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25 Things You Can Make with Thanksgiving SVGs

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25 things you can make with thanksgiving svgs

25 Things You Can Make with Thanksgiving SVGs

Thanksgiving is a great time to get creative with your Cricut or Silhouette machine. If you’re hosting dinner, heading to a Friendsgiving party, or just enjoy making things for the holidays, there are plenty of ways to put Thanksgiving SVGs to use.

You can use SVG files to make custom shirts, decorate your home, personalize gifts, and add a few fun details to your Thanksgiving table. All you need is a design you like, the right materials, and a little time to put it together.

Here are 25 Thanksgiving SVG project ideas to try this year!

1. Thanksgiving Shirts

Make a Thanksgiving shirt for yourself or create matching shirts for the whole family. A funny Thanksgiving saying, a cute turkey, or a handlettered design looks great on a plain T-shirt. Use heat transfer vinyl to add your design, and you’ll have something fun to wear for dinner, family photos, or your annual turkey trot.

Let’s Get Basted SVG

2. Personalized Wine Glasses

Hosting Friendsgiving or having family over for dinner? Add names, Thanksgiving phrases, or simple seasonal designs to wine glasses using permanent adhesive vinyl. You can make a matching set or give everyone a glass with their name on it.

Thankful SVG

3. Seasonal Sweatshirts

Create cozy Thanksgiving sweatshirts featuring pumpkins, fall leaves, turkeys, or seasonal sayings. They’re great for family gatherings, Friendsgiving, or a little festive outfit for the holiday.

Grateful Thankful Blessed SVG

4. Thanksgiving Mugs

Decorate plain mugs with Thanksgiving designs, seasonal lettering, or a funny phrase about everyone’s favorite part of the meal. You can make a set for your family or personalize a mug as a little gift for your host. Just be sure to use an appropriate decoration method and follow the care instructions for your mug.

You Had Me at Pumpkin Spice SVG

5. Thanksgiving Signs

Make a sign for your entryway, dining room, or kitchen with a Thanksgiving greeting or festive design. A simple wooden sign with handlettered text looks right at home with your holiday decorations. You can also create a smaller sign for your buffet or dessert table.

Pumpkins Apple Cide Hay Rides Crisp Leaves Cool Breeze SVG

6. Cute Tumblers

Add Thanksgiving-themed graphics or lettering to tumblers for seasonal drinkware. They’re fun for hosting, gifting, or creating matching drinkware for family and friends.

Hello Sweater Weather SVG

7. Thanksgiving Tote Bags

Create reusable tote bags for carrying groceries, bringing dishes to dinner, or packing up Thanksgiving leftovers. Add a seasonal phrase or festive design with heat transfer vinyl. Personalized totes also make useful gifts for friends and family who enjoy a little holiday crafting.

In My Autumn Era SVG

8. Pie Boxes and Treat Packaging

Sending guests home with pie or homemade treats? Decorate paper boxes with Thanksgiving SVGs, cardstock cutouts, or custom labels. A simple turkey, a pumpkin pie design, or a festive phrase makes your packaging feel special without requiring a complicated project.

Thankful SVG

Harvest Blessings SVG

Happy Harvest SVG

9. Thanksgiving Kitchen Towels

Add a little holiday personality to your kitchen with custom tea towels. Thanksgiving phrases, turkey designs, and playful food-related sayings all work well for this project. Make a set for your own kitchen or create a few to give as hostess gifts.

Oh Snap SVG

10. Personalized Serving Trays

Decorate a serving tray with a Thanksgiving design or a family name. It’s a fun way to dress up a tray you’ll use for appetizers, drinks, or desserts during the holidays. Choose a decoration method suited to the tray’s surface and keep decorative materials away from food-contact areas.

Gather Together and Give Thanks SVG

11. Seasonal Phone Cases

Give phone cases a seasonal update with Thanksgiving SVG designs. Try fall florals, pumpkins, leaves, or a cute Thanksgiving graphic for a little holiday personality.

Touchdowns Turkey Pumpkin Pie SVG

12. A Thanksgiving Welcome Sign

Give family and friends a warm welcome with a sign for your front porch or entryway. A Thanksgiving greeting paired with simple seasonal artwork makes an easy addition to your holiday decorations. If the sign will be outdoors, choose materials that can handle the weather.

