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Finding the perfect font is a crucial part of the design process. Fonts can impact the performance of your marketing campaigns. What if the text is not readable? They can also build brand recognition. Think of Disney’s Waltograph or Coca-Cola’s Spencerian script.
But finding the right font for your company is not just a matter of aesthetics — it’s also a legal question. Do you have the necessary rights for commercial use? Let’s explore how to find unique, royalty-free fonts for your marketing and branding projects.
What is a royalty-free font?
"Royalty-free" refers to materials protected by copyright or other intellectual property rights that can be used without paying licensing fees for each use, copy sold, or specific time period. In simpler terms, royalty-free fonts are either free or you only purchase them once — pay and forget.
Understanding the various types of licenses available is essential. Even if you come across a free option, verifying the license type is crucial to ensure it meets commercial use requirements.
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How to make sure a font is royalty-free
You must always check the font's license. You need to learn how to interpret fonts' terms and conditions to determine whether they’re free to use for your purposes.
. Look for a link to the End User License Agreement (EULA) or a similar document to see how you can use a particular font. This will tell you if it’s free to use for personal or business purposes.
Here is a list of important factors you should consider to ensure you’re using fonts in a legal and ethical way.
- Usage restrictions: Be aware of any restrictions outlined in the license. Some fonts may be free for personal projects but require a commercial license for any business use.
- Origin of the font: Make sure to download fonts from trusted websites. Reputable font companies and specialty sites usually give clear licensing details.
- Credit requirements: Some free fonts may require you to credit the creator in your projects. Verify if this is a condition for using the font.
- Modifications: Determine whether you can alter the font, as some licenses may restrict modifications.
- Distribution: If you plan to distribute your projects with the font included, ensure the license allows for this.
Benefits of using royalty-free fonts
Understanding font licenses helps keep you safe from legal troubles, financial penalties, and any conflicts with clients.
Here are some benefits of using royalty-free fonts:
- Cost-effectiveness: Since royalty-free fonts typically require a one-time payment or are available for free, they help keep your design budget in check compared to fonts that require ongoing licensing fees.
- Versatility: Royalty-free fonts often come with a wide variety of styles, allowing you to choose fonts that best match the tone and personality of your project, whether it's for branding, advertising, or personal use.
- Ease of use: With clear licensing terms, you can easily understand how you can use the font, saving you time and effort in deciphering complex copyright rules.
- Modification rights: Many royalty-free fonts allow for modifications, enabling you to customize the font to better fit your design needs.
- Wide availability: There are lots of websites where you can find royalty-free fonts, making it simple to discover unique styles for your projects. Using these fonts lets you focus on being creative without worrying about legal issues.
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Where to find royalty-free fonts
Depending on your design idea, you will need fonts with different personalities. If you’re doing something that will communicate novelty, maybe you’d want to use a summer vibe font, or if you’re looking for a lettering style, then you might be interested in cursive fonts. You can also look up what's trending for inspiration.
Here’s a list of resources you can use to find the perfect font with commercial rights that fits your brand.
Online resources
Google Fonts
Google Fonts is a vast library of free, open-source fonts offering over a thousand font families for various projects. It provides easy integration through HTML or CSS, ensuring compatibility across devices.
Users can preview fonts with their own text, and all fonts are licensed for personal and commercial use, making it a cost-effective choice, so much so that over 50 million websites use Google Fonts.
Font Squirrel
Font Squirrel has a simple design that makes it easy for users to find fonts without worrying about copyright issues. The site includes a font generator to create custom web fonts and offers tools to help identify and pair fonts.
Overall, Font Squirrel is a useful resource for anyone looking to improve their creative projects with attractive fonts while staying within legal guidelines.
DaFont
DaFont offers a vast collection of fonts in various categories, such as decorative, script, and sans-serif, to meet a wide range of design needs. Users can effortlessly browse the font library, preview how the fonts appear with custom text, and download them with just a few clicks.
With its user-friendly interface and extensive selection, DaFont is a valuable resource for anyone looking to enhance their creative projects with unique typography.
Other resources and marketplaces
You can also obtain fonts from marketplaces and open-source communities. Let’s explore the advantages of doing this and some recommendations.
Marketplaces
When searching for royalty-free fonts in marketplaces, choose reputable platforms like Creative Market or MyFonts. Use filters to find options that allow commercial use, and read the license agreements carefully to understand usage rights and modification rules.
Open-source communities
Using open-source communities like GitHub and The League of Moveable Type is a great way to find royalty-free fonts for your projects. Engaging with the community lets you collaborate, modify fonts, and access updates easily.
Using royalty-free fonts in your designs
You now know where to find royalty-free fonts, but what about putting them to the test? Linearity Curve might be the design software you’re looking for. All our fonts are royalty-free and fully licensed for commercial use, so you can confidently leverage them for any of your design projects. Plus, the license details are clear and easy to understand.
Accessing Fonts
You can browse through all our pre-installed fonts directly in Curve or upload your own custom fonts.
Starting in December, you will also have access to Google Fonts directly within our app. Most of the fonts are royalty-free, but please make sure to verify this by checking the licensing information for each font.
Uploading Fonts
If you want to use a specific font that's not already available in Linearity Curve, you can upload it. Make sure to check the font’s licensing terms to confirm it’s royalty-free and suitable for your project.
The fonts will then be available for all your projects in the software, so you won’t have to worry about uploading them each time you want to use them.
Using Fonts
Once you have access to the fonts, using them in your designs is quite smooth. You can select the desired text layer and choose your font from the fonts menu. Adjust sizes, styles, and weights according to your design needs.
Selecting the right font for your design is easy with the Font Picker feature. You can see a preview of fonts just by placing your cursor over them or using the arrow keys to scroll. This makes it simple to visualize your design and helps you find the perfect look without any hassle.
Customization
Depending on a font’s license, you might have the option to modify it. This means you can tweak the design to better fit your project, ensuring a unique look that aligns with your branding.
Do you want to upload custom fonts from your iPad?
Visit our Academy for a step-by-step tutorial.
Linearity Curve — your one-stop-shop for royalty-free fonts
We hope you found this article helpful in navigating the ethical and legal use of fonts. By understanding the license descriptions, you can make informed decisions. Fonts are such an important part of creating fantastic designs, but using them responsibly is key.
Ready to enhance your designs with unique fonts? Start experimenting with all the fonts available in Linearity Curve and keep your creativity flowing with all our tutorials! Bring your fonts to life with custom animations using Linearity Move. Or start expressing yourself by creating custom fonts in Curve.
Download Linearity for free and start creating commercial designs with unique, royalty-free fonts.
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Adí Aviram
Adí is the SEO and marketing expert at Linearity, and Creative technologist. With expertise in web development, design, and illustration, she writes content on technology, marketing, and design.
