Time flies! Has it already been a year since our last Best of list? (Technically, no. It hasn’t. But who’s counting, right?) We’ve scoured the font families that debuted on Fontspring in 2020 and chosen our favorite 42. Six of those families were nominated by several members of the Fontspring team, and are listed here as “Top-Tier Typefaces”.

Árida Poster

Árida

Latinotype | April 6, 2020

A TOP-TIER TYPEFACE OF 2020
Árida looks sharp and expressive at large sizes but it also feels friendly at a smaller scale⁠.

Audacious Poster

Audacious

Paulo Goode | June 24, 2020

A TOP-TIER TYPEFACE OF 2020
Audacious adds a dose of whimsy to its retro roots. Dial it down for smooth reading, or go all out with exuberant swashes.

Bruna Poster

Bruna

Antonio Lechuga | December 12, 2020

A TOP-TIER TYPEFACE OF 2020
These 16 fonts are just as fun to look at as they are an essential addition to your collection.

Etna Poster

Etna

Mark Simonson Studio | December 17, 2020

A TOP-TIER TYPEFACE OF 2020
The legendary Mark Simonson has crafted a wonderfully modern take on the classic Aetna woodtype.

Firelli Poster

Firelli

Typejockeys | September 16, 2020

A TOP-TIER TYPEFACE OF 2020
Firelli’s sturdy structure is timeless, tailored, and easy on the eyes in headlines as well as text.

Freigeist Poster

Freigeist

Studio René Bieder | July 7, 2020

A TOP-TIER TYPEFACE OF 2020
Freigeist (German for “free spirit”) is dynamic, expressive, and comes in a whopping 74 styles.

Alkes

Alkes Poster

Fontfabric | May 2020

Antikor

Antikor Poster

Taner Ardali | March 2020

Barnet Sans

Barnet Sans Poster

The Northern Block | October 2020

Delirian Poster

Delirian

Aurora Type Co. | May 18, 2020

Like finding the perfect wedding dress, Delirian effortlessly makes any word look luxurious.

Bogart

Bogart Poster

Zetafonts | September 2020

Bouba Round

Bouba Round Poster

HVD Fonts | October 2020

Dingos

Dingos Poster

Antipixel | March 2020

Eastman Poster

Eastman

Zetafonts | May 27, 2020

Eastman and its counterparts and Eastman Condensed all offer unique takes on a functional sans.

Elfreth

Elfreth Poster

JTD | January 2020

Gogh

Gogh Poster

Type Forward | September 2020

Gopher Mono

Gopher Mono Poster

Adam Ladd | August 2020

Ellograph CF Poster

Ellograph CF

Connary Fagen Type Design | February 9, 2020

Ellograph is a fun and friendly take on a monospaced sans.

Hejira

Hejira Poster

Sudtipos | October 2020

Kaius Pro

Kaius Pro Poster

TypeMates | November 2020

Karela

Karela Poster

Blancoletters | February 2020

Epica Pro Poster

Epica Pro

Sudtipos | November 3, 2020

Epica Serif and Epica Sans work together in perfect, hand-crafted harmony.

Lacosta

Lacosta Poster

Måns Grebäck | August 2020

Larken

Larken  Poster

Ellen Luff | August 2020

LiebeHeide

LiebeHeide Poster

LiebeFonts | September 2020

Gaultier Poster

Gaultier

MACHALSKI | January 1, 2020

Borutta’s Gaultier family is a delicate love letter to the work of Claude Garamond, Robert Granjon and Eric Gill.

Malik

Malik Poster

Zetafonts | July 2020

Mamba

Mamba Poster

W Type Foundry | April 2020

Mastro

Mastro Poster

Ndiscover | February 2020

Geminian Poster

Geminian

Sudtipos | September 1, 2020

All signs point to “Yes”! This astrological-inspired package of handmade fonts is pure magic.

Norman

Norman Poster

Resistenza.es | June 2020

Novera

Novera Poster

Studio René Bieder | January 2020

Orangina

Orangina Poster

TypeThis!Studio | December 2020

Halokia Poster

Halokia

Locomotype | October 20, 2020

Keep it tight! Halokia’s Interlocking, monolinear rhythm is always a perfect fit.

Palo

Palo Poster

TypeUnion | August 2020

Qualion Round

Qualion Round Poster

ROHH | January 2020

Rashfield

Rashfield Poster

Vintage Voyage Design | August 2020

Moranga Poster

Moranga

Latinotype | January 24, 2020

This soft retro serif is a delightful breath of 1970’s nostalgia with modern charm.

Resolve Sans

Resolve Sans Poster

Fenotype | September 2020

Sandega

Sandega Poster

Locomotype | October 2020

Stinger

Stinger Poster

Zetafonts | April 2020

Spock Poster

Spock

Los Andes Type | April 2, 2020

Just like its namesake, Spock gets the point across in a calm, intellectual fashion.

About this List:

With 2020 in hindsight, many of us never want to look back, lest we turn into a pillar of salt. However, amidst turmoil, conflict, and tragedy, we must seek out beauty and harmony. In a year when many of our designers experienced loss and loneliness, they still brought their A-game. So for the fourth annual “Best of Fontspring” list, we’ve dared to look back at the past year in order to find 42 typefaces that were inspiring and worthy of recognition.

We’ve also chosen six “Top-Tier Typefaces” that seemed to score the most votes among our team: Árida (Latinotype), Audacious (Paulo Goode), Bruna (Antonio Lechuga), Etna (Mark Simonson), Firelli (Typejockeys), and Freigeist (René Bieder). We hope you’ll take a second look at these, and consider adding them to your library. It’s worth noting that Zetafonts has four fonts in this list. Meanwhile, Sudtipos came in a close second with three, and Latinotype, René Bieder, and Locomotype each had two fonts on the list.