Ever wondered what to do with the free brush fonts that you find? Get creative and find out what the different ways are to use free brush fonts. Read here!
Finding a great free font is always exciting, but it can be tricky to know how to make the most of a novel display font like a brush or handwriting typeface.
Brush fonts are the more fun, easy-going sister of more formal script fonts, making them the perfect fit for more casual designs. Brush fonts can be used on almost any printed media, from invitations to t-shirts, as well as helping to give a rustic, indie quality to websites and apps.
Read on to find out where to source free downloadable brush fonts, as well as inspiration for using brush fonts effectively in your designs.
Introduction: Using Brush Fonts
Where to Find Free Brush Fonts
You can find a wealth of free brush fonts on the internet, but where to start? These are our go-to online resources for high-quality free brush fonts, from casual handwritten styles to more polished, stylised designs.
Look to FontSquirrel for commercially free brush fonts which have a quirky style. Naive and youthful Finger Paint is one of our top picks. Use on children’s products or clothing for childlike charm.
DaFont is another great resource for free brush fonts, with a huge selection of more than 1300 brush styles to choose from. Lovely Boys is the perfect brush script, while Bernadette Rough balances slick style with vintage-inspired texture.
And make sure to check out our list of 20 free script fonts to discover high-quality brush fonts like Mustardo and Francisco.
The Shutterstock library also has a huge selection of professional brush fonts in vector format, which you can download as part of a subscription plan.
Inspiration: Where to Use Your Brush Fonts
Found the perfect brush font? Now look to these inspirational examples, from wedding invites to pillows, to get your creative juices flowing.
Blogs or Websites
German design agency Hochberg uses striking black and white brush type on their website to create an anarchic effect. The result? An achingly hip site design which reflects the innovative, rebellious spirit of the studio.
Startup job board site I Want My Startup teams brush type with in-your-face neon to create an equally cool effect.
Cards
This simple wedding thank you card, created by Serbian greetings card designer Sonja Rodić, is a beautifully pared-back example of allowing a lovely brush font to take center-stage on a design. Paired with a simple monochrome palette and atmospheric photography, a brush font in this case adds just the right dose of minimal romance.
Brush fonts look fantastic set in metallics. This black and gold business card template teams a brush font set in gold foil against a painterly black background for a glamorous effect.
Gold and black business card template by contributor Derevyankina Ludmila
Wedding Invitations
This beautifully put-together set of wedding stationery by Slovakian designer Livi Vernarská uses a calligraphic brush font to bring hand-drawn charm to the design.
Channel an elegant look with this monochrome set of wedding stationery by contributor Tekla Pototska. From save the date cards to menus and table settings, this comprehensive set includes everything you need to celebrate the big day in style.
Wedding stationery set template by contributor Tekla Pototska
Posters
Use brush fonts to give slogan posters extra personality and energy. This ‘Cosmic Girl’ illustration by contributor kateka could be adapted into a fun, feminist poster design.
‘Cosmic Girl’ illustration by contributor kateka
Lettering artist Gemma O’Brian uses brush type styles to create vivid posters full of spirit and warmth. Discover these and other brush lettering designs on her online shop.
Clothing
Brush fonts are ideal for setting slogans or quotes onto items of clothing, such as t-shirts, sweaters and caps. This simple slogan design uses just two colors, which will keep printing costs low.
T-shirt slogan design by contributor designer.vector
If you’re designing your own artwork for printing onto clothing, it’s best to keep the design as simple as possible to keep costs down and visual impact high. This quirky bull logo would be perfect for printing on t-shirts or sweaters.
Bull logo for t-shirt design by contributor curiosity
Events and Exhibitions
Brush fonts can inject a personality and energy into events media that serifs and sans serifs would find difficult to match. London theatre Lyric Hammersmith uses brush fonts as an integral part of its branding, employing the type style across posters, leaflets, signage and exhibition materials.
Home Decor
This pillow mockup by Dribbble Graphics teams a brush font with a line-drawn pattern. Find a large selection of line drawings to use in your own designs from the Shutterstock library here.
Pillow mockup by Dribbble Graphics
Home decor items benefit from the cosy, friendly feel of brush typography. Try the style out on framed artwork or ceramics.
Mother’s Day mug and picture frame mockup by contributor Vik Y
Conclusion
Brush fonts have a uniquely warm and ambient energy which makes them feel more humanistic and accessible than standard serifs.
In this article we’ve looked at a wide range of inspirational ideas for using free brush fonts in cool and quirky ways, from splashing slogan designs across t-shirts to using brush type to give wedding stationery extra romantic appeal.
Want to take your typography skills to the next level? Discover how to use and adapt stock typography in Adobe Illustrator with this set of tips.
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