Handwritten fonts add another level of interest to logos, website headings and other design projects. There are typefaces with a formal vibe and ones with a casual flair. Using the best handwritten fonts gives your work personality and uniqueness.
A single search on a popular font repository site shows 3,204 of the best handwritten fonts. There are also options on designers’ sites and in other archives. Sorting through the different options and finding the best one for your site is time-consuming.
Fortunately, we’ve done our best to sort through the top choices and seek the best handwritten fonts for different uses. We’ve narrowed the options to 10 with various styles.
1. Dancing Script
Source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Dancing+Script
If you’re looking for a fun, lighthearted font, Dancing Script is an excellent choice. The swirls are open, and the base of the letters wide. The font is by Google, so it works well with browsers such as Chrome.
The size of the letters isn’t uniform, giving this typeface an informal look. The capital letters are enormous and dip below the baseline. The inspiration for the design is likely from scripts in the 1950s. The effect is of someone with beautiful handwriting jotting down a few words.
Informal script fonts work well for fun events, some businesses and personal blogs.
2. Quentin
Source: https://www.dafont.com/quentin-2.font
Quentin has a somewhat mysterious appearance, thanks to a dry ink effect. The font is elegant with swooping curves and tilted slightly to the right. Note the flourishes at the beginning and end of words.
If you’re looking for the best handwritten fonts with a formal look, Quentin is an excellent choice. True crime shows, websites for fiction writers and other creative types might appreciate this particular option.
3. Stay Classy
Source: https://creativemarket.com/solidtype/2278072-Stay-Classy-Font-Family
Stay Classy is a tall, thin font working well for invitations and signs. Because the font is very tall and thin, it may not work as well for website headings. It’s probably best to use something with some more weight for a header and logo as people access the internet using different screen sizes.
Stay Classy is one of the best handwritten fonts for branding and cards of all types. It comes with 70 different ligatures. You will need to use OpenType editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop CC or Corel Draw.
4. The Restless Youth
Source: https://creativemarket.com/hustlesupplyco/605360-The-Restless-Youth-Font-Bundle
The Restless Youth is an engaging font bundle created by Hustle Supply Co.
The font bundle comes with both a script option and a non-script option. The two go together perfectly, so you can use the script for your heading or logo and the non-script for subheadings or body text.
5. Something Wild
Source: https://pixelbuddha.net/fonts/something-wild-free-font
Another of our choices for our list of best handwritten fonts is Something Wild. This font has a unique look perfect for anything related to the outdoors or rugged living. It would work well for creative types using natural mediums such as wood or plants.
The font is 100% hand-drawn. Something Wild works well for logos, invitations, greeting cards and as text for website and social media headers. The typeface has a slight brush effect showing the free spirit of the great outdoors.
6. Southampton
Source: https://pixelify.net/download/free-fonts/script-handwritten/southampton-signature-style/
Southampton offers a sophisticated style with a tall thin signature and dips well below the baseline.
The font is from Creatype Studio Co. and is in script style and works well with any art project. It has a modern look because of the swooshes and dips. Use this typeface for logos, ads, social media posts and special events.
7. Ambarella
Source: https://www.pixelsurplus.com/freebies/ambarella#
If you’re looking for the best handwritten fonts that are just pretty and elegant, you can’t do much better than Ambarella.
Created by Polem Studio, the font is free to use. It includes beautiful swashes and elegant script-style letters.
8. You Murderer
Source: https://www.1001fonts.com/youmurderer-bb-font.html
You Murderer is a pretty unique handwritten font. If you run any type of site involved in mysteries, true crime or Halloween-related themes, this is a fun font for your logos, headings and subheadings.
You Murderer looks as though it’s written in blood, complete with drips. It also comes with unique characters, such as the bloody handprints shown above. The creator made the font by dipping their finger in runny ink and then writing on a bristol board.
9. Marrisa
Source: https://www.dafont.com/marrisa.font
When looking for the best handwritten fonts, we tried to find a variety of styles to cover any need creators might have. Marrisa speaks to the young at heart. It has the look of a diary kept by a teenager. Note the mismatched R’s in the title.
The look has an intimate feel, as though someone jotted a note to you quickly. It’s very relaxed and works well for sites aimed at the younger generation. Several flaws, such as the R’s appear as you try out different phrases.
Marrisa is free for personal use. You will need a commercial license to use it for business purposes.
10. Moon Walker
Source: https://www.fontspace.com/moon-walker-font-f28389
Moon Walker has a wide, bold range of letters making it stand out for larger-scale projects. Drawn by Billy Argel, it is a cursive typeface. As with many of the best handwritten fonts, it’s free for personal use. To get the complete package and use for commercial, you will have to pay a small fee.
The rough texture of the letters gives the font a half-painted look. The serifs add to the overall cursive effect. Moon Walker works well for headings, logos and large-scale ads such as vehicle wraps and billboards.
Find the Best Handwritten Font for Any Occasion
Choosing the exact right typefaces for designs adds another level of interest to anything you create. The fonts above cover the range of fun, flirty, serious, elegant and bold. Figure out which one best matches the tone of your project and add in your own font choices.
About The Author
Eleanor Hecks is the Editor-in-Chief of Designerly Magazine, an online publication dedicated to providing in-depth content from the design and marketing industries. When she's not designing or writing code, you can find her exploring the outdoors with her husband and dog in their RV, burning calories at a local Zumba class, or curled up with a good book with her cats Gem and Cali.
You can find more of Eleanor's work at www.eleanorhecks.com.
