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data analysis, dashboards, data visualization, business decisions, analytics mistakes, ineffective dashboards, data solutions, performance metrics, business intelligence ## Introduction Are you one of those professionals who spends countless hours crafting a visually stunning dashboard, only to discover that nobody gives a damn about it? Welcome to the harsh reality of data analysis! It's...

Which creative studio do you most admire right now, and why? This is a question we asked our community via an ongoing survey. With more than 700 responses so far, these are the top winners. What's striking about this year's results is the popularity of studios that aren't just producing beautiful work but are also actively shaping discussions and tackling the big challenges facing our industry and society. From the vibrant energy of Brazilian culture to the thoughtful minimalism of North European aesthetics, this list reflects a global creative landscape that's more connected, more conscious, and more collaborative than ever before. In short, these studios aren't just following trends; they're setting them. Read on to discover the 25 studios our community is most excited about right now. 1. Porto Rocha Porto Rocha is a New York-based agency that unites strategy and design to create work that evolves with the world we live in. It continues to dominate conversations in 2025, and it's easy to see why. Founders Felipe Rocha and Leo Porto have built something truly special—a studio that not only creates visually stunning work but also actively celebrates and amplifies diverse voices in design. For instance, their recent bold new identity for the São Paulo art museum MASP nods to Brazilian modernist design traditions while reimagining them for a contemporary audience. The rebrand draws heavily on the museum's iconic modernist architecture by Lina Bo Bardi, using a red-and-black colour palette and strong typography to reflect the building's striking visual presence. As we write this article, Porto Rocha just shared a new partnership with Google to reimagine the visual and verbal identity of its revolutionary Gemini AI model. We can't wait to see what they come up with! 2. DixonBaxi Simon Dixon and Aporva Baxi's London powerhouse specialises in creating brand strategies and design systems for "brave businesses" that want to challenge convention, including Hulu, Audible, and the Premier League. The studio had an exceptional start to 2025 by collaborating with Roblox on a brand new design system. At the heart of this major project is the Tilt: a 15-degree shift embedded in the logo that signals momentum, creativity, and anticipation. They've also continued to build their reputation as design thought leaders. At the OFFF Festival 2025, for instance, Simon and Aporva delivered a masterclass on running a successful brand design agency. Their core message centred on the importance of people and designing with intention, even in the face of global challenges. They also highlighted "Super Futures," their program that encourages employees to think freely and positively about brand challenges and audience desires, aiming to reclaim creative liberation. And if that wasn't enough, DixonBaxi has just launched its brand new website, one that's designed to be open in nature. As Simon explains: "It's not a shop window. It's a space to share the thinking and ethos that drive us. You'll find our work, but more importantly, what shapes it. No guff. Just us." 3. Mother Mother is a renowned independent creative agency founded in London and now boasts offices in New York and Los Angeles as well. They've spent 2025 continuing to push the boundaries of what advertising can achieve. And they've made an especially big splash with their latest instalment of KFC's 'Believe' campaign, featuring a surreal and humorous take on KFC's gravy. As we wrote at the time: "Its balance between theatrical grandeur and self-awareness makes the campaign uniquely engaging." 4. Studio Dumbar/DEPT® Based in Rotterdam, Studio Dumbar/DEPT® is widely recognised for its influential work in visual branding and identity, often incorporating creative coding and sound, for clients such as the Dutch Railways, Instagram, and the Van Gogh Museum. In 2025, we've especially admired their work for the Dutch football club Feyenoord, which brings the team under a single, cohesive vision that reflects its energy and prowess. This groundbreaking rebrand, unveiled at the start of May, moves away from nostalgia, instead emphasising the club's "measured ferocity, confidence, and ambition". 5. HONDO Based between Palma de Mallorca, Spain and London, HONDO specialises in branding, editorial, typography and product design. We're particular fans of their rebranding of metal furniture makers Castil, based around clean and versatile designs that highlight Castil's vibrant and customisable products. This new system features a bespoke monospaced typeface and logo design that evokes Castil's adaptability and the precision of its craftsmanship. 6. Smith & Diction Smith & Diction is a small but mighty design and copy studio founded by Mike and Chara Smith in Philadelphia. Born from dreams, late-night chats, and plenty of mistakes, the studio has grown into a creative force known for thoughtful, boundary-pushing branding. Starting out with Mike designing in a tiny apartment while Chara held down a day job, the pair learned the ropes the hard way—and now they're thriving. Recent highlights include their work with Gamma, an AI platform that lets you quickly get ideas out of your head and into a presentation deck or onto a website. Gamma wanted their brand update to feel "VERY fun and a little bit out there" with an AI-first approach. So Smith & Diction worked hard to "put weird to the test" while still developing responsible systems for logo, type and colour. The results, as ever, were exceptional. 7. DNCO DNCO is a London and New York-based creative studio specialising in place branding. They are best known for shaping identities, digital tools, and wayfinding for museums, cultural institutions, and entire neighbourhoods, with clients including the Design Museum, V&A and Transport for London. Recently, DNCO has been making headlines again with its ambitious brand refresh for Dumbo, a New York neighbourhood struggling with misperceptions due to mass tourism. The goal was to highlight Dumbo's unconventional spirit and demonstrate it as "a different side of New York." DNCO preserved the original diagonal logo and introduced a flexible "tape graphic" system, inspired by the neighbourhood's history of inventing the cardboard box, to reflect its ingenuity and reveal new perspectives. The colour palette and typography were chosen to embody Dumbo's industrial and gritty character. 