Mid Century Modern Fonts: 15 Fonts in the 1950s and 60s Style

Quik has the shapes of letters written with a marker, with the slight unevenness of a hand-lettered ad headline. It has three forms each of a and e, two of g, and seven ampersands, so repeated letters in a word can each look a little different. For food, crafts, music and anything with a retro advertising look.

Skay is a caps-only font with round, blunt stroke ends. The letters are hand-drawn rather than geometric: the M and W are wide, the S and E narrow, and strokes cross loosely in the K and X. In Black the counters close up and the letters almost touch. Three stylistic sets have other forms of A, B, D, M, O and R. For logos and short lines on menus, labels and posters.

Cesty has thick curves, thin joins and rounded, tapered ends, close to the hand-drawn headlines of 1950s ads and menus. It has swash capitals and four styles each of a and g. For logos, posters, packaging and menus.

Scal is the closest in this list to Futura. The a and o are round, the A, M, N, V and W have pointed tips, and the C, G and S have sharp cuts. The light weights work for longer text, the heavy weights for headlines. For magazines, fashion labels and restaurants.

Anky is a geometric sans-serif with a round o and closed apertures, so letters like c, e and s curl in at the ends. Stylistic sets have a second a and other forms for G, R, U and Y. For headlines and text, signs and editorial work.

Acme has a round o and open apertures, and its terminals are slightly long and cut at a slant. That keeps it crisp but a little friendly. Four stylistic sets include a second a and other forms of E, F, Q and R. For tech and design brands, signage and text.

Geo is built from circles and straight lines, with a constructed, modular look. Stylistic sets have three styles of A and V and two of R and U, so a headline can go from strict to playful. For branding and headlines.

Slim is a narrow sans-serif with round dots on the i and j. Its skinny letters fit long words into small spaces, from magazine pages and reports to packaging. Nine stylistic sets add other forms of letters and numbers, and arrows. For startups, food and beauty brands.

Desk is an extended sans-serif: its o is wider than it is tall. The wide, squared letters are close to the 1960s lettering of Eurostile. A stylistic set has second forms for A, G, M, O and Q. For tech, beauty and fashion headlines.

Bitec Sans has squarish curves, open letters and enlarged dots on the i. Stylistic sets add a second a and other forms of M and t. It works for logos and headlines and stays clear in text. For architecture studios, magazine headers and tech brands.

Byrl has wide geometric capitals, an o wider than it is tall, and ascenders that stop at cap height. In Thin a title looks light, in Black one word fills a line. For logos and headings in tech, fashion and sports.

Walnuss is an expanded serif with short, sharp serifs, and its o is wider than it is tall. Some inner stems are rounded, which gives it a slightly organic feel. Wide serifs like this suit headlines in the style of 1960s print ads and book covers. For headlines, logos and book covers.

Roma is a humanist sans-serif with stroke contrast on a geometric frame. Like Optima, it sits between a sans and a serif. It has many alternates, among them five forms of e, three of g and y, and four ampersands, plus an italic. For fashion, beauty and wellness brands.

Ques is an extended sans-serif with high contrast, and its stems flare out into small, serif-like tips. Hermann Zapf’s Optima, from 1958, uses flared stems in a similar way. For beauty and fashion labels, florists and stationery.

Nano is a slab serif whose letters look evenly spaced, like typewriter type. Sharp, geometric details keep it clean. Five stylistic sets have other forms for many letters, including three forms of a. For tech and science brands, architects and magazine covers.