The best typography of the 1930s [Video]

As the world faced a second global war, among the politics and propaganda, the 1930s saw significant change in the way people communicated through design – particularly as the written word became increasingly important for governments to speak to the public. Alongside, there was an increase in advertising, the rise of modernism and the continued influence of Bauhaus.

It remained an era of contrasting styles in typography in many ways – decorative versus functional, modern versus traditional, technological innovation versus artistic expression. And it was an era when several of today’s most popular typefaces were first published.

Here (in no particular order) typographers, designers and other industry experts pick their top type of the 1930s. For more inspiration from the history of typography, check out our best typography of the decade series and for more recent type talk, see the type trends to watch in 2025.

01. Times New Roman