Worship Media Arts

While other types of fonts such as grunge and script fonts seem to get all the glory, block fonts are as important if not more to graphic design. Blocky doesn’t have to mean boring, though you have to choose wisely when using them. Here are 20 of the best block fonts on my system:

1. Ambient  Cost: Free  http://www.dafont.com/
I’ve had this one in my collection for a long time. I don’t use it often, but every now and then it’s a good choice.

2. Bank Gothic Medium  Cost:Free  http://www.font-zone.com/
For the longest time this was my favorite font. I still like it, but it’s feeling a little older to me. I’ve seen a lot of local news stations use this font in onscreen graphics and lower thirds. It also happens to be the font the Chipotle restaurant chain uses, so it gets lots of points for that alone.

3. Bodega Sans Medium  Cost: $40  http://new.myfonts.com/
Extra value meal anyone? This font was made popular by McDonalds on their extra value meal menus. They still use this font for that purpose. It has a unique feel and is very narrow which comes in very handy sometimes.

4. Clicker  Cost: $40  http://www.fonts.com/findfonts/detail.htm?pid=409165
This font is in my collection for one reason; I had to do a CSI parody once and this is the same font they use for that show. For that reason, I try to avoid it, but every now and then it works. It’s “pill-shaped” design gives it a distinctive look that works well for techno looking designs.

5. Century Gothic  Cost: Free  http://www.font-zone.com/download.php?fid=3078
This font has a classy feel that many block fonts don’t. I especially love the way this font looks in all caps. The characters have a very balanced look about them. Best of all it’s free.

6. Compacta Bold Italic  Cost: Free http://www.fontyukle.com/
I’ve had this one almost from the I began designing. It’s a great choice for sports oriented design work.

7. Eurostile  Cost: Free  http://www.WebpagePublicity.com/
I can’t fully articulate why, but I love the look of this font. The shape of the “o”s, “e”s and other normally rounded characters have a unique look that is boxy with rounded edges. The bold version is also very nice.

8. Fraklin Gothic Demi Regular  Cost: $20 http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/urw/franklin-gothic/t-demi/
This font has been around since 1902 which makes it a classic. As old as it is, it still remains a high profile font as it’s used in everything from books, to billboards, magazines to television. It’s most famous use was for the test crawl in Star Wars. That’s probably why I like it so much.

9. Gill Sans Regular  Cost: $30 http://www.fonts.com/
At first glance Gill Sans looks a lot like a standard Arial or Helvetica type font, but looking a little closer reveals a style that has it’s own nuances. It has a somewhat playful feel, but it’s not over the top.

10. Gotham HTF Bold Cost: $169 (with 7 other fonts) http://typography.com/
This is probably my favorite font as of this writing. It is being used everywhere right now (usually in all caps). Unfortunately, it comes with a hefty price tag that would make it unobtainable for most designers. I wouldn’t have if it were for a freelance job that had already used it prior to my joining the project. If you can swing it, it’s an awesome font!

11. Helvetica Condensed Black  Cost: $30  http://www.fonts.com/
Helvetica is as old as the hills, but sometimes it’s the perfect choice. I like to used this condensed/black version sometimes when I need something simple. This comes in handy when you need something that looks generic.

12. Impact Cost: Free (it should be on your system)
Impact? Really? This list would have been 19 Awesome Block fonts and that sounds less cool, but seriously, for a system font it’s not too hateful. I actually used it recently for the production logo for a television show on Fox. Nothing fit quite as well.

13. ITC Officina Sans Book Bold  Cost: Free  http://www.fontyukle.com/
Back in the 90s, this font was hot. I don’t use it that much anymore, but it’s nice to have as it’s easy to read while still being well designed.

14. IvyLeague-Solid  Cost: Free  http://www.fontemple.com/
There’s no better font for capturing that high school or college lettering feel. This font also works well with marching band, and football. It’s not an every day use font, but it comes in handy for special uses.

15. Klavika Bold  Cost: $75  http://new.myfonts.com/
If you’re into social networking you should recognize this font. It’s the same font used for the Facebook logo. That’s probably why it’s so expensive. This font has the perfect combination of boxiness and curviness.

16. Myriad Bold  Cost: $35  http://www.linotype.com/
Myriad bold is a really solid well designed font. It’s not real flashy, but makes an impression. It is, in fact, the font behind our Midnight Oil Logo. The Myriad family was created by Adobe, and is often bundled with software. If you own Adobe programs, you may already have it!

17. Roadgeek Series F  Cost: Free (non commercial)  http://www.fontspace.com/
Ever need to build graphic road signs? This font was created to mimic the look of the lettering on those green overhead interstate signs. This font and it’s siblings are really cool and while the design was intended to recreate the look of road signs, I’ve found it to be a good choice for other purposes. Check out the whole set at the link above, and be sure to read the license.

18. Star Jedi  Cost: Free   http://www.dafont.com/
While I may never get to use this font, I love Star Wars and that’s enough to keep it in my font folder. It’s free too!

19. SF Movie Poster  Cost: Free  http://www.dafont.com/
I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of this font. It’s designed to look like the credit block text on movie posters. Finding well designed readable

20. Triplex Bold  Cost: $39  http://www.emigre.com/
This is a different take on the block font that I really like. The angular feel of many of the characters gives it a very unique look. I really like the caps on this font as well.

How about you? What are some of your favorite block fonts?