When it comes to typography and design, which fonts do you readily keep in your arsenal and which you would consider "staples"?
Are these fonts more established and widely adopted in the typography and design communities and are you reluctant to add "newer" fonts into the mix?
Which fonts did you once keep in your collection, but have since parted with and why?
avenir
futura
helvetica
brown
apercu
gotham
bodoni
didot
but i havent parted ways with them. i just try not to rely on them as much as i used to.
I love you, LL Brown
LOOOOVE apercu
Trade Gothic, most variations and weights. My particular favorite is extended. The numerals are classic midcentury epicness.
UX Designer here - I pretty much start every single project with Inter. I don’t think I’ve found an easier digital typeface to work with, especially when I’m just trying to create fast, lo-fi screens. It’s my ultimate utility font.
Inter is the new Arial - that’s meant as a compliment. I honestly think Inter is going to be the standard font for everything digital.
My company just switched from Archivo to Inter, and I’m soooo much happier.
Capital I and lower case l are indistinguishable in Inter. Rules it out immediately for me.
There's an optional disambiguation feature for I and l `cv08` "Uppercase i with serif"
I just wish Inter had some super-thick slab weights. I find 900 isn't quite enough for certain punchy display headers.
Nevertheless - Inter is my go-to for web projects. Love it.
Agreed - again, I usually just start with Inter, and move to something else if necessary.
I used Montreal for a national ad campaign back in 2008 and still use it often. It’s a sans serif font with a wide variety of weights and looks great upper and lowercase.
From Pangram Pangram? If so I love this typeface.
Sorry, it’s from the Typeshop Collection. link
How has no one mentioned Inter yet? I absolutely love it, and on top of that, it's free, too! I just don't get sick of it!
Inter has been one of my go-to’s lately!
SERIF
SAN SERIF
edit: I missed the second half of the post! In reality, there's always a revolving door of typefaces that I'm into for one reason or another but maybe too much. Like ten years ago, Gotham just seemed to elevate every single thing, and now I can't stand it. At it's core, though, its a handsomely designed geometric typeface that now feels a little of it's time. Are there other handsomely designed geometric typefaces that are also timeless? Absolutely. In its place today, I might use Circular or something that is also trendy, but I also might reach for Avenir or Avant Garde for something a bit more classic.
The typefaces above to me represent the most consistent pieces of my design kit, which I think of similarly to the mainstays in my own closet. Like a pair of Levi's 501s or Chuck Taylors, they won't be the most exciting part of the design, but they will do whatever it is they are used for exceptionally well and support the display fonts or other more prominently featured fonts. Obviously they can also be used in display contexts, but their commonality needs to be addressed in the design somehow.
As for typefaces I just stay away from:
Gotham: I over did it 10 years ago and now I can't stand it. It was way too trendy which is unfortunate because it's actually a good font.
Helvetica/Helvetica Neue: Classic, but poorly adapted for digital. Neue Haas Grotesk has everything I need from Helvetica and more. I like being able to straighten the leg of the capital R and other little details.
Proxima Nova: I still use this one from time to time, but it is reaching overused status and has become the Helvetica of UI (app, websites and beyond).
Neue Haas Grotesk has been my go-to for some time now, I’m in love with it.
So solid. I always thought Helvetica Neue had everything I needed, but I was wrong.
Space Grotesk
That's horrifying, why?
I actually meant Space Mono, but yeah, I get that it’s not for everyone. But I like a lot of the letter forms, and the design thinking behind it speaks to my love of sci fi. It’s got some quirks like the right angle descenders, but for a monospaced font it’s surprisingly versatile. And it’s one of the google fonts I actually like which means it’s free!
Univers
Univers and Optima got me through 2000 to 2010.
I am a Gotham girly 🤌🏼
Proxima Nova and FreightBig Pro
Love proxima nova!
Futura and Montserrat!
Frutiger and Univers.
Open Sans, Gotham, futura, and raleway.
Georgia and IBM Plex for serif. Georgia isn’t particularly flexible, but I’m a sucker for it.
I find myself constantly going back to Suisse Int'l.
Oh now that is nice.
Valkyrie by Matthew Butterick
That's like a modern updated Garamond.
Thanks! Adding to my arsenal.
I can let go of everything but Avenir and Avenir Next.
Futura or Acumin Variable. Call it a personal bias, but those can easily fit into many design systems. Especially Acumin Variables being a variable font.
I wouldn't say I'm reluctant to add more fonts. More so that I often am finding new fonts, however they are not as comprehensive. The new fonts I typically find are display font and often serve their purpose in logo design, and sometime headlines.
