Gone are the days when standard, symmetrical serif and sans serif fonts ruled the font world. Today, there are tons of new font trends in typography – including one that has caught on with tremendous popularity: the swashy retro font. While there’s no strict definition of a swashy retro font, most of the fonts that qualify have a few typical characteristics in common. First, they are usually all caps, and they exist as a sort of print\/cursive hybrid. Next, they contain ornate swashes and swirls. Finally, they can appear messy and asymmetrical, and they often show some wear and tear.
Why have swashy retro fonts caught on recently? Their popularity most likely has arisen from the increasingly widespread acceptance and implementation of OpenType Features. With Adobe going full force with these features in Illustrator and Photoshop, font designers now have a lot of freedom to add fun, alternative character styles – often resulting in these swashy retro fonts! Check out the list of great swashy retro fonts below to see some great examples of this new typography trend.<\/p>
Smoking Typeface<\/a> is a font with both a vintage and western feel. It is also re-colorable with a textured volume effect.<\/p> Brixton Line Pro is a clean, minimalistic swashy retro font<\/a> that offers more than 80 stylistic alternatives to choose from.<\/p> A great example of the messy, “unfinished” font is Barn Door<\/a>, which contains 2 versions of the font, numbers and icons.<\/p> WORKHARD<\/a> is an all-caps, handcrafted font created by Cellar Door.<\/p> Oak & Ash<\/a> is a textured swashy retro font that contains 10 numbers, various glyphs, 26 letters, and 5 alternates.<\/p> For a particularly bold example, check out Rumbell<\/a>, which was inspired by signs in the old store and garage billboard era.<\/p> Wayfarer<\/a> is a bold yet symmetrical hand drawn font, with several alternate capital letter options included.<\/p> Freestone<\/a> is a straightforward, but whimsical example of a serif swashy retro font.<\/p> If you’re looking for a font with a truly vintage feel, Brooks + Bonus<\/a> is just that; it was inspired by vintage poster and display signs.<\/p> Furach Typeface + Bonus<\/a> is an elegant example of swashy retro fonts, as it contains a full set of capital and lowercase letters.<\/p> From Heybing Supply Co., Brawls<\/a> is a bold typeface that contains both rough and clean letters, currency figures, punctuation and extra glyphs.<\/p> Butller + Extra<\/a> is one of the best examples of a messy or rough swashy retro font.<\/p> Thirtypath has created a whimsical swashy font with Ballistic<\/a>, which offers two alternatives for each letter of the alphabet.<\/p> Kodiak Font<\/a> comes with two typefaces: regular and rough, and both are intended to reflect the beauty of nature and the wilderness.<\/p> Silverlake<\/a> is a clean, minimalistic take on swashy retro typography, which offers both thin and bold options.<\/p> Kracktone<\/a> is a whimsical and spooky typeface created by thirtypath.<\/p> Airpena<\/a> is a font that was inspired by the rusted and distressed hand drawn lettering once used on retro motorcycles.<\/p> Hustle and Supply Co. created Nations<\/a> to be an Americana-inspired font.<\/p> Sortdecai<\/a> from Swistblnk Design Std. comes with uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, punctuation and accents.<\/p> RetroSupply Co. describes its swashy font Roaster<\/a> “like sweet, fresh espresso poured into a warmed ceramic cup.”<\/p> Arthur<\/a> is a rough typeface, which is lends itself to a more rugged, wild feel.<\/p> Aberden Font<\/a> is a thin, minimalistic all-caps font that is both clean and full of personality.<\/p> The swashes in the Devious Typeface<\/a> are particularly swirly, giving the font a slightly devilish twist.<\/p> Pine and Oak<\/a> is an elegant swashy retro font that comes in 4 weights: light, regular, medium, and bold.<\/p> Jamoer<\/a> is rounded, and its hand drawn feel is perfect for wedding invitations, clothing, and inspirational quotes.<\/p> Bronson<\/a> comes in four different styles, and it has rounded corners, which makes it well-suited for typing on curved paths.<\/p> Retrica<\/a> is perfect for photo overlays and vintage designs.<\/p> Bourbon Whiskey Typeface<\/a> is exactly the kind of font you’d expect to find on an old-fashioned whiskey bottle.<\/p><\/span>2. Brixton Line Pro<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>3. Barn Door<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>4. Workhard<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>5. Oak & Ash<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>6. Rumbell<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>7. Wayfarer<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>8. Freestone<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>9. Brooks + Bonus<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>10. Furach Typeface + Bonus<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>11. Brawls<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>12. Butller + Extra<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>13. Ballistic<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>14. Kodiak Font<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>15. Silverlake<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>16. Kracktone<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>17. Airpena<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>18. Nations<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>19. Sortdecai<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>20. Roaster<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>21. Arthur<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>22. Aberden Font<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>23. Devious Typeface<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>24. Pine and Oak<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>25. Jamoer Typeface<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>26. Bronson<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>27. Retrica<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>28. Bourbon Whiskey Typeface<\/span><\/h2>
<\/span>29. Banthers Typeface<\/span><\/h2>