20 Free Dingbats Designers Should Already Have
But, what are dingbats? Dingbats are those types in your font library that have symbols and shapes in the positions designated for alphabetical or numeric characters. So, you can use these free dingbats to add a character or symbol in your layout or document.
However, for us designers, dingbats offer a partially formed template that we can experiment with. Most of us use dingbats for creating logos, texture backgrounds, or for illustrations that require very large elements.
In Adobe Illustrator, for example, you can convert dingbats font to editable vector image by clicking on the “create outlines” command. You may also use other programs like Corel PhotoPaint , Adobe PhotoShop, PaintShop Pro, Fireworks, CorelDraw, Freehand or any program that allows you to use a symbol and convert it to curves. The steps that you need to perform using these programs are almost similar to one another. Just remember to start by choosing the dingbat font and type the chosen character.
So having well-designed dingbats in our design arsenal is a big money and time saver for us. If you have not started collecting dingbats yet, then you must read this article in its entirety.
Below you will find a list of 20 very useful and very well-crafted free dingbats. However, these are my personal choices. And since I find these sets very useful, I will be very generous by sharing them with you.
ORNAMENTS and SHAPES
FREE DINGBATS 01- Marquis De Sade Ornaments
Author: Bolt Cutter Design
Terms of Use: Free
Platform: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 02 – Border Corners
Author: Font Freak
Terms of Use: Free for personal Use
Platform: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 03- Border Corners 2
Author: Font Freak
Terms of Use: Free for personal use
Platform: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 04- WC Rhesus A Bta
Author: WC Fonts
Terms of Use: Free
Platform: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 05 – FontCo Flares
Author: John Bruce
Terms of Use: Free for personal use
Platform: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 06- WM Trees 1
Author: WillyMac
Terms of Use: Free for personal use
Platform: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 07- WC Soldout C BTA
Author: WC Fonts
Terms of Use: Free
Compatibility: PC/MAC OS X
LOGOS
FREE DINGBATS 08- Airline Logos
Author: Steve Ferrera
Terms of Use: Free for personal use
Compatibility: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 09- Electronics Font
Author: Magnum Software
Compatibility: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 10- Illustrate IT
Author: icompile.info
Terms of Use: Freeware
Platform: PC/ Mac OS X
HOLIDAYS and EVENTS
FREE DINGBATS 11- Carr Xmas Dingbats
Author: Alan Carr
Terms of Use: Free
Compatibility: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 12- LM Valentines Font
Author: Lisa Marie
Terms of Use: Free
Platform: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 13- Boo
Source: Fontco.com
Terms of Use: Freeware
Platform: PC
FREE DINGBATS 14- Easter Art
Author: GemFonts
Terms of Use: Free
Platform: PC/ Mac OS X
FREE DINGBATS 15 – Birthdaze
Author: GemFonts
Terms of Use: Free
Platform: PC/ Mac OS X
OTHER MISCELLANEOUS DINGBATS
FREE DINGBATS 16- GeoBats
Author: Iconian Fonts
Terms of Use: Free for personal use
Compatibility: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 17- Sexy Silhouettes
Author: Darrian Lynx
Terms of Use: Free
Compatibility: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 18- WM Road Signs
Author: Willymac
Terms of Use: Free
Platform: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 19- Famous Buildings
Author: Manfred Klein
Terms of Use: Free
Platform: PC/MAC OS X
FREE DINGBATS 20- LP Sports 2
Author: Shadowy Mist
Terms of Use: Free for personal use
Platform: PC/MAC OS X
nice list thanks..
The voice of reason! Added you to my RSS feed. Was searching for “electronics” when I found “ul (and Free) Dingbats You Should Have in Your Arsenal | Best Design Options”. I’ll be back.
I use WC Rhesus A Bta splatters all the time. All can be found at DaFont.com
Road signs and famous buildings would not download properly. Any other alternatives to getting these wonderful dingbats. Your time is very valuable and appreciated!! Thank you!!
Thanks for sharing.
I can think of a few uses right off hand.
Thanks for telling me about the broken link, Mare. I already fixed them. You may try downloading the “famous building” and the “road signs” dingbats.
Thanks so much for all of your hard work, it is much appreciated. Can’t wait to use some of these.
i really need micheal jackson dingbat where can i find it???? pls help
@nayla -
I haven’t seen one. But you can opt for a vector illustration of michael jackson. I have seen a lot of MJ illustrated works at deviantart. I’m not sure though if the vector files are available.
thk u