On the first day of my typography class in college, the instructor told us to pick our favorite font and display it on our screens. I perused through my font library and (I cringe writing this) chose something called Trashhand. Yes, Trashhand. Suffice to say, it was not a great pick.

What I didn’t fully understand at the time was how the quality of a typeface can impact how someone perceives whatever they’re looking at.

My typography 101 days are well behind me but you can learn from my mistakes and apply them to your own brand materials with this list of 10 Designer Approved Free Canva Fonts. 

Why should I care about fonts?

According to MDG Advertising, “75% of the consumers judge a business by its website design.” Crazy, right? But it makes sense. That’s why we buy things that have nice packaging and don’t click on emails that have subject lines WrItTeN ~ LiKe ~ ThIs. It’s hard to overstate the importance of typography on a website—after all, that’s what our eyes are staring at all day. 

What does this have to do with Canva?

Canva is a popular design tool that is very accessible to use and has a free option that includes a ton of font options. Sounds great, right?

The problem is free fonts often lack the quality and professionalism that well-designed fonts have. That’s not to say that there aren’t great free fonts. You just have to do a tiny bit more digging to find them since the barrier to entry is low. 

Now, let’s get to the list!

My Favorite Free Canva Fonts

Playfair Display

This is a great choice for display text and headers when paired with a simple sans serif. I especially love the heaviest weight when used for headings.

Montserrat

Here’s a free font that is a total workhorse. It can be used for body text, headings, labels—you name it. For a timeless and luxurious feel in subtitles or labels, try using it in all caps with generous character spacing. 

Lora

If you’re a brand with classic or traditional vibes, Lora is for you. It’s a beautiful slightly delicate but still readable serif that would work well in a variety of environments. 

Roboto

If Google creates a font, it’s got to be good, right? This is a very well-designed sans serif that’s space-efficient and super legible. It was created to be super readable, which makes it great for long-form copy. Looking at you, blog posts.

Oswald

I love a good condensed typeface, but the pickings are slim when it comes to free fonts. Oswald is a great option when used in all caps.

Roboto Slab

Another Roboto has entered the chat. Slab serifs are a great way to add a little visual interest, but they can sometimes be too chunky. This one strikes all the right notes.

Bodoni

Bodoni is a classic Modern style typeface, which means it has hairline serifs a lot of contrast. If you’re a fashion or luxury brand, this is an excellent choice. Whatever you do, avoid high contrast fonts like this for body text as it isn’t legible enough. 

Poppins

Look familiar? This is the typeface I’m using for the graphics in this post! I like how Poppins is a clean sans serif, but has a very clean and cool personality.

Barlow

Barlow is a friendly sans serif typeface with a lot of variety and weights to choose from. I love the condensed and light versions. 

Lato

Lato is another *chefs kiss* option for body text: it’s highly legible and has a little bit of roundness to the letters that softens it up and adds some flair. The designer describes it as “serious but friendly” and I agree!

And that’s a wrap! Canva is a great tool for quickly creating brand materials, templates, and more. Building a brand is a bit of a process, but you can rest easy knowing that choosing a few timeless fonts to stick with will serve you well as your brand grows and expands.