Handwriting Fonts

by Ilene Strizver

If you love the convenience of creating and printing documents from your computer, but miss the informal, personal touch of handwriting, here’s a handy idea: try a handwriting font.

Handwriting fonts are typographic interpretations of the penmanship of a real human being. They come in an extremely diverse range of styles, from the nervous, calligraphic scrawl of Cyberkugel to the childlike writing displayed by Kristen, or even a quirky, bouncy, irregular arrangement of caps and lowercase forms, as seen in Deelirious.

Handwriting fonts are ideal for all those personal projects that most of us now do on our computers, including letters, personal notes, invitations and journals. For these documents, a face such as Weber Hand or Bradley Hand helps maintain a personal, low-tech look.

Handwriting fonts aren’t only for personal use, though. Many professional design projects need the casual immediacy that a handwriting font can bring. These faces can be used with great effectiveness on book and CD covers, movie titles, advertising and web graphics. Intimate and expressive, handwriting fonts add a welcome touch of individuality to any application.

• Editor’s Note:Ilene Strizver, founder of The Type Studio, is a typographic consultant, designer and writer specializing in all aspects of typographic communication. She conducts Gourmet Typography workshops internationally. Read more about typography in her latest literary effort, Type Rules! The designer's guide to professional typography, 4th edition, published by Wiley & Sons, Inc. This article was commissioned and approved by Monotype Imaging Inc.