FreeFacing
I am starting a new section here on Layman’s Layout called FreeFacing. The concept is about making the most out of all the free fonts you have at your disposal. These fonts include those you can download, plus your Operating System fonts and those that come bundled with desktop publishing such as Adobe CS and Microsoft Office. There are plenty of poor free fonts out there, what I want to achieve in FreeFacing is showing the good available free fonts and how to use them.
Combining Free Fonts
Inspired by Hoefler & Frere-Jones, here are four ways of combining three different free fonts together into a cohesive attractive layout.
1. Wit
Combine a tough geometric sans-serif with a rounded humanist sans-serif and a modern or slab serif. Read more.
2. Energy
I have combined a heavy slab serif, with a condensed geometric sans-serif and a robust book serif. Read more.
3. Poise
Combine a didot serif with a suave humanist sans-serif and a chunky slab serif. Read more.
4. Dignity
A durable book serif for the body text, an elegant old style serif for the headings and a plain sans-serif for the quotes and sidebars. Read More.
Combining Free Fonts Schetmatic
Many of the combinations described above can be created using many of the same fonts. Here is a diagram that charts the similarities.
FreeFacing different weights
Heavyweights
35 free fonts as well as a couple available through Microsoft and Adobe that are very black. This is good for displays and headlines.
Lightweights
30 free light and thin weight fonts and a couple that come with Adobe CS products.
Haha I like this post
Storm’s Lido can go under Durable, and it’s still up for free download in 9 weights and styles.
Thanks for the tip. Although having gone to the Stormtype website, even though they have Lido still listed as free I cannot find any free downloads and instead the whole family costs €99 or €19 per weight.
Edit: You can still download Lido STF free from dafonts.
It easily deserves the $20 a weight, but here’s a link.
http://www.stormtype.com/typefaces-fonts-shop/free.php
have you considered the Google Fonts collection?
http://www.google.com/webfonts
maybe doing a freefacing for the web? with the google fonts and the fontsquirrel.com fonts I am sure there is something cool that can be made!