Q&A: How to identify a font

By signcraft

Posted on Tuesday, November 29th, 2022

Readers want to know:

“How do you identify a font that was used in a certain layout or a logo that a customer brings to you?”


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Rick Sacks
Rick Sacks
2 years ago

I’ve been very happy with a program called Graphic Tracer. It identifies the font and replaces the graphic with the font. If I don’t have the font, it tells me where to find it.

Rick Stemmler
Rick Stemmler
2 years ago

WhatTheFont (https://www.myfonts.com/pages/whatthefont) can be a great tool. It’s not perfect, but it has helped me out countless times.

William Betz
William Betz
2 years ago

GERBER OMEGA HAS “FONT FINDER” AND IT REALLY WORKS GREAT

Laura Walker
Laura Walker
2 years ago
Reply to  William Betz

I’ve used Gerber Omega for years and NEVER knew this. Where do I find it in the program? This could be a lifesaver…or at the very least a huge time saver.

Mary Soyenova
Mary Soyenova
2 years ago

There are soooo many free fonts on line that you can download to your font file as True Type files. If you can’t find the exact font, there may be one that is close enough.
I often have to point out to customers that what looks good on a business card, might not translate to readability on a sign or vehicle, and while the font they want may be great, it might also be distracting on a sign. Here’s where diplomacy comes in!
Someone designed their logo, and they may be really attached to it and not want even the slightest change. Often they will tell you who did the design and you can contact the designer for the font info, and often they will send you the logo, if they are not involved in the signage end.

Kyle French
Kyle French
2 years ago

Nothing beats good knowledge of fonts. Flipping through your already installed fonts on your computer is a good way to familiarize yourself with what’s commonly used. Of course, it’s not the quickest way to find the right font when you’re crunched for time. I’ve used this web tool in the past with moderate success: https://www.myfonts.com/pages/whatthefont It’s not perfect, but it will at the very least point you in the right direction of identifying a font that’s close to what you’re looking for. Other online tools exist as well.

Also in one of the more recent Adobe Illustrator updates, they’ve now included a filtering tool for font characteristics such as serif, sans-serif, line weights, etc. Of course, this also only works with the fonts that are currently installed on your computer.

Google Fonts has a pretty large repository of commonly used open-source fonts that a lot of online design tools use and is another place to look. Adobe Fonts is another source if you’re using Adobe’s ecosystem. The source I’ve been using for over 15 years now is dafont.com, and is still one of my go-tos for finding what I’m looking for.

A lot of font styles are similar, but the nuance is what trips up even seasoned vets. Watch for the subtle differences. They can sometimes make or break! Good luck!

Signs Graphics and More
Signs Graphics and More
2 years ago

WhatTheFont app on my phone is where I start. It identifies a lot of fonts I search for but if that doesn’t find the font, I’ll do a manual search on a few font sites I use most often, and as a last resort just draw it. I don’t have all day to look for it!

Kevin Carlson
Kevin Carlson
2 years ago

I have the What The Font app on my phone and I take a photo of the font in question and the app usually comes up with it. Not all of the time but close.

Jeff Jensen
Jeff Jensen
2 years ago

What the font is a page on myfonts.com It works quite well

https://www.myfonts.com/pages/whatthefont

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