Top 7 Fonts Used By Professionals In Graphic Design

Published on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 – 9:35 am

All though there have been many other most used font posts, most of them outline fonts used by the ‘not-so-well-trained’ designer. In this post I want to outline the fonts that are often used by the more ‘professional’ of designers.

This article is the third article of four in this series.

    The Four Part Series

      Top 7 Most Used Fonts Used By Professionals In Graphic Design

      1. Helvetica

      helvetica

      Without a doubt, Helvetica is the most heavily used font by professionals (and also by the not so professional) in graphic design. Although some praise the font, many believe that it is spaced too tightly.

      And as Vivien pleas in her 16 most overused fonts article, “Understand that you can’t always rely on Helvetica to illustrate and deliver your every message. Helvetica is not perfect for everyone and every occasion.”

      2. Trajan

      Trajan

      Trajan finds its way into many Hollywood movie posters and anything remotely to do with religion, law, marriage, class or the past. You can check out the flickr pool for more uses of Trajan.

      A bit of history on the font Trajan… Trajan is an old style serif typeface designed in 1989 by Carol Twombly for Adobe. The design is based on Roman square capitals, as used for the inscription at the base of Trajan’s Column from which the typeface takes its name.

      3. Garamond

      garamond

      Although there are many versions of Garamond, the most used version today is the Adobe Garamond version (as seen above) released in 1989. Garamond is a great font for magazines, textbooks, websites and long bodies of text and was recently named the second best font (after Helvetica) by a German publication.

      4. Futura

      Futura is a font that comes up often in large displays, logos, corporate typefaces and in books where small text is needed. It is based on geometric shapes (near-perfect circles, triangles and squares) which became representative of the Bauhaus design style of 1919–1933. Futura has an appearance of efficiency and forwardness. Some do hate the font though.

      5. Bodoni

      Bodoni is a great font for headlines, decorative text and logos. Bodoni has a narrow underlying structure with flat, unbracketed serifs. The face has extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes, and an overall geometric construction which makes it a very aesthetic looking font.

      6. Bickham Script Pro

      Used mainly for formal occasions, Bickham Script Pro is a font which does the job well… Cameron Moll even recommended it in his article “Typefaces no one will get fired for using.” The ‘not-so-trained’ designer usually vouches for Vivaldi instead which is one of America’s most hated fonts. Another great alternative would be Sloop.

      7. Frutiger

      The Frutiger font family is neither strictly geometric nor humanistic in construction; its forms are designed so that each individual character is quickly and easily recognised. Such distinctness makes it good for signage and display work and it is often used in Web 2.0 Logos.

      The full family has a warmth and subtlety that have, in recent years, made it popular for the smaller scale of body text in magazines and booklets.

      Close Contenders

      Here are some other fonts many ‘professional’ designers use quite often; Gills Sans, FF DIN, Franklin Gothic, Bembo, Rockwell, Avenir, Avant Garde, MrsEaves, Gotham, Sabon, Warnock Pro. Notice that none of these are fonts are downloadable for free?

      Still type hungry? Why don’t you check out 30 Fonts All Designers Must Know & Should Own.

      Do you agree? What other fonts would you add to the list?


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      181 Responses to “Top 7 Fonts Used By Professionals In Graphic Design”

      1. Zahira on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        Hey JC. Liked this post. Although I must say that overused has a bit of a negative feel to it. Cause half of the fonts you mention in your list happen to be the “classics” and well nowadays some of the most readable too.. I do agree that creativity is key and it would be TEDIOUS to have all design accompanied by these same old fonts over and over again.
        But still I’d rather see these than some of the “Zap Zoink, Kaboom” ones I have seen elsewhere…

      2. Zahira on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        Wow was I really the first to comment on this one? Woohoo a new record! hahaha

      3. Jacob Cass on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        Zahira,
        I never mentioned overused however it was easy to get it mixed up as the others in the series are based on over used design / trends.

      4. Marnie B on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        Great post! Good old Trajan Pro, forgot about that one. It’s starting to irk me a bit.

