Learn about Vogue magazine font choices, and see example of the world high-end typefaces.

Lingerie Typeface, an ultra-chic display faces designed by New York typographer Moshik Nadav, plays a starring role on Vogue covers and layouts. Its elegant letterforms, swashes, and ligatures complement the magazine’s glamorous content with abundant style of their own, and reinforce its brand story of style, luxury, and up-to-the-minute fashion. Vogue’s main typefaces were not intentionally designed as “fashion fonts,” but over time they came to define the look of the printed word in fashion layouts. While there is no technical definition of what constitutes fashion typography, or fashion magazine fonts, their practical application is defined in the pages of Vogue.

A brief look at Vogue’s overall typographic profile highlights how the choices for display type allow a seamless blending of form and function, and how Lingerie Typeface contributes a zesty refresh to the established mix of typefaces.

Vogue, published in 23 international editions, is the ultimate fashion bible. For most of the 20th century and into the 21st, it has been the last word, the final say, the most respected arbiter of style across the globe. Its iconic fashion logo first appeared on the cover in 1955, defining the brand and setting the overall typographic tone and personality of the magazine.  

Gigi Hadid next to Paris Typeface lowercase g on Vogue cover. Get Paris Typeface here

Lingerie Typeface on Vogue Magazine next to Song Hye-kyo. Explore Lingerie Typeface here

Lingerie Typeface on Vogue Magazine next to Kendall Jenner. Explore Lingerie Typeface here

Typefaces not only tell us what something means—the literal content of the words—but they play an important role in conveying how the words feel. The emotional impact of letterforms registers in a different part of the brain than the logic-processing centers that allow us to read and assimilate information. For instance, a person out on the street who sees an adorable dog doesn’t think “Oh look, a cute dog! now I’m going to say AWWW.” That person just says “AWWW,” straight from the gut.

Display type (whether we’re talking about print or digital formats) carries much of the emotional weight of editorial content, subtly guiding the tone of the conversation with the reader, in much the same way that body language and facial expression in the real world communicate between people before a single word is spoken. A sexy logo promises that the entire issue will be an enjoyable experience for the reader, and a sexy font used in a headline creates some advance excitement as well—it teases with the expectation that the story you’re about to read will be daring, avant-garde, racy.  

Explore more about Lingerie Typeface here

Explore more about Lingerie Typeface here

Lingerie Typeface on Vogue magazine covers. Get Lingerie Typeface here

Lingerie Typeface in use by Vogue Korea. Lingerie Typeface available here

On Vogue covers, a crisp geometric sans-serif in 2 weights is used in all caps for secondary cover lines, and often for the main line as well. (Sometimes the main cover line appears in Didot, either all cap or upper and lower case.) Sans serif typefaces in fashion can be traced back to Chanel’s brand identity developed in 1925, when suddenly, the world of modern fashion called for a more industrial, severe look related to the Modernist architecture that was challenging our notions about form and function. The sans serif type used on Vogue covers is chic, minimal, and severe, allowing the photography to have maximum impact.

This sans-serif font appears within the pages of the magazine, mainly for sidebars and extended caption text. A heavier, condensed sans serif provides contrast and texture for caption titling and labels throughout. The main text face is a Modern serif font with excellent legibility when set in long columns of text. It also plays nice with the display typefaces; its similar character shapes and stroke contrast contribute to the harmony of the overall type systems.

There are differing schools of thought on how to implement display type within a publication: some titles stick to a tightly prescribed range of typefaces and never stray. Others will design issue by issue, selecting a new display face each month and using it throughout the feature well. Vogue has long stayed faithful to Didot for headlines and pull quotes, maintaining a consistent design voice over the decades. The font even works well in 3-D environmental displays, seen here paired with Lingerie Typeface. 

Paris Typeface lowercase g on Vogue magazine. Get Paris Typeface here

Considering that fashion is constantly in motion, searching for the new, shouldn’t there be an opportunity to update display type styles without abandoning them completely? After all, a young woman doesn’t want to dress like her grandmother, even if the grandmother is a formidably fashionable woman.

Here is where Lingerie Typeface steps in to add a sparkling freshness to Vogue’s display type. The playful stylishness of the numerals zap this layout with a blast of youthful energy.  

Lingerie Typeface numerals in use by Vogue Magazine. Get Lingerie Typeface here

The high stroke contrast of Lingerie Typeface—the thicks are very black and severe, while the thin strokes practically evaporate into the ether—maintains a close relationship with Vogue’s main display typeface, while the letterform’s sharp terminals that alternate with unexpected ball terminals lend an aura of daring and surprise. The wide range of dramatic alternate swashes and ligatures allows headlines to swoop and dance through a layout’s white space with the feel of airy volumes of silk and chiffon swirling around a model gliding down the catwalk.

This flexible system of alternate characters also allows Lingerie Typeface to be paired beautifully with Arabic and other typefaces that are calligraphic in origin and have the same visual feel of flow and grace. 

Lingerie Typeface lowercase g on Vogue Magazine combined with Arabic typeface. Get Lingerie Typeface here

Evolution, growth, and innovation are critical in all endeavors, but especially valuable in the fast-paced world of fashion where to stand still means to fossilize. Font foundries developing custom type provide fresh options for fashion brand fonts and logos relevant to the modern consumer. Lingerie Typeface, a recent addition to Vogue’s overall type family, brings quite a bit to the party, supplying an emotional high and adrenaline jolt needed to keep the magazine’s pages feeling fresh and very much in fashion.

Moshik Nadav Typography specializes in beautiful, versatile typefaces for fashion and luxury clients. Explore how Lingerie Typeface, in six styles with over 700,000 glyphs, will add a hit of devastating style wherever you use it—in fashion layouts and beyond.

The Essential Fonts Package for Fashion Magazines | Buy Now

The Basic Fonts Package for Fashion Magazines | Buy Now

The Essential Fonts Package for Fashion Magazines | Buy Now

The Basic Fonts Package for Fashion Magazines | Buy Now