8. Hey Studio Founded by Verònica Fuerte in Barcelona, Spain, Hey Studio is a small, all-female design agency celebrated for its striking use of geometry, bold colour, and playful yet refined visual language. With a focus on branding, illustration, editorial design, and typography, they combine joy with craft to explore issues with heart and purpose. A great example of their impact is their recent branding for Rainbow Wool. This German initiative is transforming wool from gay rams into fashion products to support the LGBT community. As is typical for Hey Studio, the project's identity is vibrant and joyful, utilising bright, curved shapes that will put a smile on everyone's face. 9. Koto Koto is a London-based global branding and digital studio known for co-creation, strategic thinking, expressive design systems, and enduring partnerships. They're well-known in the industry for bringing warmth, optimism and clarity to complex brand challenges. Over the past 18 months, they've undertaken a significant project to refresh Amazon's global brand identity. This extensive undertaking has involved redesigning Amazon's master brand and over 50 of its sub-brands across 15 global markets. Koto's approach, described as "radical coherence", aims to refine and modernize Amazon's most recognizable elements rather than drastically changing them. You can read more about the project here. 10. Robot Food Robot Food is a Leeds-based, brand-first creative studio recognised for its strategic and holistic approach. They're past masters at melding creative ideas with commercial rigour across packaging, brand strategy and campaign design. Recent Robot Food projects have included a bold rebrand for Hip Pop, a soft drinks company specializing in kombucha and alternative sodas. Their goal was to elevate Hip Pop from an indie challenger to a mainstream category leader, moving away from typical health drink aesthetics. The results are visually striking, with black backgrounds prominently featured (a rarity in the health drink aisle), punctuated by vibrant fruit illustrations and flavour-coded colours. Read more about the project here. 11. Saffron Brand Consultants Saffron is an independent global consultancy with offices in London, Madrid, Vienna and Istanbul. With deep expertise in naming, strategy, identity, and design systems, they work with leading public and private-sector clients to develop confident, culturally intelligent brands. One 2025 highlight so far has been their work for Saudi National Bank (SNB) to create NEO, a groundbreaking digital lifestyle bank in Saudi Arabia. Saffron integrated cultural and design trends, including Saudi neo-futurism, for its sonic identity to create a product that supports both individual and community connections. The design system strikes a balance between modern Saudi aesthetics and the practical demands of a fast-paced digital product, ensuring a consistent brand reflection across all interactions. 12. Alright Studio Alright Studio is a full-service strategy, creative, production and technology agency based in Brooklyn, New York. It prides itself on a "no house style" approach for clients, including A24, Meta Platforms, and Post Malone. One of the most exciting of their recent projects has been Offball, a digital-first sports news platform that aims to provide more nuanced, positive sports storytelling. Alright Studio designed a clean, intuitive, editorial-style platform featuring a masthead-like logotype and universal sports iconography, creating a calmer user experience aligned with OffBall's positive content. 13. Wolff Olins Wolff Olins is a global brand consultancy with four main offices: London, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Known for their courageous, culturally relevant branding and forward-thinking strategy, they collaborate with large corporations and trailblazing organisations to create bold, authentic brand identities that resonate emotionally. A particular highlight of 2025 so far has been their collaboration with Leo Burnett to refresh Sandals Resorts' global brand with the "Made of Caribbean" campaign. This strategic move positions Sandals not merely as a luxury resort but as a cultural ambassador for the Caribbean. Wolff Olins developed a new visual identity called "Natural Vibrancy," integrating local influences with modern design to reflect a genuine connection to the islands' culture. This rebrand speaks to a growing traveller demand for authenticity and meaningful experiences, allowing Sandals to define itself as an extension of the Caribbean itself. 14. COLLINS Founded by Brian Collins, COLLINS is an independent branding and design consultancy based in the US, celebrated for its playful visual language, expressive storytelling and culturally rich identity systems. In the last few months, we've loved the new branding they designed for Barcelona's 25th Offf Festival, which departs from its usual consistent wordmark. The updated identity is inspired by the festival's role within the international creative community, and is rooted in the concept of 'Centre Offf Gravity'. This concept is visually expressed through the festival's name, which appears to exert a gravitational pull on the text boxes, causing them to "stick" to it. Additionally, the 'f's in the wordmark are merged into a continuous line reminiscent of a magnet, with the motion graphics further emphasising the gravitational pull as the name floats and other elements follow. 15. Studio Spass Studio Spass is a creative studio based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on vibrant and dynamic identity systems that reflect the diverse and multifaceted nature of cultural institutions. One of their recent landmark projects was Bigger, a large-scale typographic installation created for the Shenzhen Art Book Fair. Inspired by tear-off calendars and the physical act of reading, Studio Spass used 264 A4 books, with each page displaying abstract details, to create an evolving grid of colour and type. Visitors were invited to interact with the installation by flipping pages, constantly revealing new layers of design and a hidden message: "Enjoy books!" 16. Applied Design Works Applied Design Works is a New York studio that specialises in reshaping businesses through branding and design. They provide expertise in design, strategy, and implementation, with a focus on building long-term, collaborative relationships with their clients. We were thrilled by their recent work for Grand Central Madison (the station that connects Long Island to Grand Central Terminal), where they were instrumental in ushering in a new era for the transportation hub. Applied Design sought to create a commuter experience that imbued the spirit of New York, showcasing its diversity of thought, voice, and scale that befits one of the greatest cities in the world and one of the greatest structures in it. 17. The Chase The Chase Creative Consultants is a Manchester-based independent creative consultancy with over 35 years of experience, known for blending humour, purpose, and strong branding to rejuvenate popular consumer campaigns. "We're not designers, writers, advertisers or brand strategists," they say, "but all of these and more. An ideas-based creative studio." Recently, they were tasked with shaping the identity of York Central, a major urban regeneration project set to become a new city quarter for York. The Chase developed the identity based on extensive public engagement, listening to residents of all ages about their perceptions of the city and their hopes for the new area. The resulting brand identity uses linear forms that subtly reference York's famous railway hub, symbolising the long-standing connections the city has fostered. 