        Marnie B’s last blog post..Online and Offline Marketing: The Best of Both Worlds

      5. Zahira on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        ok, 3’s a charm, I mistakenly read OVERused where it clearly says USED. My fault. Discard above comment….gosh…really need glasses…

      6. Jeff Fisher LogoMotives on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        As an identity designer I feel lucky to have much more flexibility in project font selection. I certainly avoid using Trajan these days due to its overexposure - and I don’t think I’ve ever used Bickham Script for anything. I suppose I am guilty of using Palatino as my own most heavily used font due to its adaptability to a variety of purposes.

        Jeff Fisher LogoMotives’s last blog post..Toot! Toot!*: NAILS Magazine features Jeff Fisher LogoMotives in "Graphic Design 101" article

      7. Tim Mercer on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        nice list! I like the Trajan font and just used it on my last project. Thanks for the little bit of history as well. Keep up the good work here.

        Tim Mercer’s last blog post..Artist Interview: Jens Sjobergh

      8. James Nowland on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        I haven’t really read too many font posts before, No real big surprises on this list.
        Found it amusing the Trojan font is the movie font as I was subconsciously thinking the other day when I was watching the previews that there was a lot of Trojan in a row.

        Just discovered this blog the other day also, I’m also a Novocastrian living down in Sydney doing, graphic design :o Keep up the good work +1 rss feed

      9. Jay on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        Hey Jacob,

        great list - most of them have been tried by me (some with more succession than others!) Havn’t yet gotten the chance to try Trajan on an actual project (not sure if i want to!)

        When you originally asked on twitter about most used fonts, HELVETICA really was the first thing that jumped to mind! hehe

        Great list - great post. Keep it up! o)

        -Jay

      10. Danh ba web 2.0 on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        I like Helvetica. But i usually use Tohoma for design.
        Great list for me. Thanks for share

      11. Kerri Jessep on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        Easy mistake Zahira, as this is one of a six part series and the other five posts are all “overused” items.
        I have another to add: bembo

        Do you think many of these fonts are used over and over again because we have had to buy them and want our money’s worth? (garamond, frutiger)

        Kerri Jessep’s last blog post..Pingping takes a peek

      12. Dainis Graveris on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        I see, that articles about fonts and different typefaces are very popular this week! :) Nice fonts I already use helvetica and trojan pretty often!

      13. inspirationbit on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        Certainly those are all very familiar faces on the list, though I’m starting to see a trend where designers are being more experimental with their font choices.
        Thanks for the quote and link to my post on 16 most overused fonts ;)

      14. Ciera on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        I know this doesn’t necessarily hold true for typography used by designers outside of the USA, but in America the most overused font/typeface is currently a toss up between Helvetica and AvantGarde, per my experiences living in NYC and Los Angeles over the past few years … not to mention, AvantGarde seems to slowly being overtaking Helvetica in appearing in everything from banking and mobile phone adverts, all the way down being the typeface used for nappies’ brand name logos!!

      15. Nathan Beck on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        That’s interesting. I would have definitely expected Helvetica at no.1 but half of the others I never use. I actually don’t think they even look particularly nice but we have been blessed with such an enormous range of free fonts online, we’re so totally spoiled for choice nowadays.

        Nathan Beck’s last blog post..New Holiday Extras Viral!

      16. kat neville on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        Hmmmm. I too am guilty of using the same fonts over and over, just as when I find a meal I like I use it until I can’t stand it any longer!

        I wonder if it is partially that– comfort in these fonts… we know how to kern them, we know that our clients will like them and we’ve done and seen some great stuff using them before.

        Like Jacob said, these fonts are not free, but most of us will acquire them because we KNOW we will use them. The free fonts often do not contain the whole range of characters and weights you want to use, and I personally will not spend £200 on a font I’m not sure I’m going to use all the time. I wish there was a way for me to use the beautiful new fonts the founderies are putting out, so I can fall in love with them before I purchase them.

        Saying that, most of my work has been on the web recently, so I’m stuck with frickin arial and georgia. :(
        kat neville’s last blog post..Safetygoat up to his old tricks again!

