National Forest Font
About National Forest Font
As a typographer and graphic designer with over 8 years of experience, I’m always hunting for fonts that tell a story. I stumbled upon the National Forest Font while working on a camping gear brand project last month. Something about its rugged charm instantly caught my eye!
I’ve since used it for a coffee shop logo and an outdoor clothing campaign. The client feedback has been incredible—everyone loves how it captures that vintage outdoor spirit. I’m sharing this review because this typeface deserves more attention from designers looking for authentic character in their work.
The Story Behind the Font
National Forest is a charming typeface duo created by designer Rachel Kick. This unique font duo inspired by the National Park Service signs found throughout the United States. What makes this font special is how it replicates the distinctive router-carved look of those wooden park signs we all recognize from camping trips and outdoor adventures.
The font captures a perfect blend of nostalgia and functionality. Rachel Kick designed National Forest to digitally preserve the timeless quality of those hand-crafted national park signs, complete with the natural imperfections created by router bit carving techniques. The result is a typeface with authentic character—each letter looks as though it was carefully carved into wood rather than digitally rendered.
National Forest Font includes five different weights, including print bold and extras. The family features more than eighty-one characters, covering uppercase letters, punctuation, and special characters that give designers plenty of versatility for different projects.
Features That Make This Font Special
National Forest Font stands out with its quirky, retro style that instantly evokes the great outdoors. The font duo combines a flowing script with a complementary print style, making it incredibly versatile for various design applications. The natural imperfections built into the letterforms aren’t flaws—they’re intentional design elements that add genuine charisma and character to your work.
The router-bit inspired design gives each character a distinctive carved appearance that works wonderfully for creating that vintage, handcrafted feel. The thick, bold lines and rugged appearance capture the wilderness spirit perfectly. These qualities make the font immediately recognizable while remaining highly readable.
One of the strongest features of National Forest is how well the script and print styles complement each other. This pairing allows designers to create hierarchy and visual interest without needing additional font families. The OpenType features include ligatures that enhance the natural flow of text, especially in the script variant, making headlines and logos look custom-designed rather than simply typed out.
Where Can You Use This Script Font?
National Forest Font shines in projects that need a touch of nostalgia, outdoor spirit, or handcrafted authenticity. It works exceptionally well for branding projects related to outdoor activities, camping gear, coffee shops, and natural products.
The font makes a strong impression in logo design—its distinctive character helps brands stand out while conveying reliability and a connection to nature. Marketing materials like posters, social media graphics, and packaging all benefit from its unique personality. The bold weight cuts through visual clutter on websites and digital platforms.
I’ve found National Forest particularly effective for:
- Outdoor adventure company branding
- Food packaging with a natural or artisanal focus
- Book covers for travel guides
- Coffee shop menus and signage
- Clothing brands with vintage appeal
The font displays beautifully across platforms, from print materials to web typography, and even mobile apps. It maintains its character whether viewed on desktop computers, iOS devices, Android systems, or Windows Phone.
Font License
National Forest is a premium font, requiring proper licensing for commercial use. While a free version exists for personal projects, professional designers need to purchase the appropriate license to use the font legally. The font typically comes with desktop licenses that let you install the font file on your computer for use in applications like Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Word, and other design software.
For web projects, a separate webfont license allows embedding through @font-face rules on a single domain. The usage contract clearly outlines rights for different applications, protecting both the designer’s work and ensuring proper compensation for the font creator’s craftsmanship.
