8 Fresh FREE Fonts to Replace those Overused Ones
While it can be tempting to use the same old familiar font over and over again, why not freshen up that company newsletter, PowerPoint, or memo with a fresh, new, and best of all, FREE font? While some prefer to stick with the typical fonts pre-installed on your computer, others are unaware of the free ones just waiting to be used! Now don’t go crazy. Just because they are free doesn’t mean you should use them without any additional thought. That’s why I’m here! I have hand-picked eight beautiful fonts for replacing those old crusty fonts like Times New Roman you have been using since the dawn of time. In addition, I will be showing you how and where it’s appropriate to use these fonts. Let’s get started!
Arial and Helvetica have been popular for a long time, but if you’re in the mood for a chance, some other great clean alternatives to this include: Roboto, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro.
USES – A nice sans serif font easy to read and perfect for body text. Very clean. Can be used as a webfont and desktop font. 18 styles in this family!
REPLACES – Arial, Helvetica
So, you want a unique header font. Before you highlight and select that old Brush Script designed back in 1942, why not try something different?
USES – A fun and playful script font. Perfect for headers and titles. Perhaps use in combination with Lato as the body text.
REPLACES – Brush Script
STOP! DON’T YOU DARE REACH FOR COMIC SANS! I get it: You want to use a font that is laid-back, playful, fun, and informal, but I beg you: please do not use Comic Sans! Think I’m being overly dramatic? I’m not. Comic Sans is infamous! There are websites devoted solely to its downfall (bancomicsans.com and comicsanscriminal.com) where you are asked to pledge never to use the font.
USES – A fun and playful script font. Perfect for headers and titles. Perhaps use in combination with Lato as the body text. All caps font.
REPLACES – Comic Sans, Bradley Hand
Next, we address the replacement of an age-old font called Papyrus. You really want to give your flyer that feel of antiquity, and Papyrus looks historical and ancient. Let me suggest Aquiline Two instead. It’s a nice script font with a colonial feel. If you think it might be a little too much, try Uglyqua or Landliebe. These are two other fonts that have that ‘old world’ feel.
USES – A formal elegant script font best used for headers and titles.
REPLACES – Papyrus, Bradley Hand
I get why you love Trajan: You want a font that is ‘Large and in Charge,’ that says, “I’m professional, I’m timeless, I’m business-y, I’m strong! I look like Caesar himself hand-picked me as his go-to font!” Well, why not give Cinzel a try? It comes in 6 different weights!
USES – A strong serif font that means business! Great for headers and titles.
REPLACES – Trajan
Ah yes, Times New Roman. This is the standard font we’ve all come to know. You may not notice a huge difference in changing out this old font, but trust me, this subtle change packs quite a punch. There are many great alternatives to this font, but here are a few of my favorites: Source Serif Pro (8 styles), Crimson Text (6 Styles), and Merriweather ( 8 styles).
USES – Serif fonts that are easy to read. Perfect for body text.
REPLACES – Times New Roman
So, there you have it! Now get out there and give them a try. Mix and match the different header/title fonts with some of these alternative body fonts. Who knows? You may find yourself falling in love with one of these combinations.