best google fonts for blogs.

Two weeks ago, I encountered some slow load time in my web browser and was tired of waiting for it to load. I decided to restart my MacBook Pro in the hopes it might bring it back up to speed. Little did I know, shutting down my laptop signaled the death of a certain sector of my hard drive {or so they told me at the Apple Store}. Thankfully, I had purchased AppleCare with my computer and I was still under warranty, so I managed to squeak by unscathed financially. However, my font book did not. 

Low and behold, I was able to recover all of my files {music, photos, design projects, etc.} in safe mode while making myself at home at the Apple Genius Bar. In the hurry to make sure I transferred over the important stuff, I didn't transfer the extensive collection of fonts. It didn't hit me until I opened up a project from my hard drive to discover that all of the fonts I downloaded over the past three years were gone.

At first, I was heartbroken. I am a self-professed font geek, so I didn't take this loss lightly. After a few hours, I had a lightbulb moment: it was time to start new. A font I loved when I first started my blog in 2010 {i.e. Caviar Dreams} was no longer on my top ten list. It was time to start with a blank slate and build a repertoire of new favorites. I started my search using Google Fonts.

I scrolled through all 600+ Google Fonts to download a few which caught my eye. The 27 fonts you see above passed my test, though I haven't had a chance to try them all out extensively. I think it is important to visualize the font in both upper and lower cases, so I gave examples of both. Sometimes, I use a font purely in all caps because I like it better. I'm funny like that ;) Feel free to download a few and see if they suit your fancy!

Do you have any favorite fonts? Have you noticed that your taste in fonts changes too? Thank you for indulging me in a geeky post. The long and short is to always buy AppleCare--and be willing to roll with the punches of a cleared hard drive. In the end, it was refreshing to rebuild my font book, even if it was initially jarring. xoxo {av}

P.S. To download a font file using Google Fonts, simply click "add to collection". A box will appear at the bottom of your screen, on which you'll then press "use". You'll be taken to a new screen and should see a downward-pointing arrow on the right side of the screen {just above something which looks like a speedometer}. Click to download the font as a .zip file. Once downloaded, click on the font in your downloads folder {or wherever you saved it}. Simply follow the prompts to add it to your font book--and always adhere to the font licensing! {NOTE: this is how it works for a Mac; here is a tutorial for a PC.}