These sophisticated font sets are here to make your latest design look a bit more upmarket.
Your choice of font says a lot about your product or brand. Choose the wrong one and you send out the wrong message. But get it spot on and you'll stick in people's minds for all the right reasons. But what separates your everyday, run-of-the-mill font from something a little bit more classy?
To help you choose a font with a touch of sophistication, we've trawled the web and rounded up 10 of the classiest sets to make your designs stand out from the crowd.
Kicking off our list is the appropriately named fancyPens font set. With calligraphy font stylings and a scratchy, erratic feel, this single-weight font was created with several pens. The font family includes all letters and numbers, plus an array of symbols, and is an absolute bargain.
A fancy font doesn't have to include elegantly curling tails and slender stems, as this beautiful family by Jeff Levine Fonts goes to show. With its split shapes and intricate detailing, this fancy font is named in honour of talented sign painter Al Eckhardt, and was inspired by a vintage decorative display alphabet found in the type collection of the late typographer, Dan X Solo.
Centennial Script Easy is a wonderfully elaborate font from Intellecta Design, which saw it digitise a classic font by Hermann Ihlenburg that was originally created in 1876. Available in three styles, including Easy, Fancy and Fancy Shadow, these fancy fonts are sold on their own (costing $15.90/£9.99 or $29.90/£19.99 each) or as a set.
This single-weight font is "chock full of summer sunshine and life"
Format: OTF Price: $39/£25.99 for 1 font
Just because a font is fancy doesn't mean it has to appear uptight. For a case in point, just look at Bobbi Bee. This single-weight font family has a bouncy look about it, while still communicating a sense of elegance. With 361 numbers, letters and alternates in a single weight, it can cope with all your highbrow design needs.
While Bobbi Bee brings a sense of fun to the party, RNS Oladys shows you that you can be both fancy and down to earth at the same time. This hand-lettered brush font with ornaments and alternates is loaded with a cutesy charm that wouldn't look out of place next to some of the more refined families on this list.
Sometimes looking fancy is all about confidence and mastering the art of understatement. This is definitely the case with Hamptons BF, a sleek font set named after the well-known New York resorts that have become synonymous with style and grace over the years. Comprised of three weights, this fancy font oozes with grace.
Shandy BF balances a lively look with a professional finish
Format: OTF
Price: $40/£25.99 for 1 font
With its cheerful look and undulating baseline, Shandy BF reminds you that looking fancy can be a lot of fun. Bringing the liveliness of a brush script together with robust Copperplate-style elements, this set also promotes variety by making sure there is no repetition in double-letter pairings.
Go back to your roots with this stylishly pointed brush typeface
Format: OTF, TT
Price: $28/£17.99 for 1 font
For a slightly more rustic look (while still maintaining a classy air), Garden Brush is the font set to go for. With a light and clean freshness, this pointed brush typeface comes with beautiful swash caps and end strokes.
Limon is a font family made up of 16 styles that you can download as a complete package or separately. Thanks to a host of alternates and combinations, Limon is a smart script that keeps a strong calligraphic rhythm going.
Heroe describes itself as an interesting combination of elegance and sensuality
Format: OTF
Price: $20/£12.99 for 1 font
Rounding off our list is the undeniably fancy font, Heroe. By turning thins into hairlines and packing unique ball terminals, this Herb Lubalin-inspired set lends itself perfectly to high-end products and services. The set is comprised of nine fonts.
Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.