      17. Sander on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        Good old Frutiger, this is still one of the best signage fonts ever! I’m using it in many wayfinding designs. For Garamond my personal fav at the moment is Arnhem from Fred Smeijers, also Minion Pro is superb. Thanks for sharing your list.

        Sander’s last blog post..Airport Signage: Photo inspiration

      18. Conrad Gorny on Sep 23, 2008 said:

        Thanks for the fonts, helvetica is deffinately up there.

        Conrad Gorny
        Freelance Graphic Designer
        http://www.conradgorny.com

      19. LaurenMarie - Creative Curio on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        Ugh, much hate for Trajan. Just because it’s used a lot (yes, I know you didn’t say “overused”) doesn’t mean it’s a good choice. Small caps are nice, but this font is a little wide (and therefore less legible) for my tastes. To me, it’s “the dramatic font” because of how much it’s used in movie posters to add that feeling. It seems to be finding its way into every piece my coworker is designing atm too.

        Do you really think Bickham is used a lot? Maybe I just haven’t noticed. It has some really nice ornaments. Personally I prefer a lovely italic face to script for formal occasions (at least for the body copy); it’s usually easier to read.

        (did you remove the Subscribe to Comments plugin? I don’t see the checkbox…)

        LaurenMarie - Creative Curio’s last blog post..Parent Sheets, Paper Grain and Saving Money

      20. sean on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        I love the Gill font family. I see it got a mention but didn’t make the list.

        Beats futura in my mind. M in Gill is a treat.

      21. Arian on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        Does it not seem that Papyrus is everywhere? I see it on everything– calendars, ads, and more. I don’t think I’ve gone a day without seeing that font in at least three different things.

        It is a good font, but seriously overused

      22. Mitesh Solanki on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        I love the font Trajan it can be used as great contrasting type. Another very popular type that I see used frequently is century gothic. Thanks for the list of other fonts.

      23. Ruud van Wijngaarden on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        I must add a font that in our company keeps getting used again and again: Interstate.

        It is based on the font on traffic signs I think. Blue Highway is a free interpretation, but the difference is easy to see.
        I must agree with the idea that fonts that REALLY look good are not available for free. There is a craftmanship to fonts that lots of people (i.e. non-professionals) will miss when using whatever looks good (i.e. Comic Sans).

        Thanks for another great post!

        Ruud van Wijngaarden’s last blog post..Zemanta is the future of blogging

      24. Michael Garmahis on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        Futura and Frutiger are really nice!

        Michael Garmahis’s last blog post..Dynamic logo - new trend in logo design

      25. Steve on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        This is a great series Jacob, we will be advising our customers to take a look at some of your posts, you cannot go wrong with these fonts you have listed. I love that designers get so wound up about certain fonts (I dare not mention any) it seems to me designers are having a genuine emotional attachment to certain typefaces. As T shirt printers we see so many font crimes we have become desensitised.

        Steve’s last blog post..Back to screen printing hoodies

      26. David Walker on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        good post man.
        I don’t have anything against helvetica, I use it pretty often. But man it really gets my goat when I see people using it for everything. A lot of people in my class seem to think its the one size fits all typeface.

        Another thing, I was going to print these articles out to put them in my design journal for TAFE. But I was just wondering if you were going to publish them as a whole at any point? Just since there’s a series of them, it’d be cool if they were published similar to your type classification book, which I also use quite a lot by the way.

      27. Katie Back on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        I never knew web design companies used a certain kind of font. This was really interesting and informative. I went to the movies this weekend and I noticed some of the fonts you listed above. This is really cool, thanks for the info!

      28. Roe on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        I think you need to know what kind of font suits your design. I love this post thanks!

        Roe´s last blog post..T-shirt silkscreening materials

      29. Jacob Cass on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        Jeff,
        Do you ever use Trajan though? I always see Bickham Pro in formal publications, I put it in this list so as to include a script font also.

        Tim,
        I also used Trajan on one of my lastest logo designs.

        James,
        Trajan not Trojan, easy mistake! Ah cool about being Novocastrian. I live both in Newcastle and Sydney. Where bouts in Sydney are you from?