18. A Practice for Everyday Life Based in London and founded by Kirsty Carter and Emma Thomas, A Practice for Everyday Life built a reputation as a sought-after collaborator with like-minded companies, galleries, institutions and individuals. Not to mention a conceptual rigour that ensures each design is meaningful and original. Recently, they've been working on the visual identity for Muzej Lah, a new international museum for contemporary art in Bled, Slovenia opening in 2026. This centres around a custom typeface inspired by the slanted geometry and square detailing of its concrete roof tiles. It also draws from European modernist typography and the experimental lettering of Jože Plečnik, one of Slovenia's most influential architects.⁠ A Practice for Everyday Life. Photo: Carol Sachs Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me publication design by A Practice for Everyday Life, 2024. Photo: Ed Park La Biennale di Venezia identity by A Practice for Everyday Life, 2022. Photo: Thomas Adank CAM – Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian identity by A Practice for Everyday Life, 2024. Photo: Sanda Vučković 19. Studio Nari Studio Nari is a London-based creative and branding agency partnering with clients around the world to build "brands that truly connect with people". NARI stands, by the way, for Not Always Right Ideas. As they put it, "It's a name that might sound odd for a branding agency, but it reflects everything we believe." One landmark project this year has been a comprehensive rebrand for the electronic music festival Field Day. Studio Nari created a dynamic and evolving identity that reflects the festival's growth and its connection to the electronic music scene and community. The core idea behind the rebrand is a "reactive future", allowing the brand to adapt and grow with the festival and current trends while maintaining a strong foundation. A new, steadfast wordmark is at its centre, while a new marque has been introduced for the first time. 20. Beetroot Design Group Beetroot is a 25‑strong creative studio celebrated for its bold identities and storytelling-led approach. Based in Thessaloniki, Greece, their work spans visual identity, print, digital and motion, and has earned international recognition, including Red Dot Awards. Recently, they also won a Wood Pencil at the D&AD Awards 2025 for a series of posters created to promote live jazz music events. The creative idea behind all three designs stems from improvisation as a key feature of jazz. Each poster communicates the artist's name and other relevant information through a typographical "improvisation". 21. Kind Studio Kind Studio is an independent creative agency based in London that specialises in branding and digital design, as well as offering services in animation, creative and art direction, and print design. Their goal is to collaborate closely with clients to create impactful and visually appealing designs. One recent project that piqued our interest was a bilingual, editorially-driven digital platform for FC Como Women, a professional Italian football club. To reflect the club's ambition of promoting gender equality and driving positive social change within football, the new website employs bold typography, strong imagery, and an empowering tone of voice to inspire and disseminate its message. 22. Slug Global Slug Global is a creative agency and art collective founded by artist and musician Bosco (Brittany Bosco). Focused on creating immersive experiences "for both IRL and URL", their goal is to work with artists and brands to establish a sustainable media platform that embodies the values of young millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha. One of Slug Global's recent projects involved a collaboration with SheaMoisture and xoNecole for a three-part series called The Root of It. This series celebrates black beauty and hair, highlighting its significance as a connection to ancestry, tradition, blueprint and culture for black women. 23. Little Troop New York studio Little Troop crafts expressive and intimate branding for lifestyle, fashion, and cultural clients. Led by creative directors Noemie Le Coz and Jeremy Elliot, they're known for their playful and often "kid-like" approach to design, drawing inspiration from their own experiences as 90s kids. One of their recent and highly acclaimed projects is the visual identity for MoMA's first-ever family festival, Another World. Little Troop was tasked with developing a comprehensive visual identity that would extend from small items, such as café placemats, to large billboards. Their designs were deliberately a little "dream-like" and relied purely on illustration to sell the festival without needing photography. Little Troop also carefully selected seven colours from MoMA's existing brand guidelines to strike a balance between timelessness, gender neutrality, and fun. 24. Morcos Key Morcos Key is a Brooklyn-based design studio co-founded by Jon Key and Wael Morcos. Collaborating with a diverse range of clients, including arts and cultural institutions, non-profits and commercial enterprises, they're known for translating clients' stories into impactful visual systems through thoughtful conversation and formal expression. One notable project is their visual identity work for Hammer & Hope, a magazine that focuses on politics and culture within the black radical tradition. For this project, Morcos Key developed not only the visual identity but also a custom all-caps typeface to reflect the publication's mission and content. 25. Thirst Thirst, also known as Thirst Craft, is an award-winning strategic drinks packaging design agency based in Glasgow, Scotland, with additional hubs in London and New York. Founded in 2015 by Matthew Stephen Burns and Christopher John Black, the company specializes in building creatively distinctive and commercially effective brands for the beverage industry. To see what they're capable of, check out their work for SKYY Vodka. The new global visual identity system, called Audacious Glamour', aims to unify SKYY under a singular, powerful idea. The visual identity benefits from bolder framing, patterns, and a flavour-forward colour palette to highlight each product's "juicy attitude", while the photography style employs macro shots and liquid highlights to convey a premium feel.

