Fancy Fonts that People Love

Fancy fonts are the perfect way of making a big impression and grabbing an audiences attention.

Today’s inspirational roundup is all about fancy fonts. A decade or two ago, fancy fonts were avoided by designers, because they were thought to be too over the top. However, as creative fonts have become more and more of an art form on their own, fancy fonts have taken up a mainstay role in design.

In today’s roundup, we’ll look at the very loose terms used to quantify fancy fonts, followed by best use practices. Then we’ll end with several premium and free fancy font options you can use to elevate your next project.

What Makes a Font Fancy?

Whether you call them fancy, elegant, or stylish fonts, the use of these fonts all comes down to the same thing: Standing out and elevating design.

Fancy typefaces are font families that bring a more creative and artistic design to a piece. These fonts break the mold. They’re designed to make a big impression, a statement, and showcase imagination.

Because the definition of a fancy font is so subjective, they can come in so many different styles and designs. The more traditional stylish fonts are script, with curves and exaggerated swirls. More contemporary options include art deco fonts, with alternating thin and thick lines.

Not sure if a font is fancy or not?

If it’s not a font you would use for large bodies of copy, it’s probably a fancy font. Typically, fancy fonts are used in branding and as headlines, so less is always more with them.

Balancing Fancy Fonts

Because fancy fonts are so above and beyond, the first key to balancing fancy fonts in design is to use them sparingly. Fancy fonts should be front and center. Think of them as headline fonts. They grab attention, but it’s not their job to keep that attention.

Going hand in hand with using fancy fonts sparingly is creating contrast within a design. Stylish, headline fonts work great as the central focus, but to balance the pure decorativeness of these fancy fonts, you’re going to need more simple fonts.

A perfect example of this is in the use of a script font. Script fonts are notoriously hard to read, but they’re quite beautiful. A contrasting design might use a script font for the name of a company, but then move to a serif font for the rest of the text.

Combining different font types with fancy fonts creates the next key in balancing fancy fonts: Visual Hierarchy.

Fancy fonts are what most designers want people to notice first. This could be a logo or a headline. The next question is where should the eye go after noticing the fancy font? The thought process of where eyes should go, or what audiences will notice and in what order, is called visual hierarchy.

FFPL Image 06

https://www.behance.net/gallery/79266305/FLOREIE-SE-I-ART-DIRECTION-I-DESIGN

Fancy fonts are used as the attention grabbers. The balance comes in when designers decide what the next most important elements are, and then use typeface to make those differences obvious.

Fancy Fonts for Downloading

Now that you know what defines a fancy font and how to use them, put them to use in your next project by downloading some for yourself. We’ve put together a list of free and premium fancy fonts that will add elegance and a hint of the decorative to designs.

Let us know in the comments what fancy font is your favorite and how you plan on using it.

Annabelle Hand Lettering Script Font - $14

Annabelle is a handwritten typeface that was inspired by more traditional calligraphy fonts. With its loops and swashes, Annabelle has the traditional feel of a script font, but with much more readable spacing than most script fonts.

Houstoner Script Font – Free

Houstoner lends a degree of sophistication with its lettering. The script font is typical, with its loops and exaggerations. However, by using a thinner line, Houstoner elevates itself to be more luxurious.

Rousseau Art Deco Font – Free

Rousseau proves that not all fancy fonts need to be script. The thick lines of this 1920s inspired font give it heft, but the craftsmanship of the font make it just as fancy as its script compatriots.

Quirk Display Font - $18

Who says fancy can’t be fun? Quirk feels like an art deco font, but includes enough swashes to almost hint at a script font. The end result is a unique fancy font.

Le Bonjour Font Family – Free

The French would argue that anything inspired by their fine country should be considered fancy. Le Bonjour is a classic, retro fancy font inspired by min-century France. It’s bold, elegant, and decorative.

Espoir Font Family – Free

Espoir was created to mimic engraving fonts. However, the decorative fancy font is lighter, making it both solid and fancy.

Almerian Script Typeface – Free

With a hint of vintage and a touch of classic, Almerian is an extremely versatile fancy font. The script font includes a little bit of a vintage feel, which is becoming more and more popular in contemporary fancy fonts.

Clattering Brush Typeface – Free

Brush fonts should be used in moderation. But as a fancy, decorative font, Clattering offers the perfect balance of thick curves and thin strokes.

Giorello Font - $17

Giorello is an organic, delicate font. The fancy font is light enough to be used in branding and on logos, but pretty enough that it could even be used in print.

Riviera Signature Font – Free

Another fancy font inspired by France. Coincidence? Elegant, sophisticated, and ever so gentle, Riviera also includes extra ligatures and swashes.

Botera Stencil Font – Free

Surprised to see a stencil font on this list? Botera checks all the boxes for being a fancy font. It’s decorative, innovated, and should only be used in moderation.

Glamour Luxury Serif Font Family - $14

A beautiful modern and minimalistic serif font, Glamour brings elegance and sophistication to designs. It makes a big impression, making it perfect for branding and social media.