        Jay,
        When I asked on Twitter, most of the responses were straight away Helvetica, but that was expected.

        Kerri,
        A very valid reason for their use.

        Dainis,
        I haven’t really noticed, suppose it is where you are subscribed though.

        Vivien,
        You’re welcome!

        Ciera,
        AvantGarde was a close contender as well and is used a lot here in Australia too.

        Nathan,
        I think the font choices above are quite safe choices however it depends on the job of course. I would be interested in your usual font choices.

        Kat,
        Well some people stick with just 1 to 3 fonts their whole career. I think it was someone from Pentagram that does that. I also think that spending so much on a font is not a wise choice, especially for freelancers. The day will come when we can use any font we wish on the web.

        Sander,
        Frutiger was actually designed originally for an airport I believe. Minion Pro is a great font too, love the ligatures in that font.

        Lauren,
        Yeah I agree with the dramatic nature of Trajan, like the Hollywood video says it used to mean EPIC MOVIE now it just means movie.

        I added Bickham as a script typeface as to differentiate the mix but I do see it quite a lot.

        Arian,
        I don’t think many, if not, any professional designer would make the choice of Papyrus in their work due to the overused nature of it. It is mainly overused because it comes shipped with computers in my opinion.

        Ruud,
        Ah yeah, interstate I see quite a bit also, I like that font quite a bit actually though can’t recall ever using it.

        Steve,
        Thank you for the pass on and yeah, some typofiles out there get quite attached to some fonts.

        David,
        Yeah as a student myself, I also see Helvetica being used for everything. I think I will post the other articles in one post but probably not this post as it is not an ‘overused’ post.

        Katie, Roe,
        You’re welcome.

      30. Andris on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        JC, I totally agree with you. Those fonts are all very nice and classy. Most of the “real” designers tend not to use fonts that are too much “strange”. Helvetica forever!

      31. Keeto on Sep 24, 2008 said:

        I guess the question is: Why? Why do we, as designers, keep these fonts on the top shelves of our toolbox? Why do we use them to the point that just looking at them makes us feel queasy?

        I agree with Kat that there is a certain comfort with these fonts. These are the ones that have been used so many times before and appeared in numerous instances that we could probably draw them freehand or kern them properly while pinning fifty items on our mood-boards.

        But isn’t it ironic that we, as designers, still use them even though we know of the bad reputation they’re slowly pilling under their characters? Are we getting too comfortable with our craft that we find it almost unnecessary to browse through the catalogues of foundries to find the hot new thing?

        Not necessarily. How many designers do go online for each and every project they have just to get the right typeface? Maybe a few, but certainly not all. While some of us do have the budget and the time to peruse through the nifty websites of foundries to find custom fonts, most of us work with projects that have tight budgets and clients that own tight wallets. And most of us (well, those of us who actually have a long list of projects in the pipe anyway) just don’t have the time to hunt down the perfect typeface for the job. So what do we do? Being the practical people that we are, we use what we have.

        This is where these “genericized” typefaces come in. These are the ones that each designer has in their arsenal because in one point of their careers, they’ll be forced to use them.

        And it isn’t just about being practical. We can hate them, we can call them bad names, we can even create documentaries that taunt them. But admit it, most of these typefaces are good at what they do. Nothing beats simplicity like a simple poster with screaming Helvetica or a carefully laid-out report in Garamond. And Frutiger! I’d marry Frutiger if it’s legal here in Manila.

        Some may ask, “So how do we solve this?” Solve what? There’s no problem. These typefaces are here because we need. They’re the lifesavers in our work–the names we can trust.

        Still, as designers, we shouldn’t be lazy. It’s forgivable to come up with a design with these fonts should you be constrained by budget or time–like that pro-bono programme you made with Myriad that was needed the next morning. But if you have a three-digit budget for a set of brochures scheduled to be finished in three months, don’t even think about showing up with something in Caslon and Univers. That’s just not acceptable.