In this article:See more ▼Post may contain affiliate links which give us commissions at no cost to you.Preppy fonts capture that quintessential East Coast elite vibe – think Nantucket summers, yacht clubs, and monogrammed everything. These typefaces embody the perfect balance of tradition and refinement that makes preppy design so timeless and aspirational. But here’s the thing: not all fonts can pull off that coveted preppy aesthetic. The best preppy fonts have a certain je ne sais quoi – they’re classic without being stuffy, elegant without being pretentious, and refined without being inaccessible. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the most gorgeous preppy fonts that’ll have your designs looking like they belong in the pages of Town & Country magazine. So grab your pearls and let’s dive into this typographic treasure trove! 👋 Psst... Did you know you can get unlimited downloads of 59,000+ fonts and millions of other creative assets for just $16.95/mo? Learn more »The Preppiest Fonts That Define 2025 Let’s start with the crème de la crème – the fonts that truly embody that preppy spirit. I’ve curated this list based on their ability to channel that classic New England charm while remaining versatile enough for modern design needs. Gatsby Prelude Gatsby Prelude is an elegant and modern Art Deco font duo. It combines sans-serif characters with decorative elements, perfect for creating sophisticated designs with a touch of vintage glamour.Burtuqol Burtuqol is a vintage slab serif font that exudes a retro charm. Its bold, chunky serifs and aged appearance make it ideal for projects requiring a nostalgic or timeworn aesthetic.Gafler Gafler is a classy vintage serif font with decorative elements. It combines elegance with a touch of old-world charm, making it perfect for high-end branding and classic design projects.Get 300+ Fonts for FREEEnter your email to download our 100% free "Font Lover's Bundle". For commercial & personal use. No royalties. No fees. No attribution. 100% free to use anywhere. Kagnue Kagnue is a modern and classy serif font. It offers a fresh take on traditional serif typefaces, blending contemporary design with timeless elegance for versatile use in various design contexts.The Blendinroom The Blendinroom is a retro serif typeface featuring luxurious ligatures. Its vintage-inspired design and intricate details make it ideal for creating sophisticated, old-world aesthetics in design projects.MODER BULES MODER BULES is a playful sans-serif font with a fun, childlike appeal. Its quirky design makes it perfect for kids-oriented projects or Halloween-themed designs, adding a touch of whimsy to typography.Nickey Vintage Nickey Vintage is a decorative display font with a strong vintage flair. Its bold, eye-catching characters make it ideal for headlines, logos, and designs that require a striking retro aesthetic.Ladger Ladger is a casual script font that exudes luxury and elegance. Its flowing lines and graceful curves make it perfect for logo designs, high-end branding, and projects requiring a touch of sophistication.Hadnich Hadnich is a modern script font with a brush-like quality. Its versatile design makes it suitable for various applications, from signage to branding, offering a contemporary take on handwritten typography.Belly and Park Belly and Park is a condensed beauty classic font family featuring both serif and sans-serif styles. Its vintage-inspired design and narrow characters make it ideal for creating elegant, space-efficient layouts.Loubag Loubag is a modern retro font family encompassing sans-serif, serif, and decorative styles. Its bold, fashion-forward design makes it perfect for creating eye-catching headlines and trendy branding materials.Petter And Sons Petter And Sons is a romantic beauty script font with decorative elements. Its elegant, flowing design makes it ideal for wedding invitations, luxury branding, and projects requiring a touch of refined beauty.Preteoria Preteoria is a modern cursive font with a sleek, contemporary feel. Its smooth curves and clean lines make it versatile for various design applications, from branding to digital media projects.Delauney Delauney is an Art Deco-inspired sans-serif font that captures the essence of the roaring twenties. Its geometric shapes and sleek lines make it perfect for creating designs with a bold, metropolitan flair.Amadi Vintage Amadi Vintage is a chic and beautiful serif font with a timeless appeal. Its elegant design and vintage-inspired details make it ideal for creating sophisticated, classic-looking designs and branding materials.LEDERSON LEDERSON is a vintage-inspired shadow font. Its weathered look and strong character make it perfect for designs requiring an authentic, aged aesthetic.Fancyou Fancyou is a versatile serif font with alternate characters. Its elegant design and customizable options make it suitable for a wide range of projects, from formal invitations to modern branding materials.Catterpie Font Catterpie is a handwritten script font that mimics natural handlettering. Its fluid, signature-like style makes it perfect for creating personal, authentic-looking designs and branding materials.Jemmy Wonder Jemmy Wonder is a Victorian-inspired serif font with a strong vintage character. Its ornate details and old-world charm make it ideal for creating designs with a classic, nostalgic feel.Monthey Monthey is a bold, elegant vintage display serif font. Its chunky characters and 70s-inspired design make it perfect for creating eye-catching headlines and retro-themed branding materials.Madville Madville is a classy script font with a versatile design. Its elegant curves and smooth transitions make it suitable for a wide range of projects, from formal invitations to modern branding materials.Crowk Crowk is a luxury serif font with a timeless, elegant appeal. Its refined