Simple ways to find and use great decorative fonts

An easy way to embellish a beautifully simple page is by the judicious use of decorative fonts. What makes a font “decorative?” Generally, they would be hard to read if used for a paragraph of text, but work great in headlines. They can be “theme-y” or artistic.  Adding them (sparingly, please!) can be a fast way to add just enough visual interest.

Here are some guidelines for using decorative fonts:

Use one decorative font per page or spread

Use only in headlines

On a page with a decorative headline, use a very readable text font, preferably “san serif.”

Make sure the font fits with the theme of the page. You wouldn’t use a feminine script font on a page celebrating a soldier’s return.

Here’s an example of how I used a decorative font on a simple layout. It took me less than five minutes to create this page using a Clean Sheets layout, and I thought this “Queen Rosie” font was whimsical and southwestern.

If you’re looking for just the right font for your layout—Google your page theme with the word “fonts” after it—to find this I could have Googled “Southwestern fonts.”