21 Best 80s Fonts that are ‘Totally Gnarly’

As both a child of the 80s and designer, I’m always on the lookout for lively, colorful fonts that capture the vibrant spirit of that totally awesome decade.

Whether I’m working on branding for an 80s cover band, designing a flyer for an 80s dance party, or just creating fun social media graphics packed with throwback references, the right 80s font sets the perfect retro tone.

In this article, I’ll be sharing my picks for the best 80s fonts to give your designs some tubular 80’s flair.

These bodacious typefaces embody the bright, bold aesthetic that ruled the 80s, so let’s take a totally gnarly journey back in time.

(Whew…the 80s puns, am I right?)

My Top Picks for 80s Fonts

1. Neon 80s

With its neon textures reminiscent of flashy 80’s style, I love using Neon 80s to inject that vibrant retro vibe into designs and branding.

2. Championship

Championship’s thick, high-impact letterforms are perfect for sports related designs, apparel, and branding wanting bold 80’s attitude.

3. Streamster

I love Streamster for capturing that 80’s muscle car essence through its strong lines and polished futurism. It feels fast even standing still.

4. Future Font

What makes Future Font exceptional is how it blends rigid structure with lively energy for that quintessential 80’s sci-fi vibe. I especially love it for movie titles and book covers.

5. Arcade Classic Font

Arcade Classic beautifully captures that chunky pixel essence of 80’s arcade games. I especially love to use it for projects related to early gaming.

6. Iomanoid Font

Inspired by 80’s gaming systems, Iomanoid incorporates subtle pixel effects into its letterforms. It’s exceptional for channeling that 1980’s digital vibe.

7. Overglow Font

I love Overglow’s 80’s inspired calligraphy style. With its retro flair, it’s perfect for synthwave designs, logos, and typography.

8. Thunderstorm Font

Inspired by 80’s music and culture, Thunderstorm’s lively brushstroke style captures that rock-and-roll edge perfectly.

9. Eighties Comeback Serif

With 70 font styles inspired by 80’s magazine ads, Eighties Comeback Serif delivers exceptional retro versatility.

10. Coubra Font

Coubra’s bold, retro display style makes it an awesome font for 80’s inspired graphic designs.

11. Heatwave Brush Font

Inspired by 80’s culture, Heatwave’s lively brush stroke style captures that rock-and-roll edge perfectly.

12. Zombie Punks Font

With inspiration from 80’s VHS covers, Zombie Punks incorporates grungy brush textures for an exceptional horror style.

13. Saturday Night Font

Embracing 70’s and 80’s disco style, Saturday Night delivers retro flair through its lively script and display fonts.

14. Hot Rush Font

The unmistakable condensed style of Hot Rush makes it an exceptional pairing for attention-grabbing 80’s inspired display text and branding.

15. Horsemen Font

With inspiration from 80’s style retro horror, Horsemen incorporates edgy grunge textures perfect for darker, mysterious designs.

Here are descriptions for the remaining 80s fonts in the CSV:

16. Hanahelia Font

Hanahelia’s sleek yet energetic script captures 80’s modernism beautifully. I especially love using it for flyers, ads, and signage needing a vibrant edge.

17. Retrofuturism Font

The futuristic yet nostalgic style of Retrofuturism flawlessly channels 80’s sleek optimism about technology and the future.

18. Heatwave Typeface

Inspired by 80’s culture, Heatwave’s lively brush stroke style captures that rock-and-roll edge perfectly.

19. New York Font

With its grungy, distressed serif styles, New York Font channels urban edge reminiscent of 80’s NYC street culture.

20. Arcade Machine Font

Inspired by 80’s gaming, Arcade Machine uses lively script and display fonts to emulate the electronic flair of the decade.

21. Outrunner Font

Through its sleek script strokes, Outrunner emulates the smooth modernist aesthetic that defined 80’s style.

What Makes a Good 80s Font?

Before we get all jazzed up on the fonts, let’s style out what elements deliver that truly tripped out 80s vibe:

Big, Bold, and Loud

80s style celebrated high contrast, so fonts need exaggerated shapes and heavy weights. We’re talking thick, chunky letters that demand attention like a boombox blasting beats.

Bright, Neon Colors

The 80s adored hot colors like pink, green, and other shades so bright they’ll burn your retinas. Fonts steeped in this electrifying color palette keep designs locked into full 80s mode.

Fun, Playful Shapes

80s design encouraged pushing boundaries, so whimsical fonts with character are a must. Unexpected letterforms with quirky style channel the creativity and individualism the 80s championed.

Cool Digitized Texture

The rising technology of the 80s inspired sleek futurism in design. Fonts that incorporate subtle digital effects suggest 80s modernism while still feeling retro.

Where Can You Use 80s Fonts?

Now that you can spot tubular typefaces with true 80s DNA, here are some primo places to pump up your projects with radical 80s fonts:

Music Promotion

For any 80s-influenced bands, events, or merch, only the most righteous fonts will do. Give fans that sweet nostalgia.

Apparel Graphics

Level up t-shirt designs, hoodies, hats, and other threads with high-impact 80s fonts that totally capture the era’s streetwear vibe.

Enamel Pins

Create collectible and stylish enamel pins with 80s-inspired fonts that bring a retro vibe to any jacket, bag, or accessory.

Event Branding

80s fonts add new wave flavor to posters, banners, flyers, and websites promoting concerts, dances, conventions, and parties with an 80s motif.

Movie & Show Aesthetics

Inject movie titles, credits, posters, or social posts with that rad 80s energy through a tubular 80s font.

Retro Product Packaging

For action figures, electronics, candy, beauty products, and anything wanting a throwback aesthetic, bold 80s fonts make designs pop.

Amp Up Your 80s Designs

I hope these radical 80s font picks serve you well in channeling that unmistakable 80s magic into signage, branding, apparel, film titles, and everything in between! Just be sure to follow font licensing terms as you get designing.

When thoughtfully incorporated, these awesomely bold and triumphantly kitschy typefaces are sure to send your viewers back to the (totally awesome) 80s in an instant. So pump up the jams and get creating with that full-throttle 80s energy! Like, let’s go!