Interesting (And Mostly Free) Fonts

Creating a successful website is dependent on many things, not the least of which is web design. A well planned, aesthetically pleasing website attracts people surfing the internet, keeps them on your website, and aids in their decision to make a purchase from your website.

We have all encountered brilliant websites that use designs or special fonts to stand apart from the rest. Some websites have fonts so distinctive that people instantly associate that font with the website (the entire cheezburger network instantly comes to mind), and finding your own unique font to help create your brand identity can be an important aspect of finding success with e-businesses. There is a handy website called www.dafont.com (disclaimer: we are NOT an affiliate or associated with them in any capacity – we just like their services) that makes it easy to find the right font for your next project. The best part is that most of the fonts are free, and it’s so simple to use that you don’t need to hire someone to create a special font just for you!

Once you are on the website, there are many categories of fonts for you to peruse. Each font gives a small sample of what it looks like, and to the far right you will see a download button that looks like this:

Click on the “Download” button and save the zip file. Once it has completed downloading, go to the folder where it is saved, double-click on the zip to open it, then click on “Extract all files” to unzip the file.

You will then copy these files and paste them into your fonts folder. For all Windows versions this can be achieved by going to the Start Menu > Control Panel > Appearance and Themes > Fonts. Copy the files into this folder and you will be able to use them right away.

The way to download a font for Mac computers depends on the operating system:

For Mac OS X 10.3 or above (including the FontBook) , double-click the font file > “Install font” button at the bottom of the preview.

For Under any version of Mac OS X, put the files into /Library/Fonts (for all users),
or into /Users/Your_username/Library/Fonts (for you only).

For Under Mac OS 9 or earlier, you need to do an extra step since the old Mac fonts are not supported anymore at dafont. First, you have to convert the font files (.ttf or .otf) you have downloaded. Then drag the fonts suitcases into the System folder. The system will propose you to add them to the Fonts folder.

As we mentioned earlier, most of the fonts on this website are free. Even though a font may be labeled freeware, shareware, demo versions or public domain, it never hurts to double check. When you download the font file there is usually a readme.txt file (or something to that extent) included in the download, which explicitly states how you can use the font.

Below are a few random fonts that we found to be eyecatching; for example, the “Green Fuz” one in particular would be great to use with a Halloween affiliate website, and Amadeus would be great for music themed websites. Have a look around and see if this website helps to get your creative juices flowing. Each font spells the font name, so you can search these fonts by entering these names into dafont’s search bar.

And of course, if you know of another unique font website that is primarily free to use, please share! We love discovering new websites

Tagged with: branding • dafont • image • interesting fonts • internet marketing • web design • website creation

Filed under: General

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