design and classic proportions make it ideal for high-end branding, editorial layouts, and sophisticated design projects.Peachy Fantasy Peachy Fantasy is an Art Nouveau-inspired display font with decorative elements. Its vintage charm and unique character make it perfect for creating eye-catching headlines and artistic design projects.Cormier Cormier is a decorative sans-serif font with a strong artistic flair. Its unique design and fashion-forward aesthetic make it ideal for creating bold, attention-grabbing headlines and branding materials.Syntage Syntage is a decorative modern luxury font with both serif and ornamental elements. Its retro-inspired design and luxurious details make it perfect for high-end branding and sophisticated design projects.Jeniffer Selfies Jeniffer Selfies is a retro-inspired bold font combining sans-serif and script styles. Its playful design and vintage feel make it ideal for creating nostalgic, fun-loving designs and branding materials.The Rilman The Rilman is a ligature-rich rounded sans-serif font with a 90s-inspired design. Its retro charm and smooth edges make it perfect for creating playful, nostalgic designs and branding materials.Milky Croffle Milky Croffle is a classic beauty elegant serif font. Its refined design and timeless appeal make it ideal for creating sophisticated layouts, high-end branding, and projects requiring a touch of traditional elegance. What Makes a Font Feel Preppy? You might be wondering what exactly gives a font that unmistakable preppy vibe. After years of working with typography, I’ve identified several key characteristics that define the preppy aesthetic: Classic Serif Structure: Most preppy fonts are serifs, drawing inspiration from traditional typography used in prestigious publications and academic institutions. These serifs aren’t just decorative – they’re a nod to centuries of refined typographic tradition. Elegant Proportions: Preppy fonts tend to have well-balanced letterforms with moderate contrast between thick and thin strokes. They’re neither too delicate nor too bold – just perfectly poised, like a well-tailored blazer. Timeless Appeal: The best preppy fonts don’t scream “trendy.” Instead, they whisper “timeless.” They’re the typography equivalent of a strand of pearls – always appropriate, never out of style. Sophisticated Details: Look for subtle refinements in letterforms – graceful curves, well-crafted terminals, and thoughtful spacing. These details separate truly preppy fonts from their more pedestrian cousins. Heritage Inspiration: Many preppy fonts draw inspiration from historical typefaces used by Ivy League universities, prestigious publishing houses, and old-money families. This connection to tradition is what gives them their authentic preppy pedigree. Where to Use Preppy Fonts (And Where Not To) Preppy fonts aren’t one-size-fits-all solutions, but when used appropriately, they’re absolutely magical. Here’s where they shine brightest: Wedding Invitations: Nothing says “elegant affair” quite like a beautifully chosen preppy serif. These fonts are perfect for formal invitations, save-the-dates, and wedding stationery that needs to feel sophisticated and timeless. Luxury Branding: Brands targeting affluent audiences or positioning themselves as premium often benefit from preppy typography. Think boutique hotels, high-end fashion, or artisanal goods. Editorial Design: Magazines, newsletters, and publications focusing on lifestyle, fashion, or culture can leverage preppy fonts to establish credibility and sophistication. Corporate Identity: Professional services, law firms, financial institutions, and consulting companies often choose preppy fonts to convey trustworthiness and establishment credibility. Academic Materials: Universities, prep schools, and educational institutions naturally gravitate toward preppy typography that reflects their traditional values and heritage. However, preppy fonts might not be the best choice for: Tech Startups: The traditional nature of preppy fonts can feel at odds with innovation and disruption. Modern sans serifs usually work better for tech companies. Children’s Brands: While elegant, preppy fonts might feel too formal for products targeting young children. Playful, rounded fonts are typically more appropriate. Casual Brands: If your brand personality is laid-back and approachable, overly formal preppy fonts might create distance between you and your audience. How to Choose the Perfect Preppy Font Selecting the right preppy font requires careful consideration of several factors. Here’s my tried-and-true process: Consider Your Audience: Are you designing for actual prep school alumni, or are you trying to capture that aspirational preppy aesthetic for a broader audience? Your target demographic should influence how traditional or accessible your font choice is. Evaluate the Context: A wedding invitation can handle more ornate details than a business card. Consider where your text will appear and how much personality the context can support. Test Readability: Preppy doesn’t mean hard to read. Always test your chosen font at various sizes to ensure it remains legible. Your typography should enhance communication, not hinder it. Think About Pairing: Will you be using this font alone or pairing it with others? Consider how your preppy serif will work alongside sans serifs for body text or script fonts for accents. Consider Your Medium: Some preppy fonts work beautifully in print but struggle on screens. Others are optimized for digital use but lose their charm in print. Choose accordingly. Pairing Preppy Fonts Like a Pro The magic of preppy typography often lies in thoughtful font pairing. Here are some winning combinations that never fail: Classic Serif + Clean Sans Serif: Pair your preppy serif headline font with a crisp, readable sans serif for body text. This