Not too long ago, I invited you guys to submit designs for the Top-Notch Type series ( I am 100% still accepting designs so send them my way ). This week I will be showing off my favorite entry so far – It’s by a designer friends of mine, Star St.Germain. I met Star in Palm Springs at a design retreat. She is smart, strong, and passionate about what she does so I was honored that she sent us a font.

A few words about her font: “I adore vintage type, and this one hits all my retro-love buttons! It comes in 2 styles (round & sharp) with an oblique version of both. The upper and lowercase characters are both in caps, but the crossbars on the uppercase are at an angle. You can choose just how slanty you want it just by switching cases. The type designer has also released a big-brother to this font called Bourbon. While Bourbon is a premium font, it’s inexpensive enough to give you more options than Moonshiner without breaking the budget.”

Font: Moonshiner
Number of styles: 4 (round, round oblique, sharp, sharp oblique)
Designer: Mattox Shuler
Get it here: Dribbble

Calling ALL Type Lovers!! I am officially opening up Top-Notch Type to anyone who wants to take a stab at it. I have started inviting designers that I admire to join in -BUT- I would also love to hear from you guys!! You don’t have to be a graphic designer to participate – you just have to love type and be able to visually create something that shows it off – easy enough! Each week, I am going to pick my favorite submission and feature it here on the blog! I am so excited to see what you guys come up with so bring it on!! -Emma

What To Include In Your Submission:
01. Find a free font that you love & want to share!

02. Use it in a design! It can be a quote, a fake logo, anything you like… Feel free to show the entire alphabet typed out too. We want to see all those gorgeous characters ( my posts are sized at 600 pixels wide ).

03. Write about why you selected & love the font.

04. Provide this info:
( see other posts if you need clarity on any of this )
Font: –
Number of styles: –
Classification: –
Designer: –
Get it here: –

Email them to: design@emmadime.com
That’s it. Have fun and good-luck.

Hey Everyone! Now that Eva has sadly left the column, I decided to invite a few guest type lovers to show us what they’ve got. I found this week’s designer, Jonathan Lawrence, on Dribbble and knew he would kill it! ( …and he did, of coarse ) One of my favorite projects that he’s worked on is this one, for Richard Photo Lab. Talk about taking a logo and making it come to life. Bravo Jon! Keep it up.

 
“I probably dislike 95% of the free fonts out there. Finding one that has quality and consistency in all it’s characters can be pretty challenging. That being said, I really like this font, Hello Denver, designed by Good Apples. It’s got a nice, strong industrial feel to it. A little vintage, a little modern, something you’d see on the side of a train. It’s difficult to read at small sizes, and not available in small caps, but still really nice for display text, headlines, or any large details.” -Jonathan Lawrence

Font: Hello Denver
Number of styles: 2
Classification: Sans serif / Stencil / Display / All Caps
Designer: Good Apples
Get it here: Hello Denver

Hey Top Notch Type followers!! Eva here, I want to thank you all for being avid type lovers for the past year! But unfortunately, #38 will be my last. Fear not, Emma will carry on this amazing column so it won’t be going anywhere, we can assure you that. I’ve had so much fun finding new fonts each (& every other) week. It was a great way to create without boarders. This may be the end for me, but there will always be new (free) fonts to be found!  -Eva Black

This week’s font : Carto Gothic
Number of styles : 4
Classification : Sans Serif
Designer : FontSite
Get it here —> : FontSite.com

Hey-o! Emma here. I’m taking over for this week :) Enjoy!!!!

This week’s font : Berenis ADF Pro
Number of styles : 4
Classification : Serif
Publisher : Arkandis Digital Foundry
Get it here —> : 1001 Fonts

There is something great about a solid, condensed sans serif. Don’t you agree? There are a lot of great options but only few are free. So it’s always exciting to come across a beautiful free one! They stand tall and strong – they often pack a punch. It’s a great option for logos, title fonts, and really, anything you need to stand out! And League Gothic will do just that. -Eva Black

This week’s font : League Gothic
Number of styles : 4
Classification : Sans Serif
Designer : The League of Moveable Type
Get it here —> : 1001 Fonts

Lemons everywhereeee – all of the trees are covered in them! Is it bad that I pick one every now and again on my walk home? Sorry neighbors! I thought I woud pair my love for lemons this week with this semi-serif font, Banda. It’s simple yet memorable because of it’s small rounded details. I am only showing of Banda Regular here ( it’s the only weight that is free to download ) BUT, it has 7 weights total that are all equally as great. Head on over to Type Depot to see it in all its glory. -Emma

This week’s font : Banda
Number of styles : 14
Classification : Semi-Serif
Designers : Alexander Nedelev & Veronika Slavova
Get it here —> : Type Depot

There’s nothing like the beauty of each individual letterform. How often do we really stop and study each form? I was quickly inspired to do so when sharing this week’s Top-Notch Type, Gravitas One. Beautiful bold serifs always have the best letterforms with their varying weights and details! When you’re searching for fonts next time, look for those special characteristics that stand out! -Eva Black

This week’s font : Gravitas One
Number of styles : 1
Classification : Display Serif
Designer : Sorkin Type Co
Get it here —> : Font Squirrel

I haven’t shared many script fonts with you because frankly, there aren’t a lot of great + free options. I came across this one, “Grand Hotel,” while researching for todays Top-Notch Type and thought it was a perfect option. And really, I think we a can all be reminded to ‘Take It Easy,’ I know I need to sometimes! Do you guys have any favorite free, script typefaces? -Eva Black

This week’s font : Grand Hotel
Number of styles : 1
Classification : Script
Designer : Astigmatic
Get it here —> : FontSquirrel

How appropriate is this quote right now? The majority of the country is having some kind of below freezing temperatures. Although the same can’t be said for Southern California, we had what some people called ‘freezing’ weather last week. This quote reminds us to always keep a little bit of summer with us, whether this means retreating to the warmth, dreaming of days ahead, or keeping our hearts warm. And what a better way to pair a piece of history ( Henry David Thoureau ) with a font named after another important person in history — Abraham Lincoln. -Eva Black

This week’s font : Abraham Lincoln
Number of styles : 1
Classification : Tall, Skinny, Serif
Designer : Frances Macleod
Get it here —> : Lost Type