I used a free font for a client logo and it looked cheap next to a paid one

I was working on a logo for a local bakery and tried a free script font I found online. It looked okay on my screen. Then I showed it to the client next to a mock-up I made with a $35 paid font from a real foundry. The difference was HUGE. The paid font had perfect curves and consistent weight, while the free one looked wobbly and thin in places. The client picked the paid one in two seconds. For something as important as a logo, is a free font ever the right call? When do you think it's okay to save money on type?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_barnes3717d ago

Oh man, this reminds me of a design blog I read that called free fonts "costume jewelry." Fine for a quick party flyer, but not for the main brand piece. That bakery logo is their face for years, so the wobbles in a free font just scream amateur. I'd only grab a free one for a tiny internal project that nobody will really see.

shane_ross17d ago

Nah, that's a snobby take. I've seen plenty of free fonts with way more character than the boring stuff you pay for. A lot of them are just old typefaces that went public domain, so they're actually classic designs. It's about picking the right one and knowing how to use it, not the price tag.