creates hierarchy while maintaining sophistication. Traditional Serif + Script Accent: Use a refined script font sparingly for special elements like signatures or decorative text, balanced by a solid preppy serif for main content. Serif + Serif Variation: Sometimes pairing two serifs from the same family – perhaps a regular weight for body text and a bold condensed version for headlines – creates beautiful, cohesive designs. Remember, less is often more with preppy design. Stick to two or three fonts maximum, and let the inherent elegance of your chosen typefaces do the heavy lifting. The Psychology Behind Preppy Typography Understanding why preppy fonts work so well psychologically can help you use them more effectively. These typefaces tap into powerful associations: Trust and Reliability: The traditional nature of preppy fonts suggests stability and permanence. When people see these fonts, they subconsciously associate them with established institutions and time-tested values. Sophistication and Education: Preppy fonts are reminiscent of academic institutions and intellectual pursuits. They suggest refinement, education, and cultural awareness. Exclusivity and Status: Let’s be honest – part of the preppy aesthetic’s appeal is its association with privilege and exclusivity. These fonts can make designs feel more premium and aspirational. Quality and Craftsmanship: The careful attention to typographic detail in preppy fonts suggests similar attention to quality in whatever they’re representing. Modern Takes on Classic Preppy Style While preppy fonts are rooted in tradition, the best designers know how to give them contemporary flair. Here are some ways to modernize preppy typography: Unexpected Color Palettes: Pair traditional preppy fonts with modern colors. Think sage green and cream instead of navy and white, or soft blush tones for a fresh take. Generous White Space: Give your preppy fonts room to breathe with plenty of white space. This modern approach to layout keeps traditional fonts feeling fresh and uncluttered. Mixed Media Integration: Combine preppy typography with photography, illustrations, or graphic elements for a more contemporary feel while maintaining that sophisticated foundation. Strategic Contrast: Pair your refined preppy fonts with unexpected elements – maybe a bold geometric shape or modern photography – to create dynamic tension. Preppy Font Alternatives for Every Budget Not every preppy project has a premium font budget, and that’s okay! Here are some strategies for achieving that coveted preppy look without breaking the bank: Google Fonts Gems: Fonts like Playfair Display, Crimson Text, and Libre Baskerville offer sophisticated serif options that can work beautifully for preppy designs. Font Pairing Magic: Sometimes combining two free fonts thoughtfully can create a more expensive-looking result than using a single premium font poorly. Focus on Execution: A free font used with excellent spacing, hierarchy, and layout will always look better than an expensive font used carelessly. Common Preppy Font Mistakes to Avoid Even with the perfect preppy font, poor execution can ruin the effect. Here are the most common mistakes I see designers make: Overdoing the Decoration: Just because a font has elegant details doesn’t mean you need to add more flourishes. Let the typeface’s inherent sophistication speak for itself. Ignoring Hierarchy: Preppy design relies on clear, elegant hierarchy. Don’t make everything the same size or weight – create visual flow through thoughtful typography scaling. Poor Spacing: Cramped text kills the elegant feel of preppy fonts. Give your typography generous leading and appropriate margins. Wrong Context: Using an ultra-formal preppy font for a casual pizza restaurant’s menu will feel jarring and inappropriate. Match your font choice to your content and audience. The Future of Preppy Typography As we look ahead in 2025, preppy fonts continue to evolve while maintaining their classic appeal. We’re seeing interesting trends emerge: Variable Font Technology: Modern preppy fonts are increasingly available as variable fonts, allowing designers to fine-tune weight, width, and optical size for perfect customization. Screen Optimization: Classic preppy fonts are being redrawn and optimized for digital screens without losing their traditional charm. Inclusive Preppy: Designers are expanding the preppy aesthetic beyond its traditional boundaries, creating fonts that maintain sophistication while feeling more accessible and diverse. Sustainable Design: The timeless nature of preppy fonts aligns perfectly with sustainable design principles – these typefaces won’t look dated next year, making them environmentally responsible choices. Conclusion: Embracing Timeless Elegance Preppy fonts represent more than just letterforms – they’re a gateway to timeless elegance and sophisticated communication. Whether you’re designing wedding invitations for a Martha’s Vineyard ceremony or creating brand identity for a boutique law firm, the right preppy font can elevate your work from merely professional to genuinely distinguished. The beauty of preppy typography lies in its ability to feel both traditional and fresh, formal yet approachable. These fonts have stood the test of time because they tap into something fundamental about how we perceive quality, tradition, and sophistication. As you explore the world of preppy fonts, remember that the best typography choices support your message rather than overshadowing it. Choose fonts that enhance your content’s inherent qualities and speak to your audience’s aspirations and values. So whether you’re channeling that old-money aesthetic or simply want to add a touch of refined elegance to your designs, preppy fonts offer a wealth of possibilities. After all, good typography, like good manners, never goes out of style.

