While web design trends continue to evolve at a rapid pace, the rise of AI-generated content and the enduring power of design nostalgia indicate that we’re still grappling with the balance between innovation and tradition.
The result: Brands and designers are pushing boundaries to create more personalized, immersive experiences. So, in 2025, typography won't just be about aesthetics; it'll echo our collective desire for authenticity in an ever more tech-dominated world.
What's on the horizon, exactly? Here, Wix Studio predicts the top 10 typography trends that will define 2025.
The biggest typography trends
01. Y2K (yes, still)
Nostalgia continues to play a major role in design, the Y2K aesthetic included. This means you’ll still be seeing fonts that evoke the bold, playful and futuristic vibes of early 2000s digital culture, with vibrant colors and chunky typefaces taking center stage in modern typographic trends.
A great example: They That Do’s rebrand for co-working and event space Protein Studios, which combines clean sans-serif and pixelated fonts to evoke Web1 nostalgia while still keeping it fresh and contemporary.
“As we move deeper into the 2020s, the influence of past decades, particularly the '90s and early 2000s, will become increasingly prominent,” says Vincent Howcutt, creative director and designer at They That Do. “These eras are seeping into visual culture, shaping everything from social media feeds to the fonts we see in modern design.”
02. Nouveau futurism
Nouveau futurism is the counterpoint trend to the pixelated, retro-futurism of Y2K’s aesthetic. Type designers are creating more fluid, experimental typefaces that blend natural forms, reminiscent of the Art Nouveau movement, with futuristic elements like Superfried’s Marbles, or identities for Nurtriment by Robot Food, and Guild by Collins. There’s a nod to psychedelic fonts in this trend as well, but as Howcutt says, “foundrys and designers are primarily leaning more into display typefaces that are more free-flowing and organic with a futuristic feel to them. What was once niche will become part of the mainstream.”
03. Ephemera-inspired typography
Ephemera-inspired typography is expected to gain traction in 2025, with more creatives turning to vintage items like postcards, tickets and packaging for inspiration. As brands seek to evoke a sense of authenticity and nostalgia, designers will increasingly use hand-drawn typefaces and aged aesthetics to create campaigns that feel both timeless and emotionally resonant.
One such approach, Howcutt explains, could involve sourcing original materials, a technique he’s used recently in an identity for Seed Folk, when he purchased vintage seed packets from the 1930s on eBay and drew type inspiration from those original designs.
“I’m often inspired by collected ephemera—things like editorials or items you'd find in an antique shop, such as old magazines,” he says. “I see more and more designers incorporating these vintage elements into their work as a response to AI-driven content. I think a return to handwritten fonts and analog aesthetics will continue into 2025.”
04. Retro revival
The retro revival type trend differs from Y2K in its approach to nostalgia. While Y2K plays with the bold, tech-driven aesthetics of the late '90s and early 2000s, the retro revival trend focuses on refining and modernizing a specific brand's historical design elements vs design elements associated with a broader cultural moment like Y2K.
Retro revival ties into the broader Heritage Revivalism design trend we covered earlier this year, where brands are returning to their aesthetic roots, tapping into nostalgic designs while giving them a modern twist. By updating classic logos or typefaces, companies reconnect with their original identity to evoke a sense of familiarity and trust.
But these revivals aren't mere replicas; they blend the old with the new, incorporating cleaner lines, simplified shapes and fresh color palettes to suit contemporary aesthetics.
Brooklyn-based agency Tavern has become masters of this balancing act, with their recent rebrand for Sizzler and Burt’s Bees 40th anniversary campaign for The Camp Burt’s '84 merch collection. We’ll likely continue to see this approach used in 2025, as it allows brands to celebrate their legacy while staying relevant, a seamless bridge between tradition and modernity.
05. Bespoke typefaces with feeling
With AI making so many aspects of design easier and cheaper, Jessica Walsh, founder of &Walsh predicts that in 2025 more brands will want to invest in assets that help them stand out with custom type.
