The art nouveau period (1890-1910) is one of my favorite periods of art and the decorative arts. That is why I love art nouveau fonts. I like to think of art nouveau as an elegant rebellion. In a time of industrialization and mass-production, this artistic movement challenged the idea that something that served a function couldn’t also be ornate and beautiful.
Elements of Art Nouveau
Art nouveau is about artistry and craftsmanship. It incorporates natural forms and elements. It plays with movement, especially through line work known as whiplash lines, which are the classic flowing, organic lines found in art nouveau art and architecture.
This 1895 illustration by Lily Lewis Rood and Ethel Reed is a good example of art nouveau typography and natural elements.
Using Art Nouveau Typography Today
It seems vintage- and retro-inspired typography is having a moment right now. While many art nouveau-inspired fonts are going to be display fonts, which means you will want to use them sparingly, art nouveau typography can be used to set a sophisticated and whimsical vibe that will add a dash of elegance to your branding and web design.
Free vs. Paid Fonts
In this round-up, I have included both free and paid art nouveau-inspired fonts. There is nothing wrong with using free fonts, especially when you are first starting your website or branding process. Free fonts can help you figure out your design direction. They are also good to use if you want to add some variety to your social media designs.
Paid fonts can really take your design to the next level. It is worth investing in a paid font if you are creating a logo, a stationary suite for a client, product label design, a slideshow presentation, or other important branding elements.
Regardless of whether you choose a free or paid font, be sure to check the license of the font so you aren’t infringing on the creator’s copyright. Some free fonts are only free for personal use, and some paid fonts can only be used up to x amount of webpage views, or just in an ePub. Always check the license!
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Paid Fonts
These paid fonts span the gamut from authentic art nouveau to more clearly art nouveau-inspired.
Borest Art Nouveau Font
Powered by Creative MarketThe Borest sans serif font is an elegant, crisp font that has the right mix of whimsy and refinement. Depending on the graphical elements used in tandem with this font, it seems malleable enough to be used for either art nouveau or art deco vibes.
Rothe Vintage Art Nouveau Font
Powered by Creative MarketThe Rothe font embraces the whiplash line elements of art nouveau. It is bold and ornate, and would work well for branding that is classic, and wants to be intentional in emitting turn-of-the-twentieth century vibes, such as a barber shop or a repair shop.
Elodie Art Nouveau All-Caps Font
Powered by Creative MarketI am not sure why, but the Elodie font makes me think of art nouveau fairies dancing around stone ruins. It is stylish with a hint of boho vibes, and is very true to the nouveau era.
De Arloy Art Nouveau Typeface
Powered by Creative MarketThe De Arloy Typeface is another close replica of an authentic art nouveau style of typography. In many different use cases, this font will let you time travel to a different era. I think vintage fonts juxtaposed with modern design elements and uses can be a strong way to differentiate your branding.
Bundle of Six Vintage Art Nouveau Typefaces
Powered by Creative MarketI love buying bundles of design assets, especially font bundles. It is a good way to get a variety of premium options to use, while having a consistent, cohesive look. This bundle of six vintage-inspired fonts is a good balance of strong and subtle vintage-inspired typography. It allows you the versatility you may need for different use cases.
Bundle of Four Nouveau-Inspired Fonts
Powered by Creative MarketThis versatile font bundle includes a couple of nouveau-inspired fonts, an art deco font, and an elegant script font that could be perceived as vintage-inspired. Bundles like this are a great way to see if your branding should skew more deco or more nouveau.
Free Fonts
Free fonts are awesome to add to your typographical arsenal. As a designer or DIYer, trust me when I say you can never have too many fonts in your toolbox! When looking for good examples of free art nouveau fonts, I tried to find ones that were free for commercial use.
Runy Tunes Revisited Art Nouveau Font
The Runy Tunes Revisited font, in my opinion, sits right on the line between deco and nouveau. It is a traditional, stark, all-caps font that will allow your project to emote early-twentieth century vintage vibes.
Soria Art Nouveau Font
I love this Soria font. It is subtly nouveau-inspired, and isn’t too ostentatious. It is the right balance of style and legibility that can be hard to find, especially when you are looking for a stylish font for your website.
This is so legible that I would even say it could be used for H1 or H2 level web headings and even social media graphics. I am definitely adding Soria to my toolbox.
Znikomit No. 24 Art Nouveau Font
Znikomit No. 24 is unique font. It is different. To me, it is a subtle nod to the embellishments often seen in art nouveau.
Nickley NF Art Nouveau Font
Nickley NF is similar to Runy Tunes Revisited in that it is stark and aggressively stylized, but still true to the era.
So What Are Your Thoughts?
Which of these art nouveau-inspired fonts, free or paid, is your favorite? Have you used vintage-inspired fonts in your designs before? How would you use these fonts?
Let me know in the comments what you think.
As always, thanks for reading Domains and Champagne!
Laurence G Tilley says
Thanks very much for this, the Nickley NF font was just what I needed.