Perfect Fonts for Magazine Covers
A well-chosen typeface can pull together a magazine cover, and make it instantly attractive, contemporary and relevant.
Scroll down to discover some of the best fonts beloved by stylish, design-forward publications.
1. Fonts for…Fashion Covers
Fashion magazines, aimed at both men and women, use typefaces that are elegant, stylish and cool. Scroll down for our pick of some of the best cover fonts coveted by high-end fashion and lifestyle titles.
To imitate the classic, elegant type look of L’Officiel, turn to ever-faithful Didot (try out Linotype Didot Headline Roman for your magazine title), or Theano Didot for a free, hard-to-tell-the-difference alternative.
UK-published Porter magazine has a similarly classic, high-end look across its typography. This is a custom font, tailored specially for the title, but you can steal the look with Monotype Modern.
Sometimes a traditional serif font won’t communicate the feel of a fashion title that’s more experimental and anarchic. Take a leaf out of Interview‘s book, and try Still Time to mimic the look of their custom font BaronMTModern.
Esquire is a great example of a magazine that experiments with typefaces in a way that never feels overdone—it’s always cool, stylish and contemporary. To mimic the famous ‘Esquire’ title font, try out Esquivel, a retro tribute to the title’s carefree, scripted type style.
The magazine also likes to build contrast on their covers with ultra-clean sans serifs, like Brandon Text, or EmBauhaus. The publication also often uses Mercury Text on some of their covers, alongside their custom font Granger for sub-headings.
2. Fonts for…Entertainment & Pop Culture Covers
Fashion magazines, aimed at both men and women, use typefaces that are elegant, stylish and cool. Scroll down for our pick of some of the best cover fonts coveted by high-end fashion and lifestyle titles.
Empire‘s title typeface has undergone a recent makeover, but the classic version of the title is based on Relay; try out Relay Bold for size. Look to EE Kaffeesatz for a funkier version, which is closer in style to the newer headline type.
While Billboard‘s logo was given a brand refresh in 2013 using a custom typeface design, you can give your own entertainment covers Billboard-worthy flair with Lyon Display and attention-grabbing Ziggurat.
To make a strong, urban-inspired statement like Complex magazine, Plastik Alternate is the way to go.
3. Fonts for…Commentary & Business Covers
Commentary and business magazines used to look dull, but recent years has seen an impressive design overhaul at a number of traditional, heavy-weight titles. Look to modern serif typefaces for type that’s serious with edge.
Even if Forbes gets playful with typefaces for subheadings on their iconic covers, the classic masthead still remains intact. Buenard Bold is a great free alternative to the modified version of Publico Headline Bold used by the publication.
The New York Times Magazine masthead logo has very recently (February 2015) undergone a subtle transformation, but the gothic roots of its type style remain intact. English Towne is a fabulous free font that is a fitting tribute to NY Times Magazine‘s nod to classic, old-world type design.
To give your magazine cover an elegant, Art Deco-inspired masthead, take a leaf out of The New Yorker‘s book and try out the commercial version of their custom typeface, New Yorker Type.
4. Fonts for…Lifestyle & Technology Covers
While fashion covers need to look commercial and aspirational, and business covers need to look serious, lifestyle covers tend to have a more design-forward aesthetic. Their fonts of choice often follow suit, favoring clean, modern type styles.
Wallpaper* magazine is known for its cutting-edge approach to magazine design, and only ultra-expensive Lexicon would suffice for its main masthead. Jannon Sans is a respectable alternative, with a similarly clean, serif style.
For a stylish, clean type that will suit interiors and design magazines like dwell, look to Trade Gothic (dwell’s masthead is a manipulation of this), or the free and fantastic Franklin Gothic FS.
Wired uses an eclectic mic of typefaces to create their quirky header, including Exchange and Brandon Text. Imitate the look by mixing a futuristic, tech-forward font like Museo Sans with a confident serif like FF Scala OT Bold.
Discover even more great fonts for magazine design here, or head straight to our Inspiration page to get your creative juices flowing.