Walsh recently launched her own type foundery, Type of Feeling, with the goal of “creating typefaces that not only serve a functional purpose but also evoke an emotional response,” Walsh explains. Each typeface is inspired by a unique feeling or emotion. See the image below for an example. “Jubel is the expression of joy and celebration," says Walsh. "The thick strokes and lively curves exude excitement, the 'e' almost smiles at you, reflecting the jubilant mood and celebratory feeling of the word."
06. Bold and playful
Designers are moving away from minimalist aesthetics, opting instead to embrace playful and bold typography, and Walsh sees this continuing into 2025. Rounded, chunky shapes and hand-drawn elements add a sense of whimsy and spontaneity, making typefaces feel more personable and expressive.
Walsh & Co’s work for Plenty demonstrates this. To capture the ethos of the indoor vertical farming company, Wash says they created, “a humanist sans serif inspired by the idea of produce that you actually crave. Wherever possible, the font avoids straight lines and is made up of curved and tapered strokes. The stroke endings are sharp (leaf-like you may say) and the curves are as round as a ripe tomato.”
07. Variable fonts
Variable fonts will take the spotlight in 2025 without many consumers even noticing. The magic of variable fonts lies in their flexibility for designers, allowing multiple styles and weights to coexist within a single file, like Grilli Type’s GT Ultra or Pangram Pangram’s Fragment. As websites and apps prioritize responsiveness and user experience, variable fonts will become essential for maintaining visual consistency while offering customizable aesthetics.
“The way we design and manipulate type today is vastly different from just a few years ago,” says Erik Herrström of Studio Herrström. “We've seen significant innovation, particularly with variable and modular typefaces, which allow designers to create work with much more variety and flexibility. I believe variable typeface treatments will continue to be prominent in 2025.”
08. Anti-design
Erik Herrström also predicts that the anti-design trend is poised to redefine creative aesthetics in 2025, embracing a raw and intentionally lo-fi look. “Since Charli XCX made it big with her anti-design look for the Brat cover, many designers will start pitching these lo-fi and unfinished treatments for other brands in culture, music and beyond,” Herrström says. See this stripped down, more experimental approach to design in Pentagram’s brash and colorful rebrand for Young V&A, as well as Red Antler’s handwritten logo for Popup Bagels.
09. Kinetic typography
Kinetic typography, or moving type, is also gaining traction as a powerful tool for storytelling in 2025. This trend leverages animation to bring letters and words to life, adding a dynamic layer to digital content. Whether in video intros, social media or interactive websites, kinetic typography engages viewers in a way static text cannot, enhancing the overall narrative. Tina Touli’s Shifting Symphonies and Monica Losada’s visuals for WIRED are both great examples of this typography trend in this wild.
“The way we interact with brands now happens in primarily digital spaces," says James Kape, founder and creative director at OSME. "This unlocks exciting possibilities to animate or make typography interactive.”
10. Unconventional and illustrative
Illustrative and unconventional typefaces capture attention quickly, which is important in crowded visual spaces. “We're seeing more illustrative, expressive typographic treatments,” says Pedro Messias, partner and creative director at OSME. Designers are using fewer clean lines and minimalist fonts, and spending more time making things that quickly stand out in a busy space like social media.
For UK-based Black Bee Honey, OMSE created an expressive typeface inspired by a bee’s movement and dripping honey. Meanwhile, Red Antler designed a vibrant and illustrative identity for Bezi, a buzzy brand from New York that’s reinventing labneh dip. Studio Nari’s Nike Kids campaign also demonstrates this typographic trend well.
As we head into 2025, typography is proving to be more than just a design element—it’s becoming a reflection of our cultural pulse. The trends we’re seeing speak to a desire for both innovation and nostalgia, blending organic forms with digital precision. Designers are crafting typefaces that go beyond aesthetics, creating emotional connections and shaping brand identities in bold new ways. Whether it’s the rise of kinetic typography or the resurgence of Y2K-inspired fonts, one thing is clear: typography will continue to evolve, pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling and redefining how we connect in this ever-shifting digital landscape.
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