. It has that classic sans serif font style, with its big and bold letters being ideal for everything from movie posters to flyers.

Make Your Choice From Many Fonts

Because it all depends on the theme of your poster, it’s impossible to have one all-purpose typeface in general. In reality, there may be an unlimited number of possibilities depending on one’s point of view. The ultimate goal is to fit the theme’s portrayal to the readers’ viewpoint. As a result, pay attention to the typeface you use.

Lastly, don’t be constrained by what other designers have done in the past—get creative! Sign up to Creative Market today to find a variety of fonts for your next poster project!

Lettering Worksheets
Getting started with hand lettering?
Free lettering worksheets

Download these worksheets and start practicing with simple instructions and tracing exercises.

Download now!
About the Author
Author
Creative Market

Making beautiful design simple & accessible to all.

View More Posts
Go to My Shop
Related Articles