        Then again, we could all just be better designers and find ways to be creative with our limited budgets and time by spending our free time looking at the fantastic and free typefaces made by other great designers. But who wants to be that guy who actually does that?.. :)

      32. David on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        Hmmm…these fonts are all so…basic. There are tons of other fonts which aren’t so standard that are much better. Sure, these are all classics but also generic.

        Here are some fonts which aren’t so widely used and it will look like you spent some quality time choosing your font:

        Serif:
        Sovereign, Freight, Lino Letter

        Sans:
        Benton, Freight Sans, Proxima Nova

        Just a few but I really think you should be out there trying fonts which aren’t so basic.

        -D

      33. John Hinds on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        Justin,
        I am a design student, first year, and I wanted to let you know about a typography movie we watched in class. I think you might be interested in this film. The movie is called “Helvetica.” You may have already seen it but it you haven’t, add it to your netflix list and get it. I don’t think you will be disappointed. The film is about how the helvetica typeface became so popular.

        Great articles, I follow them closely. Your article on how to get work while your still in school has helped me land my first project.

        Many thanks!

        -John-

      34. Joann Sondy on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        They don’t make a movie titled “Helvetica” because it’s unpopular. How many years did we put up with Courier, Times New Roman, and even Arial before other fonts came on the scene. If you equate it with cooking, there are staples in the pantry that every kitchen should have. Are there colors that are consistently used? You betcha…

        Good post. Thanks.

      35. Gary Horsman on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        Interesting list. Helvetica is tough since it does have a tendency to come in and out of vogue. It’s the context and the handling that makes it either conventional or fresh. The iPhone’s interface uses Helvetica effectively.

        Trajan is very nice, though it seems mandated by Hollywood law to be used for all horror-thriller movie one-sheets under penalty of death for non-compliance.

        Trajan was used extensively in credits for ‘The West Wing’ (makes sense) and then in Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up ‘Studio 60′ (makes less sense).

        Futura is used in J.J.Abrams’ drama ‘Lost’ and also as the animated title card for the new ‘Fringe’ TV series.

        These typefaces seem to follow certain producers around, lending a kind of subconscious branding.

        Don’t know about you all, but I’ve seen a surge of Gotham and Avenir as of late. Interstate is popular, but I think it’s already peaked and beginning to wane a little.

        Because Minion Pro and Myriad Pro are included in new versions of Adobe’s creative suite, I’m surprised they’re not used more often as they are very complete with four weights and corresponding italics and condensed alternates for tons of flexibility. And they’re very clean alternatives to the old Helvetica and Times stand-by’s.

      36. Keeto on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        @Gary: Minion is nice, although the Condensed style is a bit too, uh, I don’t know.. ugly.

        And Myriad is as ubiquitous as Lucida Grande, which is proven by a quick visit to Apple’s website or any other websites related to Apple products or technologies. It’s the new Apple font–amd of course Adobe’s default typeface.

      37. Bryce on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        There are lots of interesting comments here, but I’d like to point out that this list is “faces frequently used by trained designers” While I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with learning design concepts on your own or switching industries, there is a specific understanding that comes from typography classes taught by professional typographers.

        This understanding of history and use is the reason that many “trained” designers use the same hand full of type faces. In fact I remember one of my typography classes where we were only allowed to Use Gill Sans, Bodoni, Garamond, or Frutiger. Of course being budding creatives we all complained about this restraint, but the response really surprised me. The instructor said “If you can learn to convey an idea through the weights, variants and spacing available in a tried and tested type face, you’ll be able to wield any face in the future.” Strangely using only those 4 fonts wasn’t as hard as we all expected. In fact it taught us to actually work with type instead of just taking the easy way out by finding a free font that didn’t really help our project.

        I find that even today, years later I still use the tried and true type families because of their many weights, variants and ligatures. In fact it drives me insane when someone asks me to use a free font that isn’t well proportioned or only has a few weights. Many of the faces we call “over used” today were created long before computers or Microsoft by typographers who understood the variety of ways type can be used to communicate.