Credit: Image Credit: Ian Moore / James Martin / Viva Tung / Mashable Composite Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans. Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.What is Connections Sports Edition?The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media. Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:Yellow: ScorelessGreen: Midwest college townsBlue: GolfPurple: Major names behind the plate Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categoriesNeed a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:Yellow: Slang for ZeroGreen: Big Ten CitiesBlue: Sites of This Year's Men's Golf MajorsPurple: MLB CatchersLooking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.Drumroll, please!The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #266 is...What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition todaySlang for Zero - BAGEL, DONUT, GOOSE EGG, NILBig Ten Cities - COLLEGE PARK, COLUMBUS, EAST LANSING, MADISONSites of This Year's Men's Golf Majors - AUGUSTA, OAKMONT, QUAIL HOLLOW, ROYAL PORTRUSHMLB Catchers - PEREZ, RALEIGH, REALMUTO, RUTSCHMANDon't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections. Topics Connections

In-app bidding has automated most waterfall optimization, yet developers still manage multiple hybrid waterfalls, each with dozens of manual instances. Naturally, this can be timely and overwhelming to maintain, keeping you from optimizing to perfection and focusing on other opportunities to boost revenue.Rather than analyzing each individual network and checking if instances are available at each price point, breaking down your waterfall into different CPM ranges allows you to visualize the waterfall and easily identify the gaps.Here are some tips on how to use CPM buckets to better optimize your waterfall’s performance.What are CPM buckets?CPM buckets show you exactly how much revenue and how many impressions you’re getting from each CPM price range, giving you a more granular idea of how different networks are competing in the waterfall. CPM buckets are a feature of real time pivot reports, available on ironSource LevelPlay.Identifying and closing the gapsTypically in a waterfall, you can only see each ad network’s average CPM. But this keeps you from seeing ad network distribution across all price points and understanding exactly where ad networks are bidding. Bottom line - you don’t know where in the waterfall you should add a new instance.By separating CPM into buckets, (for example, seeing all the ad networks generating a CPM of $10-$20) you understand exactly which networks are driving impressions and revenue and which CPMs aren’t being filledNow how do you do it? As a LevelPlay client, simply use ironSource’s real time pivot reports - choose the CPM bucket filter option and sort by “average bid price.” From here, you’ll see how your revenue spreads out among CPM ranges and you’ll start to notice gaps in your bar graph. Every gap in revenue - where revenue is much lower than the neighboring CPM group - indicates an opportunity to optimize your monetization strategy. The buckets can range from small increments like $1 to larger increments like $10, so it’s important to compare CPM buckets of the same incremental value.Pro tip: To best set up your waterfall, create one tab with the general waterfall (filter app, OS, Ad unit, geo/geos from a specific group) and make sure to look at Revenue and eCPM in the “measures” dropdown. In the “show” section, choose CPM buckets and sort by average bid price. From here, you can mark down any gaps.But where do these gaps come from? Gaps in revenue are often due to friction in the waterfall, like not enough instances, instances that aren’t working, or a waterfall setup mistake. But gaps can also be adjusted and fixed.Once you’ve found a gap, you can look at the CPM buckets around it to better understand the context. Let’s say you see a strong instance generating significant revenue in the CPM bucket right below it, in the $70-80 group. This instance from this specific ad network has a lot of potential, so it’s worth trying to push it to a higher CPM bucket.In fact, when you look at higher CPM buckets, you don’t see this ad network anywhere else in the waterfall - what a missed opportunity! Try adding another instance of this network higher up in the waterfall. If you’re profiting well with a $70-80 CPM, imagine how much more revenue you could bring at a $150 CPM.Pro tip: Focusing on higher areas in the waterfall makes a larger financial impact, leading to bigger increases in ARPDAU.Let’s say you decide to add 5 instances of that network to higher CPM buckets. You can use LevelPlay’s quick A/B test to understand if this adjustment boosts your revenue - not just for this gap, but for any and all that you find. Simply compare your existing waterfall against the new waterfall with these 5 higher instances - then implement the one that drives the highest instances.Božo Janković, Head of Ad Monetization at GameBiz Consulting, uses CPM buckets "to understand at which CPMs the bidding networks are filling. From there, I can pinpoint exactly where in the waterfall to add more traditional instances - which creates more competition, especially for the bidding networks, and creates an opportunity for revenue growth."Finding new insightsYou can dig even deeper into your data by filtering by ad source. Before CPM buckets, you were limited to seeing an average eCPM for each bidding network. Maybe you knew that one ad source had an average CPM of $50, but the distribution of impression across the waterfall was a black box. Now, we know exactly which CPMs the bidders are filling. “I find ironSource CPM buckets feature very insightful and and use it daily. It’s an easy way to identify opportunities to optimize the waterfall and earn even more revenue." -Božo Janković, Head of Ad Monetization at GameBiz ConsultingUnderstanding your CPM distribution empowers you to not only identify your revenue sources, but also to promote revenue growth. Armed with the knowledge of which buckets some of their stronger bidding networking are performing in, some publishers actively add instances from traditional networks above those ranges. This creates better competition and also helps drive up the bids from the biddersThere’s no need for deep analysis - once you see the gaps, you can quickly understand who’s performing in the lower and higher buckets, and see exactly what’s missing. This way, you won’t miss out on any lost revenue.Learn more about CPM buckets, available exclusively to ironSource LevelPlay here.