Welcome SVG

13. Custom Aprons

Make a personalized apron for the person who spends Thanksgiving in the kitchen. Add a name, a funny cooking phrase, or a festive design using heat transfer vinyl. You could even make matching aprons for everyone helping with the holiday meal.

Turkey Gravy Beans and Rolls Let Me See That Casserole SVG

14. Leftover Container Labels

Thanksgiving leftovers are practically a holiday tradition of their own. Make personalized labels or tags for containers so everyone knows what’s inside and whose food is whose. They’re especially handy when guests are taking home a little bit of everything.

Thankful for Leftovers SVG

15. Thanksgiving Greeting Cards

Make your own Thanksgiving cards with layered cardstock, decorative lettering, and seasonal SVG designs. They’re a nice way to send a thank-you to someone special or let family and friends know you’re thinking of them. You can even make coordinating envelopes with matching cutout details.

Happy Friendsgiving SVG

16. Seasonal Oven Mitts and Pot Holders

Personalize pot holders and oven mitts with fall sayings, Thanksgiving graphics, or a family name. These also make thoughtful little gifts for anyone who loves spending time in the kitchen.

Side Chick SVG

17. Seasonal Doormats

Welcome guests with a festive doormat featuring a Thanksgiving phrase, fall graphics, or a combination of both. It’s an easy way to add a seasonal touch to your front porch before everyone arrives.

Eat Pray Give Thanks SVG

18. Bottle Gift Bags

Bringing a bottle of wine, sparkling cider, or another favorite drink to your host? Personalize a gift bag with a Thanksgiving phrase or seasonal design. It’s a simple way to make your gift feel a little more thoughtful.

WTF Wine Turkey Family SVG

19. Thanksgiving Banners

Make a banner for your mantel, dining room, or buffet table. Cut individual letters and decorative shapes from cardstock, then string them together with ribbon or twine. You can spell out a Thanksgiving greeting or create a shorter banner to coordinate with the rest of your decorations.

Happy Thanksgiving SVG

20. Personalized Cutting Boards

A custom cutting board makes a thoughtful gift for someone who loves to cook. Depending on the board’s intended use, you can add a name or design to the handle or another decorative area away from the cutting surface. Keep vinyl and other decorative materials off the areas used to prepare food.

Give Thanks SVG

21. Thanksgiving Coasters

Make a set of coasters with turkey designs, seasonal lettering, or simple Thanksgiving graphics. Add family names for a personalized set or create coordinating designs for your holiday table. Choose materials and finishes that are suitable for drinks and easy to care for.

Hey Pumpkin SVG

22. Candle Favors

Create personalized candles with Thanksgiving SVGs featuring pumpkins, fall leaves, or seasonal sayings. They’re a lovely addition to the dinner table and make a sweet little party favor for guests to take home.

The Only Thing Getting Lit Are My Fall Candles SVG

23. Thanksgiving Throw Pillows

Add a seasonal touch to your living room or dining area with decorative throw pillows featuring Thanksgiving phrases, pumpkins, fall leaves, or harvest-inspired graphics. They’re an easy way to bring a little autumn personality into your home.

Flannels and Leaves Pumpkin Spice Lattes Please SVG

24. Gratitude Jars

Decorate a jar with a Thanksgiving SVG and use it to collect notes about what everyone is thankful for. Guests can add their notes throughout the gathering, making it a fun little tradition to revisit each year.

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart SVG

25. Baby Onesies

Make an adorable Thanksgiving outfit for the littlest family member with a festive baby onesie. Add a cute turkey, pumpkin, fall leaves, or a sweet seasonal saying for a fun outfit perfect for family photos and holiday celebrations.

Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch SVG

Find Thanksgiving SVGs for Your Next Project

Browse the Thanksgiving SVG collection to find designs for your holiday projects, and have fun making something of your own this year! You can also sign up for my All Access Design Pass to get instant access to ALL SVGs included in this post, plus thousands of other SVGs and hundreds of fonts!

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What is an SVG File? Learn What an SVG is, How to Use Them, and More!

Leave a Comment / Crafting, Cricut Tips, How To - SVGs /

What is an SVG File?

If you’ve ever downloaded a design for your Cricut or Silhouette machine, you’ve probably come across an SVG file. An SVG is one of the most common file types used for cutting projects, and once you understand how it works, you’ll see why it’s so useful!

Here’s what you need to know about SVG files, how to use them, and when to choose one for your next project.

What Does SVG Stand For?

SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics. It’s a file format that stores designs as vector shapes and paths rather than a grid of individual pixels.

That might sound a little technical, but here’s the important part: SVG designs can be resized up or down without any loss of quality. You know how you can blow up a picture and it looks fuzzy, grainy, or pixelated? That doesn’t happen with an SVG because it’s a vector-based graphic.

You can make a design small enough for a keychain or enlarge it for a sign (or even a huge ass billboard!) without the artwork becoming blurry or pixelated. This makes SVG files especially useful for projects that come in different sizes.

SVG files can contain shapes, lines, curves, and text outlines arranged to create a complete design. When you upload a compatible SVG into cutting software, the program can use those paths to determine where your machine should cut.

What Are SVG Files Used For?

SVG files are popular with crafters, small business owners, and designers because they can be used for all kinds of projects.

Here are a few common ways to use them in the crafting world!

  • Custom shirts and apparel: Use SVG designs with heat transfer vinyl to personalize T-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, and other fabric items.

  • Tumblers and mugs: Cut adhesive vinyl designs to decorate drinkware.

  • Home decor: Make signs, wall art, decorative labels, and seasonal decorations.

  • Paper crafts: Cut greeting cards, gift tags, invitations, banners, and paper embellishments.

  • Personalized gifts: Add names, monograms, or custom designs to gifts for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions.

  • Small business products: Create designs for items such as decals, packaging, signs, and other products you sell.

  • Stickers and labels: Use SVG artwork as part of a sticker or label design in compatible software and workflows.

SVG files are especially handy when you want to use the same design on several different projects. A design that works on a small gift tag might also work on a larger sign, provided the details suit the finished size.

A raster (pixel-based) image, on the other hand, works only for its original size & below. For example, if you have a logo file that is 1500 pixels wide at 300 PPI (pixels per inch), you can print that at 5 inches wide or smaller with no loss of quality. Blow it up larger for maybe a big sign and it’s gonna look like junk. That’s why logo designers provide a vector file for large scale printing, whether it’s an .svg file or even an .ai or .eps file.

How Do SVG Files Work With Cricut and Silhouette?

If you use a Cricut or Silhouette cutting machine, SVG files are an important part of the crafting process.

Instead of manually tracing a design or recreating each shape, you can upload a compatible SVG into your cutting software. The software reads the vector paths and turns them into cut lines.

For example, if you download a Thanksgiving SVG featuring a turkey and the words “Talk turkey to me,” the file may contain separate shapes for the turkey, lettering, and any decorative elements. (PS, you can find that SVG here.) Depending on how the design is built, you can resize it, change colors, separate layers, or adjust individual elements before cutting. With a raster-based image, the only “layer” you get is the whole image. It’s not divided up for editing purposes.

Anyway, here’s the general process for using an SVG file for vinyl cutting:

  1. Download the SVG file to your computer or device.

  2. Open your cutting software, such as Cricut Design Space or Silhouette Studio Designer Edition.

  3. Upload or import the SVG file.

  4. Adjust the size and placement of the design.

  5. Choose your material and cutting settings.

  6. Send the design to your machine and start crafting.

The exact steps vary depending on your software and machine. Silhouette Studio’s ability to open SVG files also depends on the edition you’re using, so check your software’s current feature requirements before purchasing designs. The Basic version does not allow the import of SVG files, but the Designer Edition does.

What’s the Difference Between SVG, PNG, and JPG?

I already mentioned vector, raster, pixel-based, and so on. When downloading digital designs, you’ll often see several file types available. SVG, PNG, and JPG are three common formats, but they work differently. Here’s a bit more about that!

File typeWhat it doesBest uses
SVGStores vector shapes and paths that can be resized without losing sharpnessCutting projects, decals, layered designs
PNGStores pixel-based images and supports transparent backgroundsDigital graphics, overlays, print then cut projects
JPGStores pixel-based images in a compressed formatPhotos, previews, and general-purpose images

The biggest difference is how the artwork is stored.

An SVG uses vector paths, while PNG and JPG files use pixels. If you enlarge a small PNG or JPG too much, the image can become blurry or jagged. An SVG can be resized while maintaining the sharp edges of its vector shapes.

PNG files are also useful when you need a transparent background for a digital design. JPG files are commonly used for photographs and images where transparency isn’t needed.

Which file type should you choose?

If you’re making a traditional cut project with your Cricut or a compatible version of Silhouette Studio, SVG is usually a good starting point. If you’re creating digital artwork, working with a flattened image, or making a Print Then Cut project, PNG may be more appropriate. JPG is often best for photos and image previews.

Your project and the features available in your software will determine which format works best.

As a bit of a side note: Design Space does allow you to pull in a .png or .jpg file and the software will do its best to convert it to a cuttable graphic. In doing so, you are likely to lose detail, the edges of the cut may be rough and jagged. I’m giving some of you the disapproving side-eye right now. That’s why it’s usually best to spring for the $3 SVG file instead of right clicking, saving, uploading, converting, and stealing designs. A crappy conversion is not really worth it; pay the few dollars and support an actual artist instead of being a thief or relying on AI to do it for you.

(Hopping off of my soapbox now.)

Can You Edit an SVG File?

Yes! One of the useful things about SVG files is that many of them can be edited in compatible design software.

Depending on how the file was created, you may be able to resize the design, change colors, rearrange elements, hide or delete shapes, and separate layers. This makes it easier to customize a design for your project.

For example, you might use a multi-layer Thanksgiving design for a sign but choose only one element for a smaller vinyl decal.

Keep in mind that not every SVG is structured the same way. Some files contain separate editable elements, while others have shapes combined or arranged in ways that make certain changes more difficult. Text is also commonly converted to outlines in cutting designs, so you may not be able to edit the wording as you would in a regular text box.

If you plan to customize a design, it’s worth checking how the file is organized after uploading it into your software.

Can You Use SVG Files for Commercial Projects?

Yes, SVG files can be used for commercial projects when the designer’s license allows it. (My license does allow commercial use.)

For example, you might use an SVG to make shirts, decals, mugs, signs, or other physical products that you sell. However, the fact that a file is available to download doesn’t automatically mean every type of commercial use is permitted.

Always check the license that comes with the design. Some licenses allow finished physical products to be sold but restrict sharing the original digital file, redistributing the artwork, or incorporating it into products that customers can download and edit.

If you’re purchasing SVGs for your small business, make sure the license covers the way you plan to use them.

How Do You Open an SVG File?

SVG files can be opened by a variety of programs, including compatible cutting software and vector design applications.

Here are a few common options:

  • Cricut Design Space: Upload SVG files to create projects for compatible Cricut machines.

  • Silhouette Studio: Import SVG files if your edition supports SVG importing. Remember, only the Designer edition allows it; Basic does not.

  • Adobe Illustrator: Open and edit vector artwork, including SVG files.

  • Inkscape: Open and edit SVG artwork using this free vector graphics editor.

  • Web browsers: Many modern browsers can display an SVG file, although viewing it in a browser doesn’t provide the same editing tools as design software.

If you’re downloading an SVG for a cutting machine, you generally don’t need to open it in a separate graphics program first. You can upload it directly into compatible cutting software and prepare your project there.

Why Won’t My SVG File Upload?

Occasionally, an SVG file may not upload or display the way you expect. A few common issues can cause problems.

The file is still compressed. If your download arrives as a ZIP file, extract the contents first. Then upload the actual SVG file rather than the ZIP folder.

You’re using software that doesn’t support SVG importing. Some programs require a specific edition or an alternative file format. Check the features available in your software.

The design contains complex details. Very intricate artwork, large numbers of paths, or complicated layers can sometimes cause slow uploads or other issues.

If you’re still having trouble, check the file instructions provided by the designer and make sure you’re importing the correct file.

Where Can You Find SVG Files for Your Projects?

SVG files are available from independent designers, digital design shops, and online marketplaces. You can find everything from simple seasonal graphics to detailed illustrations, decorative lettering, and designs made specifically for cutting machines.

When choosing an SVG, consider what you’re making, the material you’ll be cutting, and the amount of detail your project can handle. A simple design is often easier to cut from vinyl, while a more detailed design might be better suited to cardstock or a larger finished piece.

You can browse the SVG designs at Beck McCormick to find artwork for your next crafting project. If ya see a few that you love, please make sure you check out my All Access Design Pass so that you can get instant access to ALL of the SVGs you love.

What is an SVG File? Learn What an SVG is, How to Use Them, and More! Read More »

Why Can’t I Find My Font in Cricut Design Space?

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Why Can't I Find My Font in Cricut Design Space?

You’ve installed your new font, opened Cricut Design Space, and…it’s nowhere to be found. Before you assume the font is broken, there are a few things to check. This is one of those Cricut problems that is usually easier to solve once you know what you’re actually looking for. And honestly, it’s not even a problem. This happens frequently with different types of software, so I’d recommend using these same tips if you’re encountering a “missing” font!

Make sure the font is actually installed

Cricut Design Space doesn’t install fonts for you, and you can’t open the .otf file in Design Space. You will get an error, and it will inevitably make you think that you purchased a file that doesn’t work. It’s all good, though. Even if you send me an email upset that the font “doesn’t work” I’ll give you these same info. 🙂 Design Space uses the fonts installed on your computer. If you downloaded a font as a ZIP file, you’ll need to unzip it first and install the actual font file. Depending on the font, you’ll usually see an .otf or .ttf file. You only need to install one file type. I have a blog post here about font installation; usually it’s a simple double click and confirm any message boxes that pop up!

Did you install the font while Design Space was open?

This is an easy one to overlook, but this fixes most issues if you did, in fact, install the font on your computer. If Design Space was already running when you installed the font, it may not recognize the new font until the application is restarted. Close Design Space completely, reopen it, and check the font list again. If that doesn’t work, restarting your computer is also worth trying. It is an annoyingly effective solution to a surprising number of computer problems, even though I totally understand how frustrating it is for tech support to tell you to turn your computer off and then on again. (Isn’t that how all tech support calls start???)

Check which font list you're viewing

When you’re adding text in Design Space, make sure you’re looking at the System fonts rather than only the fonts Cricut provides. All of your fonts that are installed on your computer will show up in the System Fonts list! If you’re searching for the name of a font and getting no results, double-check that you’re searching the correct font collection!

The font is there, but where are the special characters?

Most unfortunately, the answer to this question is a little more complicated. Many handlettered fonts contain additional characters that aren’t immediately visible on your keyboard. These might include alternate versions of letters, swashes, ligatures, decorative characters, or other stylistic options. They don’t show up by just typing the letter.

These are called OpenType features. They’re part of the font, and they are in the font, but you have to actually be intentional about using them. And unfortunately, Cricut Design Space doesn’t make accessing these features particularly obvious. Design Space doesn’t provide the same level of access to OpenType features that you’ll find in programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. That means a font can contain alternate characters or ligatures that you simply can’t activate through a convenient “Stylistic Alternates” button in Design Space.

If you’re not sure which special characters are included with a particular font, check the font’s included character map or product information. I typically try to detail this information in the product info, and I also try to include those characters on the very last image that I create for each font so that you can see what you’re getting. I’m always available to answer questions about this, too, so don’t be shy!

How do I use special characters in Cricut Design Space?

On a Mac, you can use FontBook to browse available characters and symbols. Locate the character you’re looking for, copy in FontBook, and then hop back over to Design Space and paste it in.

On Windows, the Character Map is what you should use. Copy the character in Character Map, and then paste into Design Space!

Please note – and please be patient – this is not a failing on the font designer’s side that you have to hunt down the goodies in some fonts. Design Space just hasn’t gotten with the program yet. Hopefully, they’ll make access to alternate characters easier in future updates. I’ve got a blog post here that goes over this process a bit more in depth, and it also has pics if you’re a visual learner like me!

A note about Cricut-compatible fonts

Any .otf or .ttf file can be installed on your computer, and that font will be visible in your Design Space System Fonts list after you’ve restarted the software. But please remember, just because you can install the font and just because it shows up, it doesn’t mean you should use it for your Cricut project! I wrote a blog post about this, so make sure you check it out. The long and short of it, though, is that you should be using fonts that work well for cutting and the wide variety of Cricut tools at your fingertips.

For Cricut projects, I look for smooth edges, clean shapes, and details that will hold up when the design is actually cut from vinyl, cardstock, or another material. Heavily textured fonts are not good fits for cutting, so stick to print then cut if you insist on using a font like this.

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The Absolute Best Fonts for Halloween Crafts

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The Absolute Best Fonts for Halloween Crafts

The right font can completely change the personality of a Halloween project. A spooky sign can feel creepy, playful, vintage, elegant, or downright ridiculous depending on the lettering you put on it. (By the way, when I think of Halloween and the word “ridiculous” I always think of that movie Ernest Scared Stupid. I’ve probably revealed my age just by admitting that.) ANYWAY, when you’re choosing a Halloween font for a Cricut project, shirt, sign, invitation, or other craft, I think it’s more useful to start with the look you’re going for rather than searching for one magical “best” Halloween font.

Here are some of my favorite font styles for Halloween crafts!

Spooky and Creepy Fonts

If you’re making something that is supposed to actually look scary, start here. Creepy Halloween fonts often have irregular shapes, rough edges, unusual letterforms, or other details that make them feel a little unsettling. They’re perfect for haunted house signs, Halloween party decorations, scary shirts, and anything involving ghosts, monsters, or things that probably shouldn’t be crawling out of the basement.

Some of these fonts can also work particularly well for larger Cricut projects where you have enough room for the details to show, but please be aware that heavily textured fonts are just absolutely not going to work for vinyl cutting. You’ll ruin your blade, my friend. Sublimation or print then cut are two options so that you can still craft your heart out with creepier fonts.

Sanguine and Last Rites are two options for a more spooky & creepy look!

Witchy and Mystical Fonts

Not every Halloween project needs to look like it came from a haunted house, even though I do love that. As of late, I’ve been super inspired by witchy and mystical fonts, and it seems that y’all have been inspired, too! Witchy fonts tend to have a more magical or mysterious feeling. Think pointed letterforms, decorative details like stars & moons, old-fashioned lettering, or a little bit of Victorian influence. These are great for occult-themed items, tarot-related things, witch-themed shirts, potion labels, Halloween invitations, apothecary-style signs, and spooky home decor. I love that fonts in this category can be used for non-Halloween designs, too, like logo design and product packaging.

Mystic Starlight and Witchborne are two of my most popular fonts, all year long! Because it has applications outside of Halloween, these two fonts are loved by so many of my customers!

Playful Halloween Fonts

Halloween doesn’t have to be scary. I’m actually a total baby when it comes to being scared. I’ll pass on haunted houses and jump scares, every single time. (And yet, I’m a huge true crime fan.) Playful Halloween fonts are great for kids’ shirts, trick-or-treat bags, classroom projects, party decorations, and anything where you want the Halloween theme without making anyone sleep with the lights on. Look for fonts with bouncy letterforms, rounded shapes, quirky details, or a hand-drawn feel. These are also some of my favorite styles for smaller projects because they tend to stay readable while still feeling festive.

I love Spooky Babe and its cute little ghost dingbats. Frankenstina is another really fun, playful font for Halloween, too!

Bold Halloween Fonts

Sometimes you just need the letters to make a statement. Bold fonts are particularly useful for T-shirts, sweatshirts, porch signs, banners, and other projects where the lettering needs to be easy to read from a distance. They’re also a practical choice for Cricut projects because larger, sturdier letterforms can be easier to cut and weed than extremely delicate lettering.

A bold font doesn’t necessarily have to look scary, either. Pair a chunky handlettered style with pumpkins, ghosts, bats, or other Halloween graphics and you’ve got a completely different look.

Spirit Box and Nightmarish are two options for this. I released Nightmarish this year, and I love the alternate characters I included because they let you add a little extra something to your designs. And Spirit Box? Always a favorite for me because it includes 13 options in different weights and styles, as well as a dingbat font.

Handlettered Halloween Fonts

Handlettered fonts give Halloween projects a more personal, handmade feeling. They can be spooky, playful, casual, elegant, or somewhere in between depending on the lettering style. This makes them especially versatile for crafters who want their projects to look handmade rather than something they picked up at a big box store. A handlettered font can work particularly well for signs, shirts, mugs, tote bags, party decorations, and personalized gifts. And because I make handlettered fonts myself, I may be a little biased here. 

Scarecrow Horror and House of Haunts are two favorites for me because they show an obvious handlettered quality.

Vintage and Retro Halloween Fonts

Vintage Halloween lettering has a completely different personality. Think old Halloween postcards, carnival posters, vintage packaging, and classic spooky illustrations. These fonts are fantastic for creating a nostalgic Halloween look. They work especially well on signs, posters, T-shirts, labels, and wall art. Pair one with a limited color palette and some vintage-inspired Halloween graphics and you’ve got a project that feels like it wandered out of an old Halloween collection.

Check out Goblin Groove for a retro Halloween option. I included a cute pumpkin alternate for the letter O, and the lowercase i also got a fun alternate with a cute little ghostie instead of a dot!

Distressed and Rough Fonts

If clean, polished lettering isn’t what you’re after, try something with a little texture. Just leave your Cricut out of it for cutting vinyl. Distressed fonts can have rough edges, uneven strokes, or an intentionally worn appearance. They’re great for grungy Halloween shirts, haunted-house signs, horror-inspired designs, and projects where you want the lettering to look a little beat up. These can be particularly effective when the rest of the design is fairly simple. Let the lettering provide the texture instead of piling several complicated elements on top of each other. Horror movie posters are a great example for how to use this type of font.

Unearthed is extremely distressed, and Hauntings is another rougher font that fits here!

Gothic Fonts

Gothic and blackletter-inspired fonts bring a dramatic, old-world feeling to Halloween projects. They’re especially useful for darker designs, haunted themes, Halloween party invitations, and anything with a more elaborate or dramatic aesthetic. Because these fonts can be fairly detailed, pay attention to the size of your finished project if you’re cutting them with a Cricut. Very intricate lettering can become difficult to weed when it’s reduced too far.

Undead a great option for a Halloween-themed blackletter font. Using the normal character set, it fits a spooky aesthetic…but the alternate characters are adorned with blood drips. Use Undead for vampire-related projects!

Script Fonts

Script fonts aren’t exclusively Halloween fonts, but they can be surprisingly effective for Halloween crafts.

A flowing script can make a Halloween design feel elegant, witchy, romantic, or mysterious depending on the font and the other elements around it.

Try pairing a script with a simple bold font for contrast. One font can handle the main message while the script adds a little personality to a smaller word or phrase. Blackmoon is a great example of this because it can be used for non-Halloween applications, but it also pairs really well with other Halloween fonts like Midnight Apothecary!

Choosing a Halloween Font for Cricut Projects

If you’re cutting your Halloween design with a Cricut, don’t choose a font based entirely on how it looks in the font preview. Think about the finished size, the material you’re cutting, and how easy the design will be to weed. Extremely thin lines and tiny details may look fantastic on your screen but become frustrating when you’re trying to turn them into an actual project. Smooth, clean letterforms are especially useful for vinyl projects, while larger and more substantial lettering gives you more freedom when working with detailed styles.

All of the fonts mentioned in this article can be found on my website. I’ve linked them up where I’ve mentioned them, so please feel free to check those out to see if they might be a good fit for your project! 

If you think one or more of these fonts would work for you, take a look at the All Access Design Pass to save a TON of money and get an absurd amount of resources.

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Learn How a Handlettered Font Is Made: A Little Insight Into My Process

Leave a Comment / Handwriting & Handlettering, How To - Fonts /

How a Handlettered Font Is Actually Made

A finished font file is a pretty small thing, but it does a huge amount of work for you! You download it, install it, open your favorite design program, and start typing. What you don’t see is everything that happened before that little .otf or .ttf file landed in your downloads folder. I touched a bit on my process earlier in the month, and it seems like y’all wanted a little more insight into my process, so here we go!! Here’s a little glimpse into my process!

When I make a handlettered font, I start with actual lettering and then spend a surprising amount of time turning that lettering into something usable. Here’s what that process looks like for me, the majority of the time! (Because I definitely deviate from time to time, it’s good for the creative process!)

Step 1: Draw the lettering

The first step is, unsurprisingly, making the lettering. (You’re like, wow, thanks genius!) Like I’d mentioned before, I almost always letter on my iPad with my Apple pencil. The program I’ve used for years is Procreate. Thankfully, it’s not just a one-brush program where everything looks the same. Procreate comes with some pretty cool stock brush options for calligraphy, pencil, pen, and so on. I personally like creating my own brushes so that it’s the most perfect fit for the idea brewing in my head.

If you’re considering learning font design, you should know that the lettersets you create need to go beyond just letters. You’ll need a full alphabet, but you also need numbers, punctuation, symbols, and language support. I always include Western European language support. It’s always a good idea to make sure that your future font can be used by many people.

Don’t be afraid to draw multiple versions of letters. You can choose the very best version of each letter…or maybe include alternate characters if you can’t decide. It’s definitely acceptable, and encouraged, to draw multiple letters when you’re in the initial creation stages. Sometimes getting the right look means drawing a letter approximately a bazillion times before you decide that that one is the keeper.

Step 2: Get your letters from point A to point B

Once the lettering is drawn, each character needs to be converted into a usable vector shape. I use Illustrator for that. And then, the clean-up process begins. Fix exit stems. Smooth out unsightly bumps. Make other adjustments. Line things up for an initial visual test. 

Step 3: Make the letters work together in the programming phase

This is one of the less obvious parts of font design, I think, for people that are not immersed in the process on the daily. For a font designer, this is HUGELY important. If you want a professional grade font, you can’t just pop the character set into any program that says it’s a font design program. I mean, I guess you could, but you might not be happy with the result. I use Glyphs; it’s an industry standard font design software that allows you full control over every important aspect of the font.

A letter can look great by itself, and most of the time they do…but depending on the letter combo, it might look like a hot mess. Thank goodness for ligatures and alternate characters. Handlettered fonts have a certain imperfect quality, so it seems silly to can a really nice character just because it doesn’t work well or look fab next to other characters. Spacing has to be adjusted so words don’t look too spread out or crowded. Certain combinations need special attention, so kerning is a must. With script fonts, connections between letters have to look natural so for any incredibly awkward letter pairs, I create ligatures. The tricky part is that most of the time, I don’t even realize some letter combos are horrible until I get to this phase…so then, it’s back to the iPad to create additional characters so that everything works well together. Sometimes, it really ends up being a back & forth situation.

Step 4: Add the extras

You don’t have to do it this way, but I add my extras in at the end. Extensive testing usually reveals gaps and needs, so those get added in after the core has been programmed. Depending on the font, I might add alternate letters, stylistic variations, swashes, ligatures, decorative characters, or other special features. These extras can make a huge difference when you’re using a handlettered font for logos, invitations, signs, crafts, or other designs where you want the lettering to feel more custom.

Step 6: Test it. Then test it again.

…And then…yep, you guessed it. Test it again. At this point, the font may look finished.

It isn’t.

And even prior to getting to the testing phase, you can bet I’ve been testing all along.

Details, details, details. I test the characters in actual words and phrases because that’s where problems tend to show up. I do letter pairings in every case combinations, and I love a good, fun ipsum. Cheese ipsum and cupcake ipsum are my favs. I also test different sizes and applications. This is particularly important for fonts intended for Cricut and other cutting machines. A font needs to do more than look good on a computer screen. The shapes need to translate well when they’re turned into actual cuts.

The best test of a font is using it. I like to see how a finished font behaves in real projects rather than only looking at a specimen sheet. I create with the font and figure out appropriate use cases, and even when I think I might be done, sometimes I have to go back and make additional edits and rework some stuff. (I’ve even called a font complete and set off to work on branding images so that I can release the font into the wild and realized I still had a few more adjustments!)

A font might end up being used for a logo, a wedding invitation, a Cricut project, a tumbler, a social media graphic, a sign, a journal page, or any number of things I never would have thought of when I started drawing it. That’s one of my favorite parts of making fonts. I create the lettering, but I don’t get to decide what it eventually becomes. It’s so fun to see it in the wild, or have my customers send over pics of their creations.

Learn How a Handlettered Font Is Made: A Little Insight Into My Process Read More »

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Hi, I'm Beck!

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