50 free commercial fonts
Whether it’s a marketing brochure, a business report, or a logo, you want to make sure that whatever your business does, it looks professional, polished, and on-brand. And a huge part of that? Typography.
The font you choose plays a huge role in defining who you are as a company, connecting with your customers, and creating a cohesive brand identity.
Obviously, you can pay for a font, but why pay for something that you can get for free?
In this article, we provide a list of 50 free commercially licensed fonts that you can use for your next design project, without paying a single cent.
Table of Contents
Serif fonts
Image from Pexel
Going for a classic look with your designs? Then you’ll definitely want to explore some serif font options.
Serif fonts have embellishments at the end of their characters (think of them as like feet for each letter). These fonts are typically viewed as traditional and timeless, making them a go-to choice for more corporate businesses (like law firms or financial institutions).
But traditional doesn’t have to equal boring. Look for interesting design elements (like unexpected spacing or narrow lettering) keeps serif fonts from veering into so-traditional-it-might-as-well-be-Times-New-Roman territory.
Free commercially licensed serif fonts:
Image via Font Meme
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via FontSquirrel
Serif fonts are a great choice for more traditional designs. If you want to incorporate serif fonts into your designs, start with the classics and check out Canva’s business card templates(opens in a new tab or window) (like the Navy Serif Lawyer Business Card(opens in a new tab or window) or the Pink Modern Professional Business Card(opens in a new tab or window)) or letterhead templates(opens in a new tab or window) (like the Grey Formal School Letterhead(opens in a new tab or window) or the White Minimalist Charity Letterhead(opens in a new tab or window)).
Sans serif fonts
Photo by Emily Rudolph on Unsplash
Sans serif fonts are fonts without the embellishments—or “feet”—you’d find in a serif font (hence the “sans” in the title). And while serif fonts lend a traditional look to designs, sans serif fonts feel more modern, sleek, and sophisticated compared to others, making them a great choice for more creative businesses.
There is a lot of variation in sans serif fonts—which means there are tons of opportunities to find a font that feels uniquely on-brand to you and your business. Keep looking until you find a font that really encapsulates who you are as a brand, then use it to strengthen your branding in your designs.
Free commercially licensed sans serif fonts:
Image via Font Meme
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via Font Meme
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via 1001 Fonts
Sans serif fonts feel cool, modern, and sophisticated, making them the perfect choice for social graphics. Don’t want to design your social graphics from scratch? Then you’ll definitely want to check out Canva’s social graphics templates(opens in a new tab or window) (like the White Minimalist Plain Collage Instagram Post(opens in a new tab or window) or the Yellow Caper Illustration Yard Sale Instagram Post(opens in a new tab or window)).
Graphic fonts
Sometimes you need to add something bold and different to your designs. And on those occasions? You won’t find a better fit than graphic fonts.
Graphic fonts won’t work for every kind of designs, but when they do work, they’re a slam dunk. For example, if your brand is all rock-and-roll? Look for an edgy graphic font (like Eddie Regular, which you’ll see below) that shows your edgier side. Launching a new robotics application? A sci-fi inspired font (like Phantomonia) would be a great option.
The point is, graphic fonts tell a story, and if that story fits with your brand, they can be an awesome fit for your designs.
Free commercially licensed graphic fonts:
Image via Font Meme
Image via Font Meme
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via Font Meme
Image via Font Meme
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via FontSquirrel
Graphic fonts are bold and in-your-face, so they’re best used as a focal point—for example, as the title font of a book cover design. Writing your own book? Check out these Canva’s book cover templates (like the Neon Green Black and White Graffiti Art Book Cover(opens in a new tab or window) or the Black and White Bordered Wattpad Book Cover(opens in a new tab or window)).
Script fonts
Script fonts are one of the most versatile font categories in the design world. Script fonts can be elegant or edgy, bold or delicate.
When choosing a script font, think of what overall look and feel you want to capture in your design and then choose a font that creates that look and feel. Are you going for elegant and timeless? Choose a more delicate font with classic embellishments (like rounded elements or a handwritten, cursive look). Going for a sleeker look? Look for something bolder and more modern.
Free commercially licensed script fonts:
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via Font Meme
Image via Font Meme
Image via Font Meme
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via FontSquirrel
As mentioned, script fonts are one of the most versatile on the block and can be used for just about every design under the sun, like business cards (like the Black Bold Script Graphic Design Business Card(opens in a new tab or window) template), social graphics (like the Beach Handwritten Script Type Quote Facebook Post(opens in a new tab or window) template), or magazine covers (like the Pink Gown Wedding Magazine Cover(opens in a new tab or window) template).
Vintage fonts
Photo by Leyre Labarga on Unsplash
If you want to capture a specific time and place in your designs—and play to people’s nostalgia in the process—vintage or retro fonts are an obvious choice. Fonts that are clearly designed to pay homage to a specific time, place, or experience (like the below Park Lane NF Regular, which has a very “The Great Gatsby” feel, or True Crimes, which feels like a nod to pulp crime novels from the 50s) can help you recreate that time, place, or experience in your designs.
Free commercially licensed vintage fonts:
Image via Font Meme
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via 1001 Fonts
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via FontSquirrel
Image via FontSquirrel
If you want to create a truly vintage feel with your designs, the font is only the beginning. Get started with one of Canvas many vintage-inspired templates, like the Yellow and Black Vintage Beauty Beauty Logo(opens in a new tab or window) template, the Blue and Brown Vintage Cassette Postcard(opens in a new tab or window) template, or the Yellow, Red, and Blue Vintage Football Patch Super Bowl Social Media Graphic(opens in a new tab or window) template.
Use these free commercial fonts to jazz up your designs
It can be a challenge to find fonts that are not only visually interesting and on-brand, but free for commercial use(opens in a new tab or window). But now that you have 50 options to choose from, all that’s left to do is get out there and get designing!
Written by
Deanna deBara
