The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Free font
Cinzel
A free alternative to Amagro.
About Cinzel
Cinzel is Natanael Gama's 2012 all-caps Roman serif, drawn from first-century inscriptional letterforms and classical proportions, and issued through Google Fonts in Regular, Bold, and Black. There is no lowercase: the design is chiseled capitals with flared, carved serifs, built for titling rather than text.
This is the most-cited free alternative to Trajan Pro, and for straightforward reasons — Twombly worked from the same lapidary source material. It also handles the engraved-capitals job that Copperplate Gothic is bought for; the proportions are Roman rather than Copperplate's wide monoline, but letterspaced across a letterhead it delivers the same carved authority. Designers reaching for Optima in titling settings will find the bearing familiar even though the category differs — true serifs against Optima's sans bones. For all-caps monograms and wordmarks in The Seasons's register, it is the practical pick.
- Designer
- Natanael Gama
- Available at
- Google Fonts →
Cinzel is also a free alternative to…
- Amagro → An all-capitals serif drawn from first-century Roman inscriptions, so it shares Amagro's uppercase-only format and carved, stone-cut feel. Its proportions are more classical and even than Amagro's playful, angular cuts, but it is the closest match for a dignified title face and comes in several weights.
- Copperplate Gothic → The strongest free stand-in for the engraved-capitals job — an all-caps face with flared, chiseled serifs and weights up to Black. Its proportions are Roman-inscriptional rather than Copperplate's wide monoline, but letterspaced on a letterhead it delivers the same carved authority.
- Optima → All-caps inscriptional Roman serif, drawing on the same first-century lapidary letterforms Optima references. Different category — true serifs vs Optima's sans bones — but works in titling settings where Optima is most often used.
- The Seasons → Classical inscriptional capitals for the all-caps monogram and wordmark work The Seasons is so often bought for.
- Trajan Pro → Inspired by first-century Roman inscriptions and based on classical proportions — exactly the brief Twombly worked from for Trajan. All-caps only, three weights (Regular, Bold, Black). The most-cited free Trajan alternative for good reason.
- Cresci Exemplar Pro → Natanael Gama's Cinzel draws directly on first-century Roman inscriptions, the same capitalis monumentalis tradition Cresci studied and refined. It is the closest free match in proportion and seriffing, but it carries three weights and a lowercase-free caps-only set, where Cresci Exemplar Pro offers a single style with a calligrapher's softer modelling.
- PF Monumenta Pro → Natanael Gama's capitals drawn straight from first-century Roman inscriptions, the same source PF Monumenta cites. Closest match for the lapidary proportions and tapered serifs, and it comes in three weights plus a Decorative companion, though it has no shaded or metallic effect styles.
- FS Renaissance → Capitals drawn from first-century Roman inscriptions, the same carved-stone lineage FS Renaissance channels through its stencil cuts. Cinzel's letters are solid rather than bridged, but its proportions and sculptural weight give the closest free match for the classical display mood.
Display + body that work together
A grammar of empty space
A pairing is a relationship: one voice speaks first, the other answers, and the contrast between them sets the tone for the whole page.
Pages that earn the read
The display sets the register; the body follows through. When both halves of a pair pull in the same direction, the design disappears and the words come forward.