Blackletter can be roughly divided into four main styles although there are even more recognized forms. Many of the fonts being created today in the Blackletter style are the type designer's interpretation of historical styles and may incorporate elements of several Blackletter styles and features not typically found in historical Blackletter lettering.
- Textura (or Textur or Textualis) is, perhaps, one of the forms most closely associated with the Blackletter style. It typically features tall, narrow characters with straight and angular lines, and sharp points.
- Rotunda, an Italian form of Blackletter, has more curves, more rounded shapes but still a lot of straight, angular, thick/thin strokes.
- Schwabacher is a German style of Blackletter. It has a mix of curves and angular strokes and several distinctive letterforms.
- Fraktur is the most common German Blackletter, again with a mix of curves, angular strokes, and distinctive letterforms.
Other hybrid (Hybrida or Bastarda) forms of Blackletter were often simplified styles of Textura with a bit of the look of the earlier Carolingian style. Different forms of Blackletter were associated with and developed primarily in specific countries or regions. In common usage today, they all blend together.
Find Blackletter Fonts by Style
On the following pages you can explore the many faces of Blackletter and find free and commercial Blackletter fonts in each of the styles discussed here.
