The 100 most admired typefaces of all time. (The 100 Top Typefaces)
Choosing the right typeface is critical to effective design and communication. But choosing from over 100,000 font families can be a daunting task. There are some excellent guides on how to choose a typeface and useful methods for matching fonts, but to apply these principles it is important to know a wide variety of quality fonts. Wouldn’t it be great to start with a list of fonts handpicked by typeface designers?
Ranking fonts is admittedly a difficult task, to say the least… How do you measure aesthetic quality, item usefulness, value to humanity, etc.?
The following list of the 100 best fonts of all time is based on research conducted by FontShop. In this study, FontShop evaluates ranked fonts based on their goals and other objective metrics such as sales volume and bestseller lists. Fonts such as Arial, Verdana, Century Gothic, and Trebuchet
Below is a complete list of the top 100 fonts along with their designers and the year they were designed. (Picked with the help from bonfx 100 best fonts page: The 100 Top Typefaces (in a Huge Sortable Table) | BonFX)
1. Helvetica Typeface
Date: 1957
Type Designer: Max Miedinger
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
2. Garamond Typeface
Date: 1530
Type Designer: Claude Garamond
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style
3. Frutiger Typeface
Date: 1977
Type Designer: Adrian Frutiger
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
4. Bodoni
Date: 1790
Type Designer: Giambattista Bodoni
Category: Serif
Classification: Didone / Modern, Romantic
5. Futura
Date: 1927
Type Designer: Paul Renner
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Geometric Sans-serif
6. Times New Roman
Date: 1931
Type Designer: Stanley Morison
Category: Serif
Classification: Transitional
7. Akzidenz Grotesk
Date: 1966
Type Designer: Gunter Gerhard Lange
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Grotesque
8. Officina
Date: 1990
Type Designer: Erik Spiekermann
Category: Sans-serif, Serif
Classification: Slab serif, Western
9. Gill Sans
Date: 1930
Type Designer: Eric Gill
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
10. Univers
Date: 1954
Type Designer: Adrian Frutiger
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
11. Optima
Date: 1954
Type Designer: Hermann Zapf
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
12. Franklin Gothic
Date: 1903
Type Designer: Morris Fuller Benton
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Grotesque
13. Bembo
Date: 1496
Type Designer: Francesco Griffo
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style
14. Interstate
Date: 1993
Type Designer: Tobias Frere-Jones
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
15. Thesis
Date: 1994
Type Designer: Lucas de Groot
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
16. Rockwell
Date: 1934
Type Designer: Frank H. Pierpont
Category: Serif
Classification: Slab Serif
17. Walbaum
Date: 1800
Type Designer: Justus Walbaum
Category: Serif
Classification: Didone / Modern
18. Meta
Date: 1991
Type Designer: Erik Spiekermann
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
19. Trinité
Date: 1982
Type Designer: Bram De Does
Category: Serif
Classification: Humanist
20. Din
Date: 1926
Type Designer: Ludwig Goller
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
21. Matrix
Date: 1986
Type Designer: Zuzana Licko
Category: Serif
Classification: Didone / Modern, Constructed
22. OCR
Date: 1965
Type Designer: American Type Founders
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Computer Related
23. Avant Garde
Date: 1968
Type Designer: Herb Lubalin
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Geometric Sans-serif
24. Lucida
Date: 1985
Type Designer: Chris Holmes / Charles Bigelow
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
25. Sabon
Date: 1964
Type Designer: Jan Tschichold
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style
26. Zapfino
Date: 1998
Type Designer: Hermann Zapf
Category: Script
Classification: Calligraphic
27. Letter Gothic
Date: 1956
Type Designer: Roger Roberson
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
28. Stone
Date: 1987
Type Designer: Sumner Stone
Category: Sans-serif, Serif, Informal
Classification: Humanist
29. Arnhem
Date: 1998
Type Designer: Fred Smeijers
Category: Serif
Classification: Transitional
30. Minion
Date: 1990
Type Designer: Robert Slimbach
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style
31. Myriad
Date: 1992
Type Designer: Twombly & Slimbach
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
32. Rotis
Date: 1988
Type Designer: Olt Aicher
Category: Sans, Semi-Sans, Serif, Semi-Serif
Classification: Antiqua, Semi-Grotesque, Lineale Humanist
33. Eurostile
Date: 1962
Type Designer: Aldo Novarese
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Geometric Sans-serif
34. Scala
Date: 1991
Type Designer: Martin Majoor
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style, Neohumanist
35. Syntax
Date: 1968
Type Designer: Hans Eduard Meier
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
36. Joanna
Date: 1930
Type Designer: Eric Gill
Category: Serif
Classification: Transitional
37. Fleishmann
Date: 1997
Type Designer: Erhard Kaiser
Category: Serif
Classification: Antiqua
38. Palatino
Date: 1950
Type Designer: Hermann Zapf
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style
39. Baskerville
Date: 1754
Type Designer: John Baskerville
Category: Serif
Classification: Transitional
40. Fedra
Date: 2002
Type Designer: Peter Bil’ak
Category: Sans-serif, Serif
Classification: Humanist
41. Gotham
Date: 2000
Type Designer: Tobias Frere-Jones
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Geometric Sans-serif
42. Lexicon
Date: 1992
Type Designer: Bram De Does
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style
43. Hands
Date: 1991
Type Designer: Letterror
Category: Script
Classification: Casual
44. Metro
Date: 1929
Type Designer: W. A. Dwiggins
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
45. Didot
Date: 1799
Type Designer: Firmin Didot
