I LOVE designing mockup designs of stationery suites to showcase my new watercolor design kits.
Most of the time I get asked which font I have used as customers often want to get the same look in their own designs – and I’m always happy to share with my lovely customers!
Today, I’ll share my current go to places to get the best fonts that work really well with my illustrations.
Before I start, I want to tell you how I pick my fonts.
I first look at the “feel” that I want to convey through the design. Next, I shortlist a few, and test them for legibility because I hate it when a font is too pretty to be read. Third, I try TONS of text combinations on the font trial page (where you can test out how a word looks before purchasing it) in different sizes. Sometimes a font looks great enlarged, but terrible when it’s tiny (or vice versa). So depending on my requirement, I test, test, test.
Of course, sometimes I will buy a font and not really use it much after the initial excitement wears off. That’s why the ones I’ve listed below are the ones which I’ve used over and over, over a long period of time, and I’m happy to report they still work for me!
So if you’re using my artwork for your project, it’s likely you’ll find your matching dream font from these folks here!
Set Sail Studios by Sam Parrett
I love Sam’s fonts! Honestly, his fonts are always so well made that I’ve gotten so. much. use out of every single one that I’ve purchased. His fonts are the ones that I also get asked about the most whenever I use them in a mockup design.
The ones that I use the most from his collection are Madina & Northwell. Both very striking and modern styles, and really stand out without being too overwhelming.
He also has a few amazing free fonts on his website – so go check them out!
PeachCreme by Gulya
If you’re in the market for a lovely, delicate, dainty, flowy calligraphy based font, I cannot recommend PeachCreme enough!
I am mesmerised by her delicate and elegant style, and if it’s modern calligraphy you’re after – this is the place!
I regularly use Floral Hearts to showcase my designs.
Angie Makes
For cute, adorable and charming typefaces, I love Angie Makes! She makes a range of beautiful products and has tons of lovely freebies too.
I use Ditto in my projects where I want a touch of cutesy which doesn’t overwhelm the design.
Nicky Laatz
Nicky’s fonts are an absolute treat to play with. Not only are the fonts delightful, but she also includes tons of extras like dingbats which I love using as embellishments in my projects.
I have used Indigo Summer & Chin Up Buttercup in many of my projects. I love that her fonts are cute and adorable, but very very legible and also magically happen to have the perfect thickness so they work great as accent text.
Nicky regularly shares free hand lettering, fonts and other goodies on her Instagram, so be sure to follow her!
Google Fonts for Free Fonts
Whenever I’m on the hunt for a new free font for my designs, Google Fonts is the place for me. High quality, excellent fonts – especially serif and sans serif fonts. I haven’t used their script fonts too much, but I love their standard font collection!
Montserrat is my favorite sans serif for a crisp, modern look.
Playfair Display is my go to Serif font for an elegant, luxe look.
Other Free Fonts
I have bought and used tons of fonts, and Creative Market is the place I buy them from. They also regularly give away free fonts every week (though to be very honest, you get what you pay for, and I’ve found my paid fonts are far, far better than the free ones I’ve downloaded, of course there are exceptions).
I hope this post helps you get closer to your dream font for your project! It’s quite important to use a cohesive font to make your design come together.
My final piece of advice would be this:
If you’re in doubt about which fonts to go with, or how to pair them, or have a very strict budget, worry not!
Go with this formula: Use only one serif font, but use it in “Bold” and also in “Italics” to create some visual interest. Something like this:
In the design above, I’ve used a faux rose gold foil effect on the names. I have a little tutorial on how to do this here.
Alternatively, you could use one Sans Serif font like Montserrat for the names, and use an italicised sans serif for the remaining text. For example:
Simple, easy, free & effective! Works every time! Especially when you use illustrations, you don’t really need too much fanciness going on with your fonts to make your design pop.
I hope this post was helpful for you and has given you some ideas for your upcoming projects!
Pin for later & share with a friend:
