General Trends
As we settled into the pandemic in 2021, brands emphasized exciting, elaborate, and quirky fonts to catch the eyes of people stuck at home. It was a great way to stand out in a crowded marketplace, but there’s a major downside — complex and stylized fonts may be great on a blown-up poster, but they can sometimes be difficult to read on screens and smaller digital devices.
Unsurprisingly, while exaggerated typefaces will probably still be popular this year, we’re also likely to see a more subtle interpretation of what it means to be eye-catching. Rounded sans serifs just might be the most reliable font class this year, while unique retro font styles that are both honest and flexible will also have a role to play.
Radius
Ideal for typesetting on curves, this new font is characterized by its blocky letters composed entirely of straight lines. Because the font was designed with flexibility in mind, designer’s using it can freely distort and adjust the letterforms.
All things considered, Radius is a font that marches to its own beat. And even if it might present a somewhat odd appearance, on a technical level it offers designers the ability to create more lifelike designs that freely mimic the appearance and effects of actual handwriting.
Prélettres
Designed to mimic the flexibility, creativity, and free-spiritedness of children's handwriting, Prélettres strikes an impressive balance between readability and flow, incorporating as few geometric modules as possible.
Obviously Prélettres is a playful font that goes well with whimsical color schemes. While there’s no strict use case in mind, you can expect to see it cropping up on printed matter like books and magazines, while it’s eye-catching but reassuring nature could make it ideal for wayfinding signage.
Nanomaton
While not as fleshy as the other fonts we’ve mentioned, Nanomaton stands in for a major trend to expect in 2022, namely the return of rounded sans serif fonts. Thin, rounded, and futuristic, Nanomaton offers designers cleanness and clarity, as well as an abundance of versatility.
The rounded sans serif trend speaks to the desire for simpler approaches to branding in 2022. And while rounded fonts have often been seen as childish, a new breed of rounded sans serifs like Nanomaton are finding a way to wed clarity, simplicity, and grown-up style.