        All to often we accuse design of not adhering to our specific aesthetic (I don’t like that type face because I see it everywhere) when instead we should ask if the idea is communicated effectively. Next time you see Helvetica remember that you were able to read the message…

      38. Christine on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        Nice post, although you should include Gill Sans and Univers. I’d also question including Trajan—really? I’ve never used it and rarely see it used. It comes across as rather specialized and gimmicky.

        I consider the fonts you listed (and a few others) classic. Fonts you can’t go wrong with. They’re a great starting point to get a good understanding of typography. Once you have that understanding go ahead and play with new fonts, but keep in mind that not every font you can buy or download online is well designed. Good typography is an essential part of design and unfortunately some designers seem to put it second to using a fun new font.

      39. Gil on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        K E R N IN G?

      40. Andrew Kelsall on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        Yeah, like Christine, I’ve never heard of Trajan…so It’s not just me. However, I AM guilty of using Myriad Pro on many occasions.

      41. Roy Nottage on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        I agree with Arian, Papyrus is really overused.

        I think I have a grudge against it though, because I used it for all my graphics work in Secondary School (such a school boy error). It’s very popular on wine boxes I find.

        I tried to spot a trend in the use of Trajan in film posters… but I couldn’t find one. Only that it is compulsive that horror movies, including Sex and the City, must have it.

        Good list - but is Verdana not cool anymore?

      42. Steven on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        Bickham Script Pro looks good for signature purposes. Park Avenue is also good but not included here & can be freely downloaded like that from http://tools.khrido.com/webtoo.....ction.aspx

      43. Jack McDaniel on Sep 25, 2008 said:

        Great list of solid fonts. Recently, I’ve found myself using Avenir a lot and would add it to your list.

      44. Bill Biwer on Sep 26, 2008 said:

        I’m really glad to Futura on this list. It’s a great font but it is quickly becoming overused in every application.

      45. Tom on Sep 26, 2008 said:

        I like “Bickham Script Pro” . thanks

      46. Bob on Sep 26, 2008 said:

        What….Arial Rounded not on the list?!!
        Just kidding ;)

      47. James Nowland on Sep 26, 2008 said:

        I’m a shocker with fonts naming, I still frequently call Verdana, veranda :< I’m rather close to syd uni, at ultimo sorta near the UTS. Then Charlestown when im ‘home’

      48. Jonathan F. Mayer on Sep 27, 2008 said:

        Your title graphic reminded me of the world’s shortest English pangram, which also happens to be 7 words long: “Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.”

        I guess even the quick brown fox needs a little rest every now and then, eh?

      49. DKumar M. on Sep 30, 2008 said:

        Ok… i personally go with Helvetica if i’m using them in images. but i mostly using Tahoma for text based designing.

      50. Sean on Oct 1, 2008 said:

        The only couple I use out of these seven are Bodoni and helvetica.. i believe there are many fonts better suited for design than frutiger and futura..

        just my two cents, nice post

      51. Barkley Anderson on Oct 1, 2008 said:

        Gotham people. Gotham. Its everywhere and for good reason. Love it- modern clean simple.

      52. koxl on Oct 1, 2008 said:

        MYRIAD is ubiqitous, but at least its FRUTIGERs stepson!

      53. Al on Oct 2, 2008 said:

        Hiya!

        I am a budding freelance graphic designer. I would just want to ask about the system about font copyrights.

        Suppose I have the font Frutiger, and a client asks me to do a logo. Then I decide to use that font. Do I let the client pay for the font (aka, buy that font from the foundry/font’s weabsite)? Or am I just free to use any font in my hard drive and let them use as the client logo’s typeface? I really know nothing about font licensing.

        thank you very much! Great article btw. This is my first visit to your website, and I am definitely adding you to my reader.

      54. Al on Oct 2, 2008 said:

        Btw, I would just want to add that I live somewhere in Asia; in a country where piracy is abundant and copyright infringement is quite non-existent.

        But then, as a dedicated designer I want to know the real deal when it comes to these legal things. Of course I don’t want to get in to trouble!

