Playfair Display
Claus Eggers SørensenSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · Variable · 6 weights · OFL · Türkçe
Free high contrast fonts
A pronounced difference between the thick and thin parts of a stroke, which reads as elegant at size and as fragile at small sizes.
About high contrast typefaces
How to recognise it
- A visible jump between the thickest and thinnest parts of a stroke.
- Hairlines that disappear first when the type is set small.
- A sparkling texture on the page, rather than an even grey.
- Usually one or two weights, because the contrast is the design.
High contrast or monolinear?
A monolinear face keeps its stroke weight constant everywhere. Squint at a word: if it turns into an even grey bar it is monolinear, and if it flickers it is high contrast.
Monolinear fonts →Where it works
Display sizes, editorial headlines, fashion and luxury work — anywhere the type is large enough to show the detail.
Where it does not
Body text, small interfaces, low-resolution screens and reversed type on colour, all of which eat hairlines.
Abril Fatface
TypeTogetherSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Cormorant Garamond
Christian ThalmannSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · Variable · 5 weights · OFL · Türkçe
Great Vibes
Robert LeuschkeSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Handwriting · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Pinyon Script
Nicole FallySphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Handwriting · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Italianno
Robert LeuschkeSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Handwriting · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Prata
Ivan PetrovSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · 1 weight · OFL
Gilda Display
Eduardo TunniSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Bodoni Moda
Owen EarlSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · Variable · 6 weights · OFL · Türkçe
Playfair
Claus Eggers SørensenSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · Variable · 7 weights · OFL · Türkçe
Eczar
Rosetta, Vaibhav SinghSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · Variable · 5 weights · OFL · Türkçe
Instrument Serif
Rodrigo Fuenzalida, Jordan EgstadSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Cormorant
Christian ThalmannSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · Variable · 5 weights · OFL · Türkçe
Libre Bodoni
Pablo Impallari, Rodrigo FuenzalidaSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · Variable · 4 weights · OFL · Türkçe
Vidaloka
CyrealSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · 1 weight · OFL
Yeseva One
Jovanny LemonadSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Italiana
Santiago OrozcoSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · 1 weight · OFL
DM Serif Display
Colophon Foundry, Frank GrießhammerSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Libre Caslon Display
Pablo ImpallariSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Gloock
Duarte PintoSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Questions
- What is a high contrast font?
- A pronounced difference between the thick and thin parts of a stroke, which reads as elegant at size and as fragile at small sizes. A visible jump between the thickest and thinnest parts of a stroke.
- When should I use a high contrast typeface?
- Display sizes, editorial headlines, fashion and luxury work — anywhere the type is large enough to show the detail. Where it does not work: body text, small interfaces, low-resolution screens and reversed type on colour, all of which eat hairlines.
- What is the difference between high contrast and monolinear fonts?
- A monolinear face keeps its stroke weight constant everywhere. Squint at a word: if it turns into an even grey bar it is monolinear, and if it flickers it is high contrast.
- Are these high contrast fonts free for commercial use?
- Yes. All 20 of them are published under licences that permit commercial use — the SIL Open Font License, the Apache License 2.0, the Ubuntu Font Licence or a release into the public domain — with no fee and no credit required. Every download on this site includes the licence file inside the zip.