Unusual, magical, and at the same time realistic volumetric typography remains an eternal trend for many reasons. No matter what styles emerge, what trends web designers pursue, 3D letters on a website page can present a project to users, clients, and stakeholders in a completely different light. It’s also worth mentioning areas like virtual reality (VR), panoramic 360 0 projects, and similar ones. In these, 3D typography feels right at home and is an essential part of the overall design. Even the most basic website can be livened up with 3D letters, adding variety to the design and altering the project’s character while preserving its seriousness and masculinity.
We’ve already touched on the topic of 3D typography when discussing one way to create it easily, even without the ability to work with Photoshop’s 3D tools. At that time, we also shared various examples of websites using volumetric typography.
But now we decided to reflect on this trend in a broader sense — how and why it is used, and what deserves special attention.
Volume in Everything
3D typography is an old trend, but due to the growing popularity of VR and AR technologies, it is being used more and more. Three-dimensional typography inherently has depth, giving designs a sense of realism. And this realism looks great both in digital formats and, to some extent, in print. But 3D typography isn’t just about thick, bold letters. It also includes manipulating the text’s position, even if it is technically flat. One word may be large and bold, another smaller and thinner, creating a visual 3D illusion even on a flat screen — just like how depth is created in VR projects or virtual tours. We talked about this in more detail before.
There are no strict rules for creating or using 3D typography. Even the font style can vary: from rigid and blocky to ornate and light. The key is readability and clarity, so that each letter is distinguishable without users having to guess whether it’s a lowercase "b" or "v".
Moreover, the three-dimensional effect isn’t only achieved by making letters protrude. The entire text block can be placed at an angle (in isometry), not just flat. This also makes the design three-dimensional and changes how typography is perceived.
The futuro project combines different styles and initially seems like it uses standard text. But when you move your mouse, the text becomes 3D. This effect is hard to ignore because you need to scroll the page down to view the content.
The creators of uncannyvalley made the entire design 3D — text and objects appear as you scroll. Each page includes links to other site sections. Though the letters look flat, they’re slightly distorted and positioned in perspective, creating a sense of depth. As a result, the typography feels volumetric even if it isn’t truly 3D.
Also check out: labworkstudio, kinigadner, vanholtz, davidmcleod.
Volume Style
We all know that 3D letters don’t have to be strict and straight — they can also be ornate, handwritten. The styles of volumetric typography vary just as much as the fonts themselves. Say we chose Arial — what’s next? Adjust boldness, italics, kerning, etc. Same goes for 3D fonts — tweak thickness, style, size, spacing.
It’s important to consider whether the font includes color, textures, gradients. When such colorful 3D inscriptions are individually adjusted, the results can be unique and visually impressive.
Style also depends on the project’s overall theme. For example, for a culinary or crafts website (like a bakery or embroidery shop), a cartoonish or rigid blocky style might not be ideal. But cursive or handwritten fonts often look great.
See: sweettreetsbakery, littlecupcakebakeshop, magnoliabakery, bunners. In most cases, volume was achieved through shadows or letter borders — no complex rendering, no resource-heavy setups. Simple, quick, effective.
The essence of 3D typography style is that letters have depth and appear real (we don’t live in a flat world — everything has volume). When making letters volumetric or pseudo-3D, think: do you want to reach out and touch them? Does the text feel 3D at first glance?
Defining Volume
Any 3D-effect letter, text, or font has characteristics that help users perceive depth — and designers use these to turn flat elements into dimensional ones.
Shadows. Shadows can vary in form and color.
Embossing – highlights contours, making letters sharper.
Textures, photo elements, shadows from external objects — these all emphasize volume. Letters may have leaves, shapes, or shadows beneath instead of behind them.
Animation – style shifts, weight changes, and other stylish effects.
Examples: meisslundschadn, blkout, reflektor, qalam, finisweetsusa, ai_brief.
Using in Moderation
Unfortunately, volumetric typography doesn’t suit all designs. 3D letters work best in small amounts: titles, drop caps, logos, or project names. The more 3D text, the harder it is to read. Try writing a paragraph from a book in a 3D font — you can read it, but now imagine the whole book. It’s harder, annoying, and tiring. 3D is decorative — less is more.
That’s why most examples above use 3D for one or two words. But you can use this style for headers — even if not on every page, at least per category or section. With the right font style, headers remain readable.
Another key point is choosing the right 3D style that matches the website’s design and meets user and client expectations. Most people start by Googling — and see a sea of options.
The 3D typography design trend is so widespread that there are entire font categories dedicated to it. Try searching for keywords like outline, shadow, extrusion, embossing. These styles may not render identically for every character like handmade fonts do, but they’ll work in many cases.
Pleasant, Inspiring, and Useful
When creating 3D typography or picking a fitting font, it’s best to observe what others are doing. But note: what works in print often doesn’t work in web. Web design must remain simple and readable.
Here’s a list of Cyrillic 3D fonts suitable for web design — all decorative, with diverse elements:
These include: Wooden Ship Decorated, aBosaNovaSh, Umbrella, Loop, Fortune
You can also find a large collection of Cyrillic 3D fonts on Vectorstock — including retro, glitch, cartoon, pixel, colorful styles, and more.
You can find original 3D typography ideas by Alexis Persani on Behance (he has many projects). We previously explained how to use the Mixer Brush and Liquify tool in Photoshop — combining them can produce similar results.
You’ll find tons of 3D font inspiration on Behance, covering everything from fonts to complete layouts. As the saying goes: idea is one thing, execution — another.
For artistic inspiration, check out artek, 8 march, save.
Noteworthy implementations include: tennentbrown, oneis, apple, grupowprojects.
Conclusion
Volumetric typography isn’t suitable for all themes or design styles. But it can shape a project’s character, add uniqueness, and draw attention. Typography design is an area where many strive to improve and stand out. Reaching the next level can be difficult — font, color, style, word choice, layout — all are crucial.
The goal of 3D-style fonts is to attract the reader’s attention to what’s important. Obviously, that “important” thing shouldn't be paragraphs long. Any decoration must be minimal — and that’s the challenge. Well-chosen minimalism can make a huge difference.
Always remember: font styles don’t have to match each other, but the site’s design style and the 3D typography must match. After all, it’s all about creativity, a bit of fun, a touch of luck, and plenty of inspiration time.