      55. Kellis on Oct 2, 2008 said:

        Helvetica- Yes, or Univers
        Trajan- Occasionally or Perpetua, Sabon

        Should be on this list- Gotham, DIN, Trade Gothic, Caslon, Minion, Kroeger (for web peeps), and Averir rather than Futura.

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      57. Brad Blackman on Oct 2, 2008 said:

        I’m surprised Trade Gothic and Requiem were left out of this list. I see them a LOT on book cover designs. I suppose different industries tend to use certain fonts over others. (Just like different industries tend to (over)use certain imagery.)

      58. Ivan on Oct 3, 2008 said:

        Dude, great webpage you’ve here. I most add, that here (my country) Designers are (also) used to type with Clarendon, aaaaaaandddd, I dunno why they’ got to use them always in Bold weight… Greetings!

      59. cissa on Oct 7, 2008 said:

        Awesome series. Nice to know a student already know of such simple things when a lot of professional designers seem to have forgotten them.

        Univers is also a fantstic font, if not the closest to perfection ever created.

      60. Lis Walker on Oct 8, 2008 said:

        Hello,
        I appreciate your information regarding design and fonts. I have a question. How does a font designer register and patent their new font? If it turns out to be successful, how would one make money from their design?

      61. Jacob Cass on Oct 19, 2008 said:

        Thank you everyone for your input on this article, I have just come back to this article and reaslised my latest reply never got published which is a shame as I had replied to everyone individually.

        Lis,
        I am not entirely sure, but I would recommend emailing some type designers to find out. That should work.

      62. girish on Oct 23, 2008 said:

        I feel myraid pro also a good font. And some common fonts like futura, swiss, also look professional.

      63. Shenzay on Oct 24, 2008 said:

        hi, Its really great Series Jacob, totally inspire with the whole ideas.

        Best of Luck

      64. Max on Nov 13, 2008 said:

        I’m late to the game, but I noticed you have two 4’s and no 5… I’m dying to know what five is! =)

      65. Jacob Cass on Nov 13, 2008 said:

        It’s a secret! Just fixed it up, thanks Max!

      66. Matus on Dec 19, 2008 said:

        My favourtite font is Century Gothic. Looks alot like Futura.
        Extremely clean and powerful font.

        http://www.matus.it

      67. E on Jan 15, 2009 said:

        I wanted to find out which font is used in CASHMERE MAFIA tv programme. Its really nice.

      68. Edh on Jan 26, 2009 said:

        Hey JC
        Thanks for those helpful article. It was really instructive. Just last week I didn’t know the difference between Serif and sans Serif…
        you the man!

      69. Steve Constable on Feb 15, 2009 said:

        Most of the time I am just useing Helvetica. There are some designers who won’t do for anything else. There’s a movie called Helvetica at Netflix. It was kind of cool. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR ALL DESIGNERS. Thank you. :) (Not to many graphic designer movies so enjoy that one - or not if you hate Helvetica.)

      70. DF Design Studios on Mar 27, 2009 said:

        Great resource. I frequenty use the Trajan Pro font. It has that corporate, slick professional look. I enjoyed reading this article.

      71. Matt K on Jun 5, 2009 said:

        you got a good site, I enjoy reading all of your articles, I like this series too.
        My favorites fonts are AvantGarde Bk BT & Geometr231 Lt BT I think those two go well together

      72. Eric on Jul 10, 2009 said:

        Yes, Myriad Pro is a font that might/should make this list one day. I used to ignore it outright, because it seems to be the default selection in Adobe’s character pallet. (I hate defaults!) But over time it has started to grow on me. The Myriad Pro font family as a whole is a nicely rounded set.

      73. Pretty on Sep 2, 2009 said:

        Firstly Love your logo for JCD looks well cool! You are right about Trajan, deffo seen that around (i think Jumanji used it). I also use a sight called dafonts which normally gives a good selection of fonts, im sure there are others out there.

        Once again loved your logo!

      74. Anu Malhi on Oct 24, 2009 said:

        Trajan rocks all the way! Such a powerful font, brings images of Elephants in Africa to mind! Also like Bodoni for different reasons, just adds class to anything that is written using this font!

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