Righteous
AstigmaticSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Free retro fonts
Deliberately of an earlier period — the shapes are a reference to a decade rather than a solution to a problem.
About retro typefaces
How to recognise it
- A shape that points at a decade — deco verticals, 1950s script, soft 1970s serifs.
- Details chosen for effect rather than for legibility.
- Often a single weight, drawn after a poster, a sign or a logo.
Retro or western?
Western is one particular past — nineteenth-century American wood type. Retro is any period used as a reference, from 1920s deco to 1970s disco.
Western fonts →Where it works
Packaging, menus, event posters and brands that trade on nostalgia.
Where it does not
Anything that has to feel current or neutral — interfaces, documentation, forms. A period face dates whatever is set in it.
Space Mono
Colophon FoundrySphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Monospace · 2 weights · OFL · Türkçe
Special Elite
AstigmaticSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · 1 weight · Apache · Türkçe
Josefin Slab
Santiago OrozcoSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Serif · Variable · 7 weights · OFL
Fraunces
Undercase Type, Phaedra Charles, Flavia ZimbardiSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · Variable · 9 weights · OFL · Türkçe
Josefin Sans
Santiago OrozcoSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Sans-serif · Variable · 7 weights · OFL · Türkçe
Lobster
Impallari TypeSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Pacifico
Vernon Adams, Jacques Le Bailly, Botjo Nikoltchev, Ani PetrovaSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Handwriting · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Monoton
Vernon AdamsSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Yellowtail
AstigmaticSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Handwriting · 1 weight · Apache · Türkçe
Cookie
Ania KrukSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Handwriting · 1 weight · OFL
Vast Shadow
Nicole FallySphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · 1 weight · OFL
Lobster Two
Impallari TypeSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · 2 weights · OFL
Codystar
NeapolitanSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · 2 weights · OFL
Grand Hotel
AstigmaticSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Handwriting · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Doto
Óliver LalanSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · Variable · 9 weights · OFL · Türkçe
Press Start 2P
Cody BoisclairSphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
Display · 1 weight · OFL · Türkçe
Questions
- What is a retro font?
- Deliberately of an earlier period — the shapes are a reference to a decade rather than a solution to a problem. A shape that points at a decade — deco verticals, 1950s script, soft 1970s serifs.
- When should I use a retro typeface?
- Packaging, menus, event posters and brands that trade on nostalgia. Where it does not work: anything that has to feel current or neutral — interfaces, documentation, forms. A period face dates whatever is set in it.
- What is the difference between retro and western fonts?
- Western is one particular past — nineteenth-century American wood type. Retro is any period used as a reference, from 1920s deco to 1970s disco.
- Are these retro fonts free for commercial use?
- Yes. All 17 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.