Appreciation post: I was wrong about paying for a font subscription

For years I thought paying for fonts was a waste, I just used free ones or the basics that came with my software. Then I took on a project for a small coffee shop in my town and the free fonts just looked cheap. I bit the bullet and got a month of a big font library for about $30. Having access to that many typefaces with different weights and styles completely changed the project. I found a perfect serif for the logo and a clean sans for the menu that worked together in a way I couldn't have done before. It saved me hours of searching sketchy free sites and the client loved the professional feel. Honestly, it felt like unlocking a new part of my design toolkit. Has anyone else had a project totally turned around by investing in better type?

3 comments

3 Comments

jackson.sarah2mo agoMost Upvoted

What about all the great free fonts out there?

ruby_grant2mo ago

Saw a graphic designer on YouTube say some free fonts have hidden licensing issues. You have to check if they're really free for commercial work. Got burned once using a "free" font for a client project.

uma_lopez13d ago

Play full devil's advocate here - free fonts have been working just fine for tons of successful projects. That coffee shop probably would have loved the design just as much with a solid free option, you just had to find the right one. Thirty bucks a month adds up fast if you're not careful, especially when great free typefaces like those from Google Fonts exist with no hidden catches.