The written word has accompanied our thoughts and needs for millennia. Since the printing press took dominance, the printed word permeates our society; and for the creative mind there are no limits to the ornate, elegant and funky styles to help get our words across.
Where to begin, then, in searching for fashionable fonts? One place to start is to simply look closely at font families and branch out from there. Since you are viewing this very article on a computer screen, this is a good place to start looking around for typefaces.
The invention of computers, and their everyday use, now exposes us to a large variety of fonts and lettering styles. Believe it or not, every word seen on the screen belongs to a type family. Since there are thousands of fonts in English alone, it can be staggering to try to study them all. Sites like Dafont, Fonts.com and Logo Talks provide a good platform to start searching for specialized fonts.
When exploring font families, it can get overwhelming to view so many styles. Some have only slight differences from others, and trends in lettering styles soon become apparent. Details like serifs, which are best described as little hooks on the end of letters in certain fonts, can add a subtle artistry to a typeface.
Many artistic movements also shaped the design and decor of fonts. For instance, the Art Nouveau movement around 1900 greatly impacted fonts as handbills, posters, and restaurant and shop signs the world over latched onto the delicate and gorgeous hand-drawn characters. These Art Nouveau fonts use thick and thin lines with shapely curves and crescents in a style more timely and with more longevity than many faddish fonts out there. Anyone serious about incorporating funky fonts in his projects should look at the rich wealth of font families derived from the Art Nouveau style.
Another place to discover wild and whimsical lettering is in popular culture. From album cover art to trendy magazines to comic books, story books and movies, all of these things are marketed to catch your eye. Looking in these places will provide treasures and inspiration aplenty.
Many filmmakers who have long and successful histories have branded their identity with particular fonts that are uniform in their body of work. Not only does this image branding help audiences find and associate motifs in their work, the use of funky fonts also helps establish their might as well as their muse. Noted filmmaker Stanley Kubrick ("A Clockwork Orange", "Spartacus"), for instance, always used the sleek and stylish Futura font in all of his films. Art-house favorite Wes Anderson ("The Royal Tenenbaums", "The Darjeeling Limited") also uses the Futura font in all of his films, and Woody Allen ("Annie Hall", "Manhattan") has used the comforting curves of the Windsor typeface in over 40 films. Such stylish filmmakers are surely onto something, and you can only gain from following in their footsteps.
Similarly, many artists have created fonts based on their signature styles. This is especially true in the graphics-oriented world of comic books and also for many renowned illustrators, such as Michel Gagné and Ralph Steadman, who have created their own fonts based on their careful hand-drawn styles.
When exploring fanciful fonts, it is tempting to be as ornate and decorative as possible. This can be effective for some projects, but for others it can be too much and is easily overdone. The main problem is that an overly ornate lettering style is too difficult to read. The most important thing about choosing a funky lettering style is that it be legible.
Avoid clutter when choosing your lettering, and remember that what looks good up close may not always look good from a distance. Nothing shouts "rookie mistake" more than a gaudy sign or billboard that is an indecipherable mishmash of outlandish and hard to read fonts and typefaces or a string of bold capital letters that are headache-inducing to look at. There must be some trial and error on your part in choosing the fonts you want to spotlight, and it is important to step back from the project and look at the larger picture.
Just as important as choosing cool-looking lettering that is readable, the size of the letters you use is essential. If it is for a funkified sign for a swank nightclub, for instance, the letters need to be large enough that it can be read from across the street or up the block. If it is for a poster or a handbill, you don't want your intended audience to have to strain and squint to make out your letters. In some cases the adage "Go big or go home" needs to be applied.