7 Top-Notch Font Recognition Tools
Creatives, ready to elevate your designs without breaking a sweat? Look no further than the top font identifying tools that'll save you a ton of time on creative projects!
From that intriguing billboard ad to print samples and more, discovering the perfect font for your project is now a breeze. When you've got heaps of inspirational font options, finding the right one should be easy, and we're practically bursting with choices thanks to all those free fonts out there (yeah, we know, spoiled much?). But when it came to identifying fonts from images, the process used to be a real drag.
Fear not, because with these awesome font identifying tools and browser extensions, you won't need to pull your hair out while searching for the ideal font for your design anymore! We've scoured the web to bring you the crème de la crème of font finding tools recommended by experts. Here's our top picks, so let's dive in!
🌟 Top Font Identifiers:
1. WhatTheFont
If you've been chatting to other designers about font identifiers, you've probably heard about WhatTheFont by MyFonts. It's an optical font recognition tool that makes it a breeze to find the font you need. Upload an image containing the font you're dying to know, cropping it to the words or characters you want to analyze, hit the button and voilà! The results will be displayed. Though note that sometimes the results can be a bit hit and miss, depending on the image quality and the uniqueness of the font[3].
2. What Font Is?
Created by Alexander Ciubari, an indie developer in Romania, What Font Is has been gracing the design world since 2009. This tool has a whopping database of over 500,000 fonts at its disposal. Much like WhatTheFont, the process is similar, and it's simple to use. Just enter the characters in the image you want to analyze to help it along. It tends to excel with common typefaces and struggles slightly more with handmade-style type. Worth a shot, especially since it's the only one we tested that can handle curved labels.
3. Font Matcherator
Web-based font detection tool, Font Matcherator, claims to be the most robust option out there. But during testing, it completely failed to identify a single font across our test spectrum of seven images containing 10 typefaces. Its process is straightforward: simply drag the image file over the box on the web page, and Matcherator starts scanning the glyphs, Open Type outlines, and more[2]. If you're intrigued, give it a whirl – you might have better luck than us!
4. Fonts Ninja
Things get a bit more complex with Fonts Ninja, which boasts two parts: an app for Mac and an extension that works with Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. If you come across a font online that tickles your fancy while browsing, activate the extension using an icon up by the address bar in your browser, and then aim the crosshair at the text you want to analyze. Fonts Ninja will identify the typeface and give you the option to install it on your computer. With a library of 3,000 fonts, it's free for 15 days with 20 free font installs. After that, it costs $29 per year[2].
5. Identifont
Prepare yourself for a blast from the past with Identifont. There's no fancy AI or scanning website code here – instead, it's a classic questionnaire that asks you about the characters and glyphs of the font you want to identify. It gradually narrows down the options from a database of around 11,000 typefaces. If you can get past its dated UI, Identifont performed well on our sample containing a slew of characters. But if you only have a handful of letters to base your responses on, it may struggle[4].
6. WhatFont
WhatFont is a tool devoted to identifying fonts used on websites. It comes in two forms: a browser extension for Chrome and Safari, and a bookmarklet that you install by dragging a little icon into your Bookmarks panel. When you're using the extension, it works exactly like Fonts Ninja – activate it by clicking a little icon near the address bar in your browser, then point the crosshair at the font of interest. WhatFont will tell you the font, size, weight, and color. Created by iOS application engineer Chengyin Liu, WhatFont is great for discovering web fonts and offering immediate identification[1].
7. Fount
Fount is a bookmarklet that saves you the hassle of scrutinizing HTML or CSS codes. Simply drag it onto your Bookmarks sidebar, and it functions similarly to WhatFont. Once it's installed, click the bookmark, point the crosshair at the font you're interested in, and a popup appears at the top right naming the font and its size, weight, and style. It even offers a link to a foundry or distributor selling the font.
Tired of browsing endless lists of fonts to find the one you love? Make your life (and design projects) easier with these top font identifying tools. With their impressive features and user-friendly interfaces, they'll quickly become your go-to resources for discovering your favorite fonts!
[1] WhatFont Web Font Identifier: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/whatfont/jabopobgcpjmedljpbcaablpmlmfcogm?utm_source=chrome-ntp&utm_medium=ntp_source_list_beta&utm_campaign=newtab-oo
[2] Font Matcherator Font Identifier: https://www.fontsquirrel.com/tools/font-matcherator
[3] Fonts Ninja: https://fontsinja.com/
[4] Identifont: http://www.identifont.com/
[5] Font Squirrel's Font Identifier: https://www.fontsquirrel.com/tools/typerecognize
- The art of graphic design is heavily influenced by the choice of fonts, making it crucial to identify them correctly.
- These top font identifying tools can provide inspiration for your design projects, broadening your creative horizons.
- With Adobe’s web design tools integrating these font identifiers, you can seamlessly incorporate discovered fonts into your digital designs.
- From UI to UX design, incorporating the right font can significantly improve the user experience, making technology gadgets more appealing.
- The fear of misidentifying fonts might have once hindered posters and print designs, but with these tools, designers can now confidently select their preferred fonts.
- Designers no longer need to be discouraged when faced with the task of identifying fonts in images, thanks to these innovative online resources.
- By matching the typography of existing designs with the desired fonts, designers can maintain consistency and cohesion across their projects.
- Whether you're working on a website, print design, or digital project, these font identifying tools are essential resources for any creative designer.
