Typography Trends 2017

At Envato, we see a lot of fonts.

While we’re working on web designs, or reviewing the typeface library of over 1,000 fonts on Envato Elements, we start to notice a few trends.

Based on what we’ve seen so far this year, here’s our picks for the best trends and styles for font design: 

In 2007, the documentary Helvetica detailed the history of Helvetica in design. It’s a classic, never-fail font – or is it boring and overused?

This year, we’re seeing simple, Helvetica-inspired styles with a twist, like Lorano (pictured above) and Pine Font.

Not only does big text size increase accessibility in designs, but it’s also bold and eye-catching. When in doubt, just try scaling up a few sizes.

Geometric, playful design has dominated many aspects of design this year, including fashion, interior design – and typography. It’s a fun, almost primary-school vibe that adds a retro element to any design. (Image: Median layer).

If you’re looking for the top trend right now, we suggest going the hand-drawn route. “It makes my works look natural – it’s as if I make the writing by my hand, instead of some computer font,” writes one of our designers. And it’s not just for fashion bloggers – from watercolor details to graffiti-style designs, the hand-drawn look is one we’re seeing all around the web.

Want to be seen as trustworthy and reliable? According to a study done a few years ago, the answer might be to use a serif font. The category of ‘decorative serifs’ keep this look from being too traditional. (Pictured: Kingston).

Much like the brutalist-inspired style of using contrasting colors and nontraditional color palettes, using two web fonts that wouldn’t traditionally wouldn’t be paired together is a good way to get the attention of your audience – like Travel Soulmate, a ‘delightful font duo’ of script and serif (above). Try combinations like serif + sans serif, handwritten + monotype, or condensed + expanded, or bold + thin. There are no rules.

Discover the latest typography trends with our font trends 2019 and font trends 2020.