The popularity of wavy stacked text designs has given me an excuse to use the fattest, funkiest, grooviest fonts I can find to make delightful retro t-shirts, totes, and pillows. They’re a perfect match for puff vinyl, too!
This list of my favorite bold, chunky, far-out fonts is a companion to my wavy stacked text tutorial. They look cool on their own, but these fonts were chosen specifically because they look great warped! I’ve created a wavy stacked design for each font to show you their potential.
All of these fonts are free for personal use, and most are free for commercial use as well (check the documentation with each font file). Every font has a complete alphabet, but numbers and characters vary.
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All Super Font Collection
(by All Super Font)
This set of fonts was created by the same designer behind Single Line Studio, which is featured in our collection of free writing fonts. This designer clearly knows what crafters want, and has pivoted from creating single line writing fonts to a whole collection of thick retro fonts perfect for warped designs. You can check out their Etsy shop here.
Free for commercial use.
Free for commercial use.
Free for commercial use.
Free for commercial use.
Free for commercial use.
Free for commercial use.
Free for personal use only.
Free for personal use only.
Groovy retro fonts with various designers
Abstract Groovy (by Wahyu Eka Prasetya)
I love this font, it has little highlights that make it look shiny! This is very similar to the BFC Grape Jelly font in Design Space. Free for personal use only.
Keep on Truckin’ (by Brad O. Nelson, Brain Eaters Font Co.)
I know you’ve seen this one before, the king of wavy stacked text designs. Free for personal use.
Belshaw (by Dieter Steffmann)
A little unusual, but I love the retro vibe. Free for commercial use.
Coaster (by Dieter Steffmann)
Lovely basic thick font that waves really well. Free for commercial use.
Excalibur Nouveau (by Typo-Graf)
A very cool Art Nouveau-inspired font that also looks great warped, free for commercial use.
Flames (by OutsideInside Fonts)
Art Nouveau-inspired psychedelia, it doesn’t get more Hendrix than this one. Free for commercial use.
LT Glockenspiel (by Daniel Lyons, LyonsType)
Another Art Nouveau-inspired font, the Os in this one look totally cool when warped. Free for commercial use.
Mama (by Rick Mueller)
Very cool heavyweight psychedelic font that looks great waved. Free for commercial use.
Spicy Rice (by Brian Bonislawsky, Astigmatic One Eye Typographic Institute)
This font is included in Kerri’s article about cutting tiny letters with a Cricut – it’s thick enough to work at 0.25″ or less line height. But it also looks great as a big wavy Wonka-style typeface, and it’s free for commercial use.
Storybook (unknown creator)
Another very vintage style that looks lovely as wavy stacked text, this one is also free for commercial use.
Oliver (by Christine Mauerkirchner and Rainer Grunert, PrimaFont)
Fun, curly font that looks amazing warped. Free for commercial use.
Big Top (by Jeroen Klaver, Shamrock)
A little unusual, but I think this font looks super cool in warped designs. Free for commercial use.
