Free Font Friday: Calistoga

Our Free Font Friday series profiles the design characteristics of today’s free downloadable typefaces.

Calistoga is a display typeface created by Eben Sorkin. Its bold, rounded serifs give it a friendly, unique character. It takes the typically distinguished, classy feel of a serif typeface, and breathes some fresh life into it. Calistoga balloons out a bit in places, but rather than making the type feel bloated, it serves to give it an uplifting feel, despite it’s bold, chunky letterforms.

The serifs of Calistoga are interesting, as well. Those along the baseline curve upward to reinforce its cheerful feel and counterbalance its bulk. Calistoga was designed as a display typeface and both its spacing and x-height reflect that. Whether used as a headline, wordmark, or other graphic application, the impact is clear. Calistoga was inspired by Oscar M. Bryn, whose lettering was commonly featured on posters highlighting cities along the Santa Fe Railroad.

The influence is clear, and Calistoga inherits some of that fun, outdoor energy. It also bears some semblance to the Patagonia wordmark, which may explain some of that connotation. Calistoga would make a great choice for use in posters, apparel, or a wordmark. If you’re looking for a fun approachable typeface with a bit of heritage inspiration, be sure to check it out.

Calistoga is available in a single weight and you can find it for free here.