Lava de Vie – wavy outline quirky handwritten font

Description

A wavy outline handwritten font with liquid, lava-lamp letters

Lava de Vie is a wavy outline handwritten font with liquid, lava-lamp letterforms, ink that pools at the edges of every stroke and an alternate for every uppercase letter. Playful, strange and unmistakably hand-made, it is a display font for designers who want their typography to have a pulse.

Somewhere between groovy 70s psychedelia and modern indie branding, Lava de Vie brings warmth, humor and a little beautiful mess to every word. Every contour is wavy and imperfect, so the text looks poured rather than drawn.

The legend of Lava de Vie

The name is a nod to eau de vie, the “water of life”, the French term for fruit brandy. Lava de Vie is the molten version: a wobbly alphabet that flows, bulges and settles like something warm and liquid in a glass.

Letterform details

Uppercase letters are inflated and irregular. Some are hollow outlines, some are partly filled, and the ink gathers at the bottom of the shapes like liquid in glass. The lowercase is a slanted, looping handwriting with a thin outline. Every contour is wavy and uneven, with a slightly rough, printed edge that keeps the font hand-made rather than digital. Lava de Vie works best at display sizes, where the outlines and ink details can be seen.

Alternates for every uppercase letter

Every uppercase letter in Lava de Vie has an alternate version, and several lowercase letters have one too. Repeated letters never have to look the same: mix the alternates freely to build headlines, logos and labels that are unapologetically yours.

Where Lava de Vie works best

Packaging and labels. Soap, candle, cosmetics, food and drink labels for artisan brands that want a handmade, unpolished look.

Branding and logos. Logotypes and identities for indie, creative and lifestyle brands.

Posters and events. Event invitations, party graphics and posters with a messy, joyful mood.

Apparel and merch. T-shirt prints and merch with a groovy, retro attitude.

Halloween and autumn. Spooky season headlines, harvest designs and seasonal posters with an off-kilter, hand-drawn charm.

Travel and wellness. Posters for retreats, wellness studios and off-grid travel.

Editorial and social media. Headlines, quote art, album covers and social media graphics.

Stickers and stationery. Stickers, greeting cards, stationery and Canva templates.

For supporting text, pair Lava de Vie with a simple sans-serif or a typewriter font, and keep the wavy outlines for headlines and key words.

Mood and personality

Lava de Vie feels like a lava lamp glowing on a late-night shelf, a soap wrapper stamped by a slightly tipsy printer, or a 70s record sleeve redrawn in wet ink. Nothing here is straight and nothing is polished to clinical digital perfection, and that is exactly the point. Warm, weird and beautifully alive.

What’s included

• Font files: OTF, TTF, WOFF and WOFF2 for desktop, print and web projects
• Full set of uppercase and lowercase letters, with an alternate for every uppercase letter and selected lowercase alternates
• Numerals, punctuation, quotation marks, currency signs and common symbols
• Support for 15 languages with complete accents and diacritics
• Personal and commercial license

Text and mockups shown in the preview images are not included.

Language support

Lava de Vie supports English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Romansh, Turkish, Polish and Czech.

Compatibility

Lava de Vie works in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign, Canva, Procreate and any other application that supports OTF, TTF or WOFF fonts.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lava de Vie?

Lava de Vie is a wavy outline handwritten font by TD Fonts with liquid, lava-lamp letterforms, ink pooling at the bottom of the strokes and an alternate for every uppercase letter. It is a display font with a groovy 70s mood and a modern indie attitude.

What does the name Lava de Vie mean?

It is a play on eau de vie, the “water of life”. Lava de Vie is the lava of life: a molten, wobbly alphabet that looks poured rather than drawn.

What does Lava de Vie look like?

Uppercase letters are inflated and irregular, some hollow and some partly filled, with ink gathering at the bottom. The lowercase is a slanted, looping handwriting with a thin outline. All contours are wavy, with a slightly rough, printed edge.

Is it an outline font or a handwritten font?

Both. It is a handwritten font drawn as wavy outlines, so it keeps the irregular, personal rhythm of handwriting with the graphic look of an outline typeface.

What projects does Lava de Vie suit?

Product packaging and labels, logos and branding for indie and lifestyle brands, posters and event graphics, T-shirts and merch, Halloween and autumn designs, album covers, editorial headlines, quote art, stickers, greeting cards and social media graphics.

Is it a good font for packaging and labels?

Yes. The wavy outlines and ink-pooled strokes give soap, candle, cosmetics and food labels a handmade, slightly retro look. Use it large for the product name and pair it with a simple font for ingredients and details.

Does it include alternate letters?

Yes. Every uppercase letter has an alternate, and several lowercase letters do too, so repeated letters never have to look identical.

How do I use the alternate letters?

In Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign, select a letter, open the Glyphs panel from the Type or Window menu and double-click the alternate version.

Which languages does Lava de Vie support?

English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Romansh, Turkish, Polish and Czech, with complete accents and diacritics.

Which file formats are included?

OTF, TTF, WOFF and WOFF2, ready for desktop design software, print and websites.

Can I use Lava de Vie for commercial projects?

Yes. The license covers personal and commercial use, including client work, products for sale, branding and social media content.

Can I use it at small sizes?

Lava de Vie is designed for display sizes, where the outlines and ink details can be seen. For small text, use a simple sans-serif and keep Lava de Vie for headlines.

Which fonts pair well with Lava de Vie?

A simple sans-serif or a typewriter font. Use Lava de Vie for headlines and key words and the second font for details, dates and body text.

Can I test the font before buying?

Yes. Type your own text in the live font preview on this page.

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