Fiverr has announced its font of the year 2024, and the result may surprise some. This isn't a case where the font is picked by experts based on an in-depth (read: entirely subjective) reading of industry trends. Instead, the font is chosen based on the designs that Fiverr's customers are choosing from its logo maker.
While it did also ask five designers for their thoughts, the initial data came from reviewing customer purchases made in 2023. And there, Fiverr found that Montserrat was the clear winner, beating second- and third-placed Bellefair and Poppins by some way (for more options see our pick of the best free fonts).
Designed by the Argentine graphic designer Julieta Ulanovsky and released in 2011, Monserrat is a geometric sans-serif. Its name comes from the Monserrat neighbourhood in downtown Buenos Aires. The neighbourhood, where many of Argentina's main political institutions are based, had something of a golden age in the first half of the twentieth century. It was from the posters and signs of this era that Ulanovsky took her inspiration.
The continued popularity of the font may be surprising since it doesn't fit with many of the typography trends we're expecting to see in 2024. We've highlighted a move towards maximalist custom fonts and unconventional handwritten and pixelated type. Monserrat defies all of that with a clean, elegant geometry.
So why is Monserrat still so popular now as we approach 2024? Fiverr suggests its simplicity feels modern and stylish but also warm and inviting, making it a versatile choice for logo design. And of course, there's the fact that it's available in many weights and it's free with an open source licence. The biggest downside is precisely the typeface's ubiquity, which Fiverr's poll demonstrates. I believe this is is the first time that Fiverr has named a font of the year, but I suspect that if it had announced one for 2022 and 2023, the result would have been the same.
Nadav Barkan, VP of Design at Fiverr, says: “Montserrat is a fan favorite thanks to its clean geometric lines and modern aesthetic. It has a wide range of weights and styles—so it’s super versatile. It’s a go-to choice for businesses aiming to contemporize their visual language. In other words, Montserrat has both form and function."
For more trend forecasts, see our roundup of graphic design trends for 2024.
