How to Change Font in Adobe Illustrator

Using the right font really makes a big difference in your design. You don’t want to be using Comic Sans in your fashion poster, and probably don’t want to use the default fonts for stylish designs. 

Fonts are as powerful as other vector graphics. You probably have already seen many designs that only consist of typeface and colors, or even black and white. For example, bold fonts are more eye catching. In some minimalistic style, probably thinner fonts look better. 

I used to work for an expo company where I had to design brochures and other ads, which required me to deal with fonts daily. Now, I’m already so used to it that I know what fonts to use in certain work. 

Want to learn more about changing fonts? Keep reading. 

2 Ways to Change Font in Adobe Illustrator

Illustrator has a good selection of default fonts, but everyone has their own favorite fonts for use in different designs. Whether you need to change a font on your original artwork or replace fonts on an existing file. You will have solutions for both. 

Note: Screenshots below are taken from the Mac version of Adobe Illustrator, Windows versions may look slightly different. 

Method 1: Replace Missing Fonts in Adobe Illustrator

Maybe you are working on a project with your teammate and you don’t have the same fonts installed on your computers, so when you open Adobe Illustrator, you will see the fonts missing and have to replace them. 

When you open the ai file, the missing font area will be highlighted in pink. And you will see a popup box showing you which fonts are missing. 

Step 1: Click Find Fonts

You can either replace the missing fonts with existing fonts on your computer or download the missing fonts. In this case, you can download Aromatron Regular and DrukWide Bold. 

Step 2: Choose the font you want to substitute, and click Change > Done. I replaced the DrukWide Bold with Futura Medium. See, the text I replaced is no longer highlighted. 

If you want to have all text in the same font, you can click Change All > Done. Now both the title and body are Futura Medium.

Method 2: Change The Font/Character Style in Adobe Illustrator

When you use the Type tool, the font you see is the default font Myriad Pro. It looks fine but it’s not for every design. So, how do you change it? 

You can change the font from Type > Font from the overhead menu. 

Or from the Character panel, which I strongly suggest, because you can see how the font looks when you hover over it. 

Step 1: Open the Character panel Window > Type > Character. This is the Character panel.

Step 2: Use the Type Tool to create text. As you can see the default font is Myriad Pro. 

Step 3: Click to see font options. As you hover your mouse on the fonts, it will show how it looks on the text selected. 

For example, I hover on Arial Black, see the Lorem ipsum changes its look. You can keep scrolling to explore which font looks better for your design. 

Step 4: Click on the font you want to change to. 

That’s it! You can also change the font size and spacing on the Character panel.

Other questions? 

You might also be interested to know the answers to the following questions related to changing fonts.

How do I use Adobe fonts in Illustrator? 

You can find Adobe fonts in-app or on the web browser. Then all you need to do is activate it. When you use Illustrator again, it automatically shows up in the Character panel. 

Where do I put fonts in Illustrator? 

When you download a font online, it will first go to your download folder. Once you unzip and install it, it will show in the Font Book (Mac users). 

How to change font size in Illustrator?

Same as changing fonts, you can change the size in the Character panel. Or simply click and drag the text you create with the Type tool. 

Final Words 

There is always a perfect font for a design, you just need to keep exploring. The more you work with fonts, the less headache you will have when it comes to font selections. Believe me, I’ve been through that. 

Maybe now you’re still indecisive and keep changing the fonts in your design. But one day, you will have your own standard fonts for different use.

Be patient!

About June Escalada
Graduated from Creative Advertising major, worked more than eight years as a graphic designer focusing in branding and Illustration. Yes, Adobe Illustrator is my best friend and I’m passionate about art and design.

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  • AMBER

    Do you know if its possible to change the default font to something different from myriad pro? My Coworkers and I send files made with illustrator to a laser machine at my workplace. Myriad isn’t compatible and when any of forget to change it my coworker running the laser can’t read notes in the file and gets really annoyed. it would be super useful to customize and I’ve been looking everywhere for a something.

    Reply
    • June Escalada

      Hi Amber, unfortunately, I don’t think that’s possible.

      Reply