Top 10 Vintage and Retro Fonts

Vintage design is always in fashion, thanks to the elegant and nostalgic feeling it immediately evokes. The popularity of all things vintage and retro is evident in everything from collectors items to classic film-inspired design, and this is no different in the world of fonts and typefaces. 

We’ve talked about Retro Design Trends in their own right as well as looked at the Best Retro and Vintage Design Templates to get you started, and now it’s time for vintage fonts to have their moment.

To start with, what is a vintage font? From sweet vintage script fonts to gothic vintage cursive fonts, there are plenty of styles to choose from. Vintage styles can lend themselves to authenticity, playfulness and, of course, each comes with its own subtle or overt connotations. The style you go for depends on the needs of your design. 

Popularity has been rising steadily; retro and ‘80s styles both made appearances in our wrap up of Best Font Designs for 2020. Thanks to a continued resurgence in nostalgic design in general, the history and background of many of these styles now sees them used more and more cleverly.

Thankfully, there are a wealth of free vintage fonts available to download on Envato Elements! But before you get exploring, let’s take a look at our pick of 10 top vintage styles.

The Crow – Vintage Style Fonts by cruzine is an example of classic, lost-in-the-woods gothic aesthetic. With a feel of Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow and wood textures that give a nod to Southern Gothic, this package includes eight vintage styles featuring a custom serif font. (For more on cinematic fonts, check out our pick of best movie fonts as well as what makes for the best movie poster font.)

When you think of early 20th century advertising, it’s easy to conjure up an image of a housewife extolling the virtues of a new appliance, or a working glass man, sleeves rolled up, selling you his favorite cold drink. With such a rich and evocative history, these styles provide the perfect opportunity for satirical or cheeky messaging. Ramsay Retro Script by cruzine is inspired by exactly this style of vintage, and featuring casual brush styles and a swashes font, it makes achieving this look a cinch. 

Nothing says long summer days and carefree nights like a ‘70s bubble font. Routhers Retro + Extrude by saridezra gives you all you need to recreate this feeling – instantly bringing to mind ice-cold Sunny Boys at the beach – especially suited to music or event branding. 

Bold and rough, Mutiara Vintage by Lostvoltype is simple in style and big on impact. Ideal for food and drink related content and product promotion, and with a style suited to magazine editorial, this package is also flexible across languages. 

For a retro feel with a slick and classy finish, Carters by swistblnk is great for projects that need a subtle hand for understated impact. With a New York City cafe and restaurant feel, this pack features a range of regular and shadow/drop shadow options, making it suitable for headlines and signs, as well as logotypes and merchandise.

Cambridge – Bold Decorative Gothic Font by naulicrea is the quintessential gothic font. At a glance, it conjures images of towering cathedrals, arrowlike spires and glinting silver swords. This classic medieval style is especially well suited to games and books, or brands with a historical-twist in their stories. 

For a package that packs a punch, look no further than this one – The Douglas Collections by adamfathony includes a whopping 12 handmade font files, 25 detailed illustrations, 24 editable text logos and 36 shape badges. This makes it especially handy for creating product labels and merchandise.

Rockinsoda by Holismjd uses a child-like handwriting style to lend a fun and playful feel to your work, reminiscent of frothy milkshakes and colorful bar stools at a diner. It’s great for print or video, with a fast-paced and light-hearted edge to convey your brand story or message.

Travelling across Europe in the last century feels like the epitome of glamour, and brings to mind travel with wide sun hats, silky gloves and brown leather suitcases in tow. For a vintage style that conjures up the romance of the ‘Grand Tour’, look to Fonseca | art deco font family pack by nasir-udin, a modern sans serif inspired by art deco geometric forms.

Burtons by amsupply features a chunky bold serif paired with a complementary script font. The contrast between the two can quickly and easily create interest in headlines or logos, as well as a nostalgic feel, something like your local shop back in the day. This pack is especially well suited to greeting cards, event invites, and letterheads.

If you’re now feeling inspired, you can check out another 33 Stylish Vintage Fonts over on Envato Tuts+. If vintage isn’t quite what you were looking for, head back for a look over our predictions of Top 10 Best New Fonts For Your 2021 Design Toolbox to find what suits your current project. 

To browse ‘til inspiration finds you, also take a look at this guide to some of the Free Files on Elements, or head straight to Envato Elements to subscribe and unlock even more. And to keep up-to-date with all things marketing and font trends, don’t forget to subscribe to the Envato YouTube channel.