Perhaps the oldest, most pernicious form of human bias is that of men toward women. It often started at the moment of birth. In ancient Athens, at a public ceremony called the amphidromia, fathers would inspect a newborn and decide whether it would be part of the family, or be cast away. One often socially acceptable reason for abandoning the baby: It was a girl. Female infanticide has been distressingly common in many societies — and its practice is not just ancient history. In 1990, the Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen looked at birth ratios in Asia, North Africa, and China and calculated that more than 100 million women were essentially “missing” — meaning that, based on the normal ratio of boys to girls at birth and the longevity of both genders, there was a huge missing number of girls who should have been born, but weren’t. Sen’s estimate came before the truly widespread adoption of ultrasound tests that could determine the sex of a fetus in utero — which actually made the problem worse, leading to a wave of sex-selective abortions. These were especially common in countries like India and China; the latter’s one-child policy and old biases made families desperate for their one child to be a boy. The Economist has estimated that since 1980 alone, there have been approximately 50 million fewer girls born worldwide than would naturally be expected, which almost certainly means that roughly that nearly all of those girls were aborted for no other reason than their sex. The preference for boys was a bias that killed in mass numbers.But in one of the most important social shifts of our time, that bias is changing. In a great cover story earlier this month, The Economist reported that the number of annual excess male births has fallen from a peak of 1.7 million in 2000 to around 200,000, which puts it back within the biologically standard birth ratio of 105 boys for every 100 girls. Countries that once had highly skewed sex ratios — like South Korea, which saw almost 116 boys born for every 100 girls in 1990 — now have normal or near-normal ratios. Altogether, The Economist estimated that the decline in sex preference at birth in the past 25 years has saved the equivalent of 7 million girls. That’s comparable to the number of lives saved by anti-smoking efforts in the US. So how, exactly, have we overcome a prejudice that seemed so embedded in human society?Success in school and the workplaceFor one, we have relaxed discrimination against girls and women in other ways — in school and in the workplace. With fewer limits, girls are outperforming boys in the classroom. In the most recent international PISA tests, considered the gold standard for evaluating student performance around the world, 15-year-old girls beat their male counterparts in reading in 79 out of 81 participating countries or economies, while the historic male advantage in math scores has fallen to single digits. Girls are also dominating in higher education, with 113 female students at that level for every 100 male students. While women continue to earn less than men, the gender pay gap has been shrinking, and in a number of urban areas in the US, young women have actually been outearning young men. Government policies have helped accelerate that shift, in part because they have come to recognize the serious social problems that eventually result from decades of anti-girl discrimination. In countries like South Korea and China, which have long had some of the most skewed gender ratios at birth, governments have cracked down on technologies that enable sex-selective abortion. In India, where female infanticide and neglect have been particularly horrific, slogans like “Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter” have helped change opinions. A changing preferenceThe shift is being seen not just in birth sex ratios, but in opinion polls — and in the actions of would-be parents.Between 1983 and 2003, The Economist reported, the proportion of South Korean women who said it was “necessary” to have a son fell from 48 percent to 6 percent, while nearly half of women now say they want daughters. In Japan, the shift has gone even further — as far back as 2002, 75 percent of couples who wanted only one child said they hoped for a daughter.In the US, which allows sex selection for couples doing in-vitro fertilization, there is growing evidence that would-be parents prefer girls, as do potential adoptive parents. While in the past, parents who had a girl first were more likely to keep trying to have children in an effort to have a boy, the opposite is now true — couples who have a girl first are less likely to keep trying. A more equal futureThere’s still more progress to be made. In northwest of India, for instance, birth ratios that overly skew toward boys are still the norm. In regions of sub-Saharan Africa, birth sex ratios may be relatively normal, but post-birth discrimination in the form of poorer nutrition and worse medical care still lingers. And course, women around the world are still subject to unacceptable levels of violence and discrimination from men.And some of the reasons for this shift may not be as high-minded as we’d like to think. Boys around the world are struggling in the modern era. They increasingly underperform in education, are more likely to be involved in violent crime, and in general, are failing to launch into adulthood. In the US, 20 percent of American men between 25 and 34 still live with their parents, compared to 15 percent of similarly aged women. It also seems to be the case that at least some of the increasing preference for girls is rooted in sexist stereotypes. Parents around the world may now prefer girls partly because they see them as more likely to take care of them in their old age — meaning a different kind of bias against women, that they are more natural caretakers, may be paradoxically driving the decline in prejudice against girls at birth.But make no mistake — the decline of boy preference is a clear mark of social progress, one measured in millions of girls’ lives saved. And maybe one Father’s Day, not too long from now, we’ll reach the point where daughters and sons are simply children: equally loved and equally welcomed.A version of this story originally appeared in the Good News newsletter. Sign up here!See More: