18 Free Fonts With Special Characters (02/2018 Edition)

I don't think anyone would say that there were too few fonts on the web. The opposite is the case; they are a dime a dozen. The problem is that most of them don't support special characters for various languages. All of the following fonts do just that.

Adam.CG Pro by Shrenik Ganatra

Adam.CG Pro is a sans serif font from the digital quill of the Indian designer Shrenik Ganatra. Since it only provides capital letters, it is not a good choice for paragraphs, but rather for headlines.

License: free to use for personal purposes, a paid commercial license is available
Download: Adam.CG Pro

Mosk Typeface by Iulian Maftei

Mosk is a member of the sans serif family as well and only had lower case letters at first. These were edited to create capital letters. Now, it's a very consistent, modern, and elegant font.

License: No license declared, but the font is labeled as free
Download: Mosk Typeface

Butler by Fabian De Smet

If you do want a font with serifs, you should take a look at Butler. There are 14 different versions of it, including seven stencil versions. Butler comes with 334 characters in total. The included variety of different glyphs allow for unique typographies.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Butler

Jaapokki by Mikko Nuuttila

Jaapokki by Mikko Nuuttila from Finland is one of the unique fonts of this small compilation. Aside from the pretty, but rather conventional version, Jaapokki also provides the two alternatives Subtract and Enhance. Subtract forgoes some font elements, while Enhance adds some.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Jaapokki

Blenda Script by Seniors Studio

Blenda Script is a vintage font that can be heavily customized via several stylish alternatives, allowing users to create very different results. It's a reliable way to set yourself apart from the rest.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Blenda Script

Kino 40 by les83machines .

Kino 40 takes you back to the days of silent films. Although, if I remember correctly, I have still seen movie posters on the cinemas of the eighties. Either way, Kino 40 offers lots of retro charm and works well with the current duotone trend.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Kino 40

Akrobat by Fontfabric

The free font "Akrobat" by Fontfabric is a modern sans serif with geometrical, but compact proportions. It is entirely free, including commercial usage, and its eight different versions all support special characters, including 500 glyphs.

The download of all eight versions is done in the OpenType (.otf) format. It doesn't come with web fonts. I highly recommend downloading "Akrobat."

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Akrobat

Sophia by Emily Spadoni

"Sophia" is a hand-lettered script in the brush look, which doesn't support all special characters, but at least, provides some. The download package contains a total of three fonts. Aside from the main fonts, you also get two variants called "Sophia Right" and "Sophia Left." These allow you to make your words start and end with ornaments.

Apart from the fonts in the formats TrueType (.ttf) and OpenType (.otf), the download also includes web fonts in the WOFF and WOFF2 format. "Sophia" definitely belongs in your designer toolbox.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Sophia

Tuna by Felix Braden and Alex Rütten

"Tuna" is a serif font made by the two German designers Felix Braden and Alex Rütten. It consists of five different versions, with the "Tuna Medium," and its italic version "Medium Italic" being usable for free.

Those that want all version and all of their variants can buy the package via MyFonts for about 220 Euro. Other combinations are also possible. If you're interested, check out the information at MyFonts. This is also where you find the two free versions "Tuna Medium" and "Tuna Italic," both unmistakably labeled with 0 Euro.

Felix and Alex market their fonts very professionally, as shown by the very detailed, and appealing microsite on "Tuna."

The free offer does not include the web fonts. You get two separate Zips with the respective font in the formats TrueType (.ttf) and OpenType (.otf). The fonts can be used in both personal and commercial projects.

I don't think I need to mention that a font from Germany supports the German special characters, but "Tuna" is also a good choice for all Western, Eastern, and Central European special characters.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Tuna on Behance | Tuna on MyFonts | Tuna Microsite

Cooper Hewitt by Chester Jenkins

As part of the redesign of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, an own font called "Cooper Hewitt" was created. The designer Chester Jenkins designed a modern sans serif, fully free to use as open source. The font is available as TrueType (.ttf), OpenType (.otf), and even as a web font.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Cooper Hewitt

Kolikö by Alex Frukta

"Kolikö" by Alex Frukta is no brand new type either. However, it is great for animations and other full-video projects. In that regard, it is predestinated for the increasingly more popular functional animations of modern websites.

