Blackletter (also known as Old English, Gothic, or Fraktur) is the first ever typeface/font. Johannes Gutenberg, often referred to as the Father of Typography created it way back in the 12th century.

Here’s what it looks like in text:

And in a logo:

For a while, Blackletter was the only font available which I imagine was limiting creatively.
You see, font type contributes greatly to a design’s impact, beauty, and relevance. Speaking on the history of typography, Ben Barrett-Forrest, Head Of Design at Parade, corroborates the point above:

Thankfully, things have changed today.
We are no longer restricted to one font type. There are thousands of fonts available for design and text purposes. Fun fact: Steve Jobs played a huge role in making fonts mainstream by making a wide array of fonts available in the first Mac he designed.

But even with the vast collection of typefaces available, vintage designers and enthusiasts like you might feel left out. 

It seems like the overwhelming majority of fonts developed are more suitable for modern type logo designs, not vintage ones. And if you use them, it’s hard to get the desired results.

If you fall in this category, I have great news. 

In this piece, I’ll show you a host of typefaces you can use for retro or vintage logos to evoke that nostalgic feeling. You’ll even see how to manipulate them to your heart’s desires. 

Take these font logo examples manipulated in Kittl:

But first,

What is the Perfect Vintage font? 

What distinguishes a vintage font from a modern one?

Most vintage typefaces have the following characteristics:

• Bold or heavy
• Condensed shapes
• Ornamental serifs
• Swooshes & special letterforms
• Decoration & Shading

A lot of vintage fonts are serif because this style connotes a traditional and old theme. In line with this, Robyn Young, CEO and Head of Brand Strategy Young & Co said: 

Now, a vintage font doesn’t need to have all of the above elements. But it should have at least 2-3.

What are the Best Vintage Font Logos?

There are a lot of vintage typefaces, but some are more suitable for text and not logos. i.e. they are not display typefaces. Below are 10 best fonts you can use for a vintage logo design.

Didot

Firmin Didot, a French printer and type founder, was born into a family of printers and created the Didot typeface group. The font became widely accepted when released and is classified as Didone font type. 

Didot is illegible in text body due to its high contrast level but works well for logos. A lot of fashion brands like Armani, Zara, Elle, Valentino, etc. use this font for their logos:

You can download this free vintage font here.

Rumble Brave

This is a Victorian-styled font published by Alit design. It is great for logos, wedding designs, labels, etc. 

The Rumble Brave collection has three letters: ​​serif, script, and dingbat. Here’s what the typeface looks like in text:

And in logos:

You can purchase this typeface on the designer’s website.

Milkstore 01

Milkstore 01 is a part of the Milkstore font collection which consists of 4 other vintage handcrafted fonts i.e, Milkstore 02-05. Milkstore 01 is the focus here because the other fonts complement it. Here are its alternates:

This typeface is available in Kittl and has tons of glyphs that you can use to enhance your vintage logo further. See some logos with Milkstore 01:

And some of the glyphs associated with this font in Kittl:

You can purchase the Milkstore collection for $39 on Heritage Type Co. Or you can simply access it for free when you sign up on Kittl:

Hollywood

The Hollywood vintage font family boasts 370+ glyphs, 236 alternates, 82 final forms, 52 initial forms, and 30 ligatures. Annenkov Dmitriy developed this font, and it can be used in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or other similar software to create logos and posters that give off old-movies Hollywood vibes:

It is available for purchase at $12 at Creativemarket.

Troyline

If you want to go for the elegant vintage look, then Troyline is the typeface for you:

It comes in two fonts: organic script and sans, and also in a rough and stamp style. See the Troyline typeface in use:

You can download it for personal use here or purchase it for commercial purposes via the creator’s site.

Royal Signage

This is a vintage typeface created by Tobias Saul, independent lettering artist, typeface designer, and Co-founder of Kittl. It is inspired by vintage sign art and lettering and comes with glyphs:

The logos below (created in Kittl) used the Royal Signage typeface:

Click the green buttons above to customize Royal Signage in Kittl (for free). Or purchase it here.

Orwellian 

Have you read George Orwell’s 1984? It inspired this vintage style font. 

Orwellian also follows Henry Caslon’s Italian model and is a reverse style typeface designed for display, not text use:

This typeface has a strong visual impact, which makes it great for passing across important messages:

Learn more about how Shiva Nallaperumal, typographer and Graphics Designer developed the typeface here. You can also purchase from Lost Type Co-Op.

Bignord

Bignord is a stylish and bold vintage display font suitable for posters, logos, covers, etc. The collection comes with borders & lines, ornaments, and frames to enhance the vintage look. 

See samples of the Bignord font and other elements from the collection in action:

You can download it at this link.

Wolder

A handwritten font, Wolder gives off a western vintage vibe with its rough texture:

It is available for purchase on Fontspring or free download for personal use.

BlackRiver

Tobias Saul created BlackRiver, for people who desired authentic and high-quality typefaces. The 20th-century vintage packaging designs inspired this font:

In no time, it grew in popularity among users:

It is also a favorite of kittl users:

Can you see the beauty of BlackRiver in the logos above?
That’s not all. BlackRiver is a variable font, which means the width can be manipulated in different ways like this:

Kittl has made designing vintage logos easier and faster with its wide array of vintage typefaces. See what ​​Mircea Zahacinschi, a Graphic Designer had to say about the vintage logo maker:

Now, let’s look at how you can create a vintage logo with two of the vintage fonts listed: BlackRiver and Royal Signage.

How to Manipulate Vintage Fonts in Kittl

First, scroll through the thousands of ready-made templates available and make your choice. I chose ‘Arion Boutique’ uploaded by Yvonne K, Graphic Designer and Creative Director at Kittl:

Next, identify the font the current design uses and if there is a need for a change. The current font on this design is ‘Brilon’ as primary, and ‘Charoe’ as secondary.

I’m going to change it to ‘BlackRiver’ as the primary font, and ‘Royal Signage’ as the supporting font:

Then make other design elements adjustments as you see fit. Since BlackRiver is a variable font, I increased the width:

Included some glyphs:

Used Kittl’s text effect and decoration function to further promote a vintage look:

Added an interesting transformation:

There you have it! A vintage logo with the fonts, BlackRiver and Royal Signage.

Don’t Want 100% Vintage? Try Modern-Vintage

The traditional vintage design works for many industries but doesn’t for others. 

For example, vintage logos can work well for brands in the music, fashion (to an extent), and hospitality (cafes, bars) industries. But a vintage logo will not capture the essence of modern industries like bitcoin, tech & AI.

However, some brands want the best of both worlds. 

They want to capture the vibe of the past and the future via design. This is known as Modern-Vintage designs. 
For these types of designs, you can use modern-vintage fonts like Almeda, Brilon, Mogan, The Northwest, Fairwind, The forbes, Charoe etc

Here’s the Charoe and Brilon typeface in action in a Kittl logo:

Explore the vast library of vintage design templates and fonts today: