A Use is a single entry or page in the Collection. It represents a typeface in use for a particular design project (e.g. an object, magazine issue, brand identity, or advertising campaign) documented by one or more images.

Staff Picks are contributions from any user that are selected by the Fonts In Use Staff for their exceptional design or documentation. As you browse, you can limit any Collection page to show “Staff Picks Only” using the filter at the top right of the gallery. This helps you see only the best of a typeface, category, or search results.

At the moment, Likes are simply an easy way to keep track of the Uses you appreciate. Think of them like Flickr’s “Favorites”. Just click the Like button at the top of any Use page. Then see all your Likes via the "My Likes" link in the account menu at the top of the site.

We're working on enhancing the feature so you can make your Likes page public and get notified when someone Likes one of your contributions.

These are images added to the site using Flickr’s machine tags. Concerned about attribution? We are too. For each image, the owner’s Flickr name and source page are always included. We’re also working on a way to tie Fonts In Use accounts to Flickr accounts so all contributions can be seen together under the same name.

We believe visitor contributions make Fonts In Use much more active and interesting, but if you want to view the site as it was with only the staff’s articles, you can always click the “Blog Only” filter at the top of any Collection page. Or, visit the Blog in its new format.

First, log in or create an account. Then there are three ways to add a Use:

1. Click “Add a Use” from the account menu in the top right corner of the site. A form lets you upload images from your computer and add typeface, category, description, source, and other info. Once you click “Submit for approval” the Use will go into our staff’s moderation queue and (usually) published within the next few hours. You can always edit your Use at any time — even after you submit it.

2. Use the bookmarklet to quickly and easily add Uses directly from nearly any website. Just drag the bookmarklet (found on the Welcome page) to your bookmarks toolbar and click on it whenever you see an image (or images) you want to contribute. The image(s) will be sent to the "Add a Use" form where you can add more detail.

3. Send images via Flickr. Simply add a “type:face=” machine tag to any image that has a Creative Commons license. Every few hours Fonts In Use will import all the new images with this tag and add them to our moderation queue for approval. This method works best if the Use can be represented with just one image.

Any representation of design is welcome in the Collection, as long as type is clearly visible. Lettering (custom letters drawn or made specifically for a single use) is not accepted.

Keep in mind, though, that all Uses are subject to our editorial staff’s review. Submissions that are considered spam, duplicates, pornographic, or otherwise inappropriate will not make it through the moderation process.

All you need to submit a Use is an image and a title. A description or commentary is also welcome, but not required. You can also add categories, tags, and other meta data, but it’s all optional. Even if you don’t know the typeface you can leave that field blank and our experts (nerds) will identify the type for you.

While there is no image size requirement, we always prefer the largest image available. Don’t worry about resizing — images are automatically scaled to fit the site and we’ll make use of the larger images later.

Yes! Just give credit wherever possible. This includes the designer of the work, the photographer of the image, and the source (website/book/magazine) where you found the imagery. The submission form makes crediting easy, and the bookmarklet will automatically include the web source.

The content on this site is reproduced under the doctrine of Fair Use. Unless the user specifies another license, all images are assumed to have All Rights Reserved and are captioned that way by default. Still, if there is any content published on this site that you believe violates copyright law, please let us know. We will make every effort to respect copyright holders. Read our Terms and Conditions.

When you add a typeface tag a sample is generated from our friends at FontShop.com. (We’re open to partnerships with other font providers to expand the capability of our sample generation. Contact us!) Custom samples can be uploaded for typefaces that are not available in FontShop’s database. If you have a font that is missing a sample, just download the template shown when you add the typeface tag.

Fonts In Use is an independent project led by Sam Berlow, Stephen Coles, and Nick Sherman, with lots of help from Indra Kupferschmid, Rob Meek, and a brilliant staff of writers. Read more about our team.

No. FontsInUse Ltd is an independent corporation. While we have the support of several sponsors, the content and development of the site is independent of any outside influence. Our goal is to build a channel for research and education from which anyone can benefit. We welcome the participation of any individuals, font makers, or service providers. Read our transparent Editorial Policy for more.

Yes! While the Collection is the best place for quick submissions, we warmly welcome guest editorials for Uses or topics that warrant more in-depth coverage. If you have an idea for a Blog post, let us know.

Congratulations, you’ve bested our FAQ! Feel free to contact us with any questions or suggestions that aren’t covered here.