I remember I used to frequent Raleway and Bebas Neue when starting out. However, the kind of work I do nowadays, I haven't found the opportunity or the means to justify.
Mrs Eaves never gets any love in these threads but it's my all time favorite, especially the italic.
I love Mrs Eaves but she is waaaaaaay over used. Literally the papyrus and comic sans of actual readable serif fonts.
Really? I almost never see it anywhere. Interesting.
Edit: Also the reason why CS and Papyrus get so much hate isn't because they're overused, it's because they're used inappropriately, because they're so easily available. If CS was kept to actual comic small print, it would be fine if every comic book and cartoon strip used it. But now you see it in professional email signatures and signage, because it's a standard PC font. Mrs Eaves on the other hand is either pretty expensive for that kind of use or available through Adobe, so not every administrative assistant is going to have access to it (sadly... I'd love to see more Mrs Eaves email signatures, especially if it replaced CS)
I don’t see it as much anymore but for a long time in the early 2000s it was every where. I think it’s still used by Barnes and Noble. One of the malls here has mosaics on the floors that actually use it…it was opened in 2002.
Futura, archer, walbaum, helvetica, vendetta, Gill Sans
I don't see Roboto getting any love -- did folks switch over to Inter instead? -- but it's safe and solid, so I use it as my base for websites, and then see if it needs something with a stronger personality.
Staples uses Helvetica Neue Bold (just being cheeky)
Mrs Eaves, Gotham, Helvetica, primarily.
Montserrat
Gilroy
Product Sans
Century Gothic
Futura
Poppins
Trajan Pro
Calibri
Cambria
[deleted]
Interstate is good, nice one
I love Din. All variants except condensed.
I’m partial to Source sans and serif for UI stuff and only use Source Code for monospaced stuff.
Garamond has so many varieties that I can usually work it into a design when nothing feels right.
Bookmania, Adobe Garamond (pro, not premium), Nivea Grotesk, Bebas.
Fonts I use the most: Open Sans (can share it, it has every accented glyph I’ve ever needed)
Off the beaten path: Abril Fatface (don’t judge) and Com4t Drify.
Watching this thread with interest, and eagerly jotting down the few I don’t know…
Cooper Black is my favorite <3
I use, and I am not a pro, Manrope, Hibana and Basalte for my projects, Basalte becoming my go-to (:
I love Manrope except for the lack of variations :(
I love the limitations (:
I always have Verdigris and Solitaire in my toolkit along with Sabon, Futura, Embarcadero, Centaur and Athelas. I would love to add a few more but it would have to wait.
Unica or Akzidenz
arboria has my entire heart
My standbys that come to mind are Franklin, Favorit, Space, and Canela
I used to use futura quite a bit, but find it can be really difficult to set and kern. Other geometric sans serif typefaces have taken its place for me, like Circular or DM.
Baskerville Neo & John Sans, perfect pairing, my go-to for invisible typesetting. If I go bolder, Mramor, StCroce or Moyenage. All StormType, never had an issue with them! Oh and I have grown to despise Bebas and its variants... it's just so overused.
Franklin Gothic
If I'm going for a Times kind of serif font, I always go with Alice. It's basically times new Roman with just a touch of extra flourish. The serifs are a bit more elegant.
Cinzel, and gotham
Inter. Just completely god tier.
Montserrat Poppins Breezeblocks (when I need a script.) Crimson Bebas Raleway Gotham
Serif: Sentinel, Besley, Baskerville, Source Serif
Sans serif: Proxima Nova, Inter, Avenir, Freight Sans
the company I work at has all their logos and whatnot in Palatino and I’ve started to really love it, but of course now they’re changing it to Playfair Display. I’m mildly outraged…
Open Sans, and Barlow (an open font kind of a cross between DIN and other highway signage fonts that is growing on me more and more)
Athelas
I’ve been on a kick with Dunbar (and all it’s variations)
Brown, helvetica, times new roman, and futura
This is my Staple font. Possible I misunderstood the question
https://www.myfonts.com/collections/staple-font-ajeet-mestry
Inter
Poppins
Merriweather
Forma.
Acumin Variable
Futura, with its different weights or spacing it out, really comes through every now and then for simple things like CVs or business cards I've designed.
I'm a sucker for that perfect circle O, and love how the A and N point above the cap. Slick, timeless, great typeface!
Yeah, no matter the changes in fashion, medium, and technology over the last several decades, Futura keeps coming back around.
Classic, stylish, smart, cool, and most importantly -- incredibly legible.