Category: Serif
Classification: Didone / Modern
46. Formata
Date: 1984
Type Designer: Bernd M llenst dt
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
47. Caslon
Date: 1725
Type Designer: William Caslon
Category: Serif
Classification: Transitional
48. Cooper Black
Date: 1920
Type Designer: Oswald B. Cooper
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style
49. Peignot
Date: 1937
Type Designer: A. M. Cassandre
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Decorative
50. Bell Gothic
Date: 1938
Type Designer: Chauncey H. Griffith
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Grotesque
51. Antique Olive
Date: 1962
Type Designer: Roger Excoffon
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
52. Wilhelm Klingspor Gotisch
Date: 1926
Type Designer: Rudolf Koch
Category: Blackletter
Classification: Medieval / Gothic
53. Info
Date: 1996
Type Designer: Erik Spiekermann
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
54. Dax
Date: 1995
Type Designer: Hans Reichel
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
55. Proforma
Date: 1988
Type Designer: Petr van Blokland
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style
56. Today Sans
Date: 1988
Type Designer: Volker Küster
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
57. Prokyon
Date: 2002
Type Designer: Erhard Kaiser
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
58. Trade Gothic
Date: 1948
Type Designer: Jackson Burke
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Grotesque
59. Swift
Date: 1987
Type Designer: Gerard Unger
Category: Serif
Classification: Didone / Modern
60. Copperplate Gothic
Date: 1901
Type Designer: Frederic W. Goudy
Category: Serif
Classification: Gothic
61. Blur
Date: 1992
Type Designer: Neville Brody
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque / Display
62. Base
Date: 1995
Type Designer: Zuzana Licko
Category: Serif
Classification: Didone / Modern
63. Bell Centennial
Date: 1978
Type Designer: Matthew Carter
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
64. News Gothic
Date: 1908
Type Designer: Morris Fuller Benton
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Grotesque
65. Avenir
Date: 1988
Type Designer: Adrian Frutiger
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Geometric
66. Bernhard Modern
Date: 1937
Type Designer: Lucian Bernhard
Category: Serif
Classification: English Roundhand
67. Amplitude
Date: 2003
Type Designer: Christian Schwartz
Category: Serif
Classification: Grotesque
68. Trixie
Date: 1991
Type Designer: Erik van Blokland
Category: Serif
Classification: Monospaced
69. Quadraat
Date: 1992
Type Designer: Fred Smeijers
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style
70. Neutraface
Date: 2002
Type Designer: Christian Schwartz
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Geometric
71. Nobel
Date: 1929
Type Designer: Sjoerd de Roos
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Geometric
72. Industria
Date: 1990
Type Designer: Neville Brody
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
73. Bickham Script
Date: 1997
Type Designer: Richard Lipton
Category: Script
Classification: Formal
74. Bank Gothic
Date: 1930
Type Designer: Morris Fuller Benton
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Geometric
75. Corporate ASE
Date: 1989
Type Designer: Kurt Weidemann
Category: Sans-serif, Serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque, Old Style, Slab Serif
76. Fago
Date: 2000
Type Designer: Ole Schafer
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
77. Trajan
Date: 1989
Type Designer: Carol Twombly
Category: Serif
Classification: Inscriptional
78. Kabel
Date: 1927
Type Designer: Rudolf Koch
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Geometric
79. House Gothic 23
Date: 1995
Type Designer: Tal Leming
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
80. Kosmik
Date: 1993
Type Designer: Erik van Blokland
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque / Display
81. Caecilia
Date: 1990
Type Designer: Peter Matthias Noordzij
Category: Serif
Classification: Slab Serif
82. Mrs Eaves
Date: 1996
Type Designer: Zuzana Licko
Category: Serif
Classification: Transitional
83. Corpid
Date: 1997
Type Designer: Lucas de Groot
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
84. Miller
Date: 1997
Type Designer: Matthew Carter
Category: Serif
Classification: Transitional, Scotch Roman
85. Souvenir
Date: 1914
Type Designer: Morris Fuller Benton
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style
86. Instant Types
Date: 1992
Type Designer: Just van Rossum
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Grotesque / Display
87. Clarendon
Date: 1845
Type Designer: Benjamin Fox
Category: Serif
Classification: Slab Serif
88. Triplex
Date: 1989
Type Designer: Zuzana Licko
Category: Sans-serif, Serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque, Modern
89. Benguiat
Date: 1989
Type Designer: Ed Benguiat
Category: Serif
Classification: Display
90. Zapf Renaissance
Date: 1984
Type Designer: Hermann Zapf
Category: Serif
Classification: Old Style
91. Filosofia
Date: 1996
Type Designer: Zuzana Licko
Category: Serif
Classification: Didone / Modern
92. Chalet
Date: 1996
Type Designer: House Industries
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Geometric
93. Quay Sans
Date: 1990
Type Designer: David Quay
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Neo-Grotesque
94. Cezanne
Date: 1995
Type Designer: Michael Want, James Grieshaber
Category: Script
Classification: Casual
95. Reporter
Date: 1938
Type Designer: Carlos Winkow
Category: Script
Classification: Casual
96. Legacy
Date: 1992
Type Designer: Ronald Arnholm
Category: Sans-serif, Serif
Classification: Old Style
97. Agenda
Date: 1993
Type Designer: Greg Thompson
Category: Sans-serif
Classification: Humanist
98. Bello
Date: 2004
Type Designer: Underware
Category: Script
Classification: Casual
99. Dalliance
Date: 2000
Type Designer: Frank Heine
Category: Serif, Script
Classification: Old Style
100. Mistral
Date: 1953
Type Designer: Roger Excoffon
Category: Script
Classification: Casual