"Kolikö" is a sans serif with geometrical shapes. It is provided in three versions as a package of TrueType (.ttf) and web font in the WOFF format. The process is taken care of via Gumroad.

"Kolikö" supports national special characters. Alex Frukta provides the font as freeware for free usage in both personal and commercial projects.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Kolikö

Frutilla by Ian Mikraz

"Frutilla" by the graphic designer Ian Mikras is a script font that will make every calligrapher shed tears of joy. Due to its extravagant lines, it is not a good choice for continuous text, but it can shine on every poster or banner, as long as the topic is fitting.

"Frutilla" is distributed as TrueType (.ttf) and OpenType (.otf). The process takes place via Gumroad. In the OpenType variant, "Frutilla" offers 277 glyphs, and 86 alternative characters. The German special characters are fully supported, and there are no restrictions regarding usage. "Frutilla" can be used for commercial purposes as well.

Ian Mikraz offers more free fonts on his site. Definitely, check it out.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Frutilla

Black Animal by Faisal Tanjung

"Black Animal" by Faisal Tanjung is a brush font. The letters look as if they were drawn with a rough brush. These fonts are excellent choices for striking slogans, posters, merchandise, and other purposes where bold typography matters.

"Black Animal" comes as TrueType (.ttf) and OpenType (.otf). The OpenType comes with an addition called "Black Animal Swash." The process is handled via Sellfy. Here, enter a zero as the paid amount, and finish the process. The download link is sent to you via mail.

On the Creative Market, there's an expanded paid version of the same font with a few creative features.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Black Animal

TM Vinograd by Vova Egoshin

At a glance "Vinograd" is the most unusual font of this overview for sure. This impression is empowered by the half-open versions of the font. You don't see that very often. The closed fonts are much more comfortable on the eye, without being usual.

"Vinograd" comes in two versions, with a half-open and a close variant each. The font supports many languages. "Vinograd's" four variants come as TrueType (.ttf) and OpenType (.otf). The OpenType format contains about 600 glyphs.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Vinograd

Vintage & Eroded Font by shiraz & daryan

This font is very unusual. It is literally purely herbal and is only suitable for a particular kind of project. But where it fits, it is almost unbeatable. However, you should know that it can't be installed as a classic font. Instead, the single letters are available as TIFF, which need to be arranged in an appropriate app, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, or even Indesign.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Vintage & Eroded

Orkney by Samuel Oakes

"Orkney" is an unfussy, geometrical sans serif which is best used in sober, modern presentations. It's a perfect choice for continuous text and headings alike. It is not good for eyecatcher-tasks, though.

"Orkney" comes in four versions in the format OpenType (.otf) and is under the SIL open font license, meaning it is possible to use it in commercial projects. Aside from the German special characters, "Orkney" also supports Romanian, Turkish, and many other character sets.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Orkney

Dimbo by Jayvee D. Enaguas

Dimbo by Jayvee D. Enaguas takes inspiration from old cartoons. Thus, it is a great fit for everything that is meant to be striking. You probably won't use it to design continuous text, but the logo-like font is suitable for headings.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Dimbo

Tusj by Magnus Cederholm

Tusj by Magnus Cederholm is a highly sophisticated font which works best in large sizes. With small sizes, you can't really appreciate the complexity of the font. Thus, you should use Tusj for headings, or even as a component of a logo.

Check out some more free fonts for 2021.

License: free to use for both personal, and commercial projects, such as commissions
Download: Tusj

(The article was originally written in German language by our author Dieter Petereit for our sister magazine Dr. Web.)

Featured Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay