How To – Fonts

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.

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25 Halloween Fonts Perfect for Crafting

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

25 Halloween Fonts Perfect for Crafting

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year to play around with fonts. There are so many different directions you can take a Halloween project, and the right font can completely change the personality of the finished design.

I’ve got a few (lol) Halloween fonts in my collection, so I picked 25 that are especially fun for crafting. You’ll find spooky, creepy, witchy, playful, gothic, retro, and just plain weird options in the mix.

Whether you’re making Halloween shirts, signs, tumblers, trucker hats, stickers, party decorations, or something completely different, here are 25 Halloween fonts worth adding to your crafting arsenal.

halloween fonts

Spooky Babe Serif

Spooky Babe is a playful ghost-themed font that’s cute without losing its Halloween personality. It’s a fun choice for shirts, stickers, signs, treat bags, and other projects where you want something a little more adorable than terrifying.

halloween fonts

Creepy Crawly Sans

Creepy Crawly has a wiggly, wormy look that works especially well with Halloween designs featuring spiders, bugs, or other creepy crawlies. It’s also a nice versatile choice for doormats, trucker hats, signs, and shirts.

halloween fonts

Boo Crew Sans

Boo Crew is a fun, friendly Halloween font that’s perfect for all those projects that need a little spooky personality without going full horror movie. Try it on shirts, mugs, signs, party decorations, or Halloween gifts.

halloween fonts

Bewitching Serif Font

Bewitching has a more polished, magical feel that works beautifully for witchy Halloween projects. Use it for signs, apparel, invitations, labels, or any design where you want the Halloween theme to feel a little more sophisticated.

halloween fonts

Abrakadabra Serif Font

Abrakadabra brings a little spellcasting energy to your projects. This one would be right at home on witchy signs, Halloween shirts, potion labels, party decorations, or anything else that needs a bit of magical flair.

halloween fonts

Witchy Spellbook Serif

Witchy Spellbook has exactly the sort of name you’d expect to see on a very suspicious book sitting on a witch’s shelf. It’s a great choice for potion labels, signs, shirts, Halloween decor, and other projects with a magical or occult-inspired aesthetic.

halloween fonts

Broomsticks Sans

Broomsticks is another fun choice for witchy projects, particularly when you want the lettering itself to carry some of the Halloween theme. Try it on signs, shirts, mugs, tote bags, or party decorations.

halloween fonts

Mystic Starlight Serif

Mystic Starlight leans into the celestial side of Halloween with a witchy, mystical feel. It’s especially fun for projects involving moons, stars, tarot imagery, astrology, or other magical designs.

halloween fonts

Stardust Spell Sans with Stars

Stardust Spell adds even more celestial personality to a Halloween project, with decorative stars built right into the lettering. It would be a fun choice for shirts, signs, stickers, invitations, and witchy home decor.

halloween fonts

Moonspell Display

Moonspell has a mysterious, slightly magical look that works well when you want something more atmospheric than outright scary. Use it for moon-themed designs, witchy sayings, Halloween signs, or cozy spooky season decor.

halloween fonts

Frankenstina Display

Frankenstina is a playful monster-themed font that’s a great fit for kid-friendly Halloween projects. Try it on shirts, treat bags, party decorations, signs, greeting cards, or anything featuring your favorite monsters.

halloween fonts

Abomination Serif

Abomination has a playful personality and is perfect when your Halloween project needs to look a little creepy but fun. It’s a great option for horror-themed shirts, signs, stickers, and other spooky designs.

halloween fonts

Scarecrow Horror Serif

Scarecrow Horror has a creepy, sinister quality that makes it especially fun for Halloween designs with a darker country or horror aesthetic. Put it on a shirt, sign, Halloween decoration, or anything else that needs some serious spooky atmosphere.

halloween fonts

Witchborne Serif

Witchborne has a distinctly witchy personality that makes it a great choice for Halloween crafting. It’s a fun option for shirts, signs, hats, mugs, decals, and other projects where you want a little magical attitude without a complicated design.

halloween fonts

Goblin Groove Retro Font

Goblin Groove brings a little retro weirdness to the Halloween lineup. It’s playful enough for fun Halloween crafts but still has plenty of personality for shirts, signs, stickers, party decor, and other seasonal projects.

halloween fonts

Enchanted Grimoire Display

Enchanted Grimoire has a spooky display style that feels right at home on Halloween signs, labels, greeting cards, shirts, and other crafts. It’s especially good when you want your lettering to look like it came from an old spellbook.

halloween fonts

Ghosties Display

Ghosties is a great option when you want the Halloween theme to be obvious without making the project scary. It works especially well for cute Halloween shirts, stickers, party favors, signs, and projects featuring little ghosts.

halloween fonts

Pumpkin Chunk Sans

Pumpkin Chunk is a playful Halloween sans that works particularly well for projects centered around autumn & spooky season. Use it for shirts, signs, mugs, porch decor, stickers, or anything pumpkin & fall-related.

halloween fonts

Witchmark Serif

Witchmark has a strong witchy personality that makes it an easy choice for Halloween signs, apparel, labels, decals, and other projects. Pair it with a few simple Halloween graphics and you’ve got a whole design without needing much else.

halloween fonts

Zombie Dust Display

Zombie Dust is made for Halloween projects that need a little monster energy. It would be fun on shirts, stickers, treat bags, signs, party decorations, and other projects with a zombie or horror theme.

halloween fonts

Nightmarish Serif

Nightmarish is a good choice when you’re going for a darker Halloween aesthetic. The name pretty much gives away the assignment here. Use it for horror-inspired shirts, signs, decals, Halloween decor, or spooky graphics.

halloween fonts

House of Haunts Serif

House of Haunts has a wonderfully creepy haunted-house feel that makes it a natural choice for Halloween signs and home decor. It could also work well for shirts, invitations, labels, and other projects with a haunted-house theme.

halloween fonts

Sanderson Display

Sanderson is a fun choice for witchy Halloween projects, especially if you’re going for a classic spooky aesthetic. Try it on signs, shirts, mugs, hats, invitations, or Halloween party decor.

halloween fonts

Lunatic Display

Lunatic has a darker, slightly unhinged personality that’s perfect for horror-inspired Halloween projects. It can give a short phrase or simple design a much creepier feel without needing a lot of extra decoration.

halloween fonts

Zodiak Display

Zodiak brings a darker, sinister true crime feel to Halloween projects without relying on a ton of tiny details. It’s a great choice for shirts, signs, stickers, hats, and other crafts, especially when you want something with a little more edge than a traditional Halloween font.

Choosing a Halloween Font for Your Next Craft

One of the fun things about Halloween fonts is that you don’t have to stick with one particular style. A cute ghost font can completely change the feel of a shirt compared with a distressed horror font, and a witchy display font can turn a basic sign into something that looks like it belongs in a haunted corn maze.

If you’re using a font with a Cricut, remember that being installable in Cricut Design Space doesn’t automatically mean it’s a great choice for cutting. Smooth edges, sturdy shapes, and enough detail to hold up at your finished size can make a big difference, especially with vinyl. If you’re working with one of the more detailed or textured Halloween fonts, you can always use it for print projects, sublimation, Print Then Cut, digital designs, or other applications where you don’t have to worry about weeding tiny pieces of vinyl.

Halloween is a pretty good excuse to get weird with your fonts. Pick a style you love, find a project that fits it, and see what you can make.

If you like one or more of these featured fonts, drop by to check out my All Access Design Pass.

What’s that?

I knew you’d ask! The AADP gives you full access to all of the resources I offer! For 30 whole days, you get access to everything, and you can download til you can’t see straight! All of these fonts are included, plus 500+ others and over 5,000 SVG files for literally all of your crafting needs.

Click that button below to check it out!

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What is a Handlettered Font? Learn More!

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

What Is a Handlettered Font?

If you’ve ever wondered what makes a handlettered font different from a regular font, the short answer is pretty simple: I actually handletter it. Ya know, write it. Not create it with a mouse doing a little clicky-clicky on my computer. (The clicky part comes later.) It almost feels silly to consider writing a blog like this, but leave no stone unturned, right?

I’m immersed in the hand lettered font world on the daily, so it seems second nature to me to know what a hand lettered font is and why it’s different from other types of fonts. But every expert was once a beginner, and understanding the creation process might help you down the road! I’m talking to you, crafters…graphic designers…anyone with an interest in lettering, letterforms, fonts, calligraphy. You get the point.

A handlettered font starts with actual lettering drawn by hand rather than being designed entirely from shapes, curves, and anchor points. That gives the finished font a more personal, organic feel. I’ve been obsessed with handwriting since I was a kid. I had penpals as a youngster and one of the reasons why getting mail was a favorite thing for me was because I got to see other people’s handwriting, and the variation that happens whenever you’re writing naturally. Letters can have variations in shape, stroke, spacing, and little quirks that make them feel like someone actually wrote them…because, duh, someone DID write it.

But getting from a piece of handlettering to a font you can install and use is where things get a little more involved!

It starts with the lettering...

When I create a handlettered font, I begin by drawing the letters. I almost always, like 99% of the time, do my lettering digitally on my iPad with Procreate. I think that it’s really convenient to do a little tap to erase my mistake instead of wasting paper and ink. It means no clutter, no sheets of paper, and even more writing utensils than I already have. I start with the alphabet, and then move on to numbers, punctuation, symbols, and accented characters. I love creating a robust, feature-rich font, so if it calls for it, I’ll work on alternate characters and ligatures, too. Script fonts can require even more work because the letters need to connect and interact with one another properly.

That alphabet you see in the finished font represents a lot of individual pieces of lettering, layers in Procreate, and going back to draw & draw some more.

Here’s a quick little glimpse of a lettering file that I pulled from Procreate to Photoshop as a .psd file. This lettering is where Cinnamon Season started. Each grouping of letters here gets exported from PS as a .jpg file (so three total) and all three imported into Illustrator, which will take me to my next step.

Then comes the cleanup...

Handlettering is supposed to look handmade, but that doesn’t mean I leave every wobble, stray mark, or accidental blob exactly as it appeared in the original drawing. Taking a raster image from Procreate and transferring to my Mac is the first step, and then I need to convert everything to vector.

In a perfect world, every little bit that is lettered would be useable straight away, and if that was the case, I’d probably have thousands more fonts ready to go because I’d spend less time obsessing over details, jagged points, and unevenness. Every single character gets cleaned up so that it can be used in the font; every single character gets the same level of obsessive scrutiny.

This is one of those parts of font design that isn’t particularly exciting to look at, but it makes a huge difference in the finished product.

Here’s a little peek at that. Once the letters have been vectored, I line them all up using guides – one baseline, one cap height, and then I do a third one right in the middle. It’s not quite x-height for that guide – this is the guide that I place so that I know approximately where my exit stems will line up. 

Every letter has to play nicely with the others, and the devil is in the details.

One of the trickier parts of creating a font is making sure the letters work together.

A lowercase a might look fantastic by itself, but how does it look next to an r? What form of r will be used? What happens when you put an o beside a v? Does a script letter connect naturally to the letters that come before and after it? Would you like a ligature with that??

Spacing matters, too. You want to mess with a font designer?? Simply say, “kerning pairs” and you’re likely to get an eye twitch. And let’s not even discuss how one errant bearing value will wreck your entire programming experience, because when you try to fix that single value that you didn’t realize was mistyped, you’re setting off a chain reaction. I’ve nuked all of my programming before because of this exact thing…started all over at the beginning.

The font has to work in the real world, in real world applications.

Once the characters are drawn, cleaned up, and working together (mostly), there’s still plenty to do before the font is ready for the wild. I test fonts in different words and phrases, check how they behave at different sizes, and make sure the characters work properly across the kinds of design software and projects people actually use them for.

For fonts intended for crafting, there are additional things to consider. A font that looks beautiful on screen isn’t automatically going to make a great Cricut font. Smooth edges, nice-looking shapes, and sensible details can make a big difference when the letters are being cut from vinyl or other materials.

Here’s a little example of testing. I love Cupcake Ipsum for testing, but I do use a variety of ipsums and individual letter pairings in every case combination, in addition to many other text strings to adjust the font and uncover any possible issues.

Why handlettered fonts look a little different

One of the things I love about handlettering is that it doesn’t have to look perfectly uniform. In fact, I love the variance and imperfection that comes with a handlettered font. Oddly enough, sometimes it’s difficult to create that type of detail when you’ve been at it for a while and you’re in autopilot to create a letterset that makes processing and programming easy peasy.

A handlettered font can have slightly uneven strokes, imperfect curves, and variations that make it feel more human. You can see in that image above that there’s a certain amount of “bounce” with the lettering – it doesn’t have an even baseline, not all letters connect with others. It’s a slightly neater version of handwriting, it looks & feels natural.

Sometimes, you might even come across ligatures where the characters run together, connectors are atypical and inconsistent. (The lowercase ng combo is one that stands out to me; the letters run together and loop around when I’m scrawling a note down.) That’s part of the point.

Those little imperfections are often what give a font its personality. Remember that what you’re seeing is more than a collection of letters. There’s a whole alphabet, a lot of drawing, a fair amount of cleanup, and quite a bit of very picky attention to detail hiding behind that little font file. Handlettered font designers need to decide how much irregularity is appropriate for the font they’re working on, all while trying to produce something that our customers will think is perfect for their project. It’s such a weird line to walk, but it is one of the challenges I love most about this job!

The font used in this post is Cinnamon Season.

What is a Handlettered Font? Learn More! Read More »

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Hi, I'm Beck!

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