Font Guide: Typefaces You Need, Part 4: Scripts

Script typefaces are meant to simulate the look and feel of handwritten letters, be they scrawled print or calligraphic cursive. In a case of art imitating life, type designers strive to create electronically that which comes most naturally to the human hand.

The best fonts in this category are fluid with elegant, seamless transitions between letters. They are consistent, showing adequate relationships between letterforms; yet they also manage to escape absolute uniformity, especially in the more modern print-based script fonts. Ultimately, script typefaces have the capacity to enliven a project, giving it an almost human touch, or add an elegance that few could afford for everyday use.

What It's For

In most cases, script typefaces are best used in moderation as finishing touches rather than throughout the entirety of a document. This is due to the fact that script typefaces are less legible than other faces and are usually inappropriate for most published material and professional and social correspondence. (Side note: Yes, this includes Comic Sans*; and yes, this includes email. All office ladies will kindly stop using Comic Sans in email. Thank you.)

That being said, a cleverly placed bit of "handwriting" can be a charming touch in many of the documents one creates and uses in everyday life as on special occasions. Thick brush-lettering script fonts make for especially eye-catching posters and flyers, and a lovely calligraphy can be perfect on certain kinds of invitations.

*Why the Beef With Comic Sans?

Comic Sans has a bad rap as the worst font available to the human race, and no article on script fonts would be complete without addressing this issue.

Comic Sans is not only widely used; it is widely misused. Inappropriately appropriated for emails, newsletters, strip mall signage, and office presentations, this (perhaps) once-harmless face is now a malignant growth in the festering innards of elitist designers everywhere. Originally created for platform-specific speech bubbles for a Microsoft cartoon program in 1995, the font can now be seen almost everywhere, and almost never is it aesthetically pleasing or situationally befitting.

So, before you put a headline or text block into Comic Sans, ask yourself, What do I really want here? Do I want this to look like a child's writing? Like comic book lettering? Am I simply trying to up the "cute" factor of this document or add some personality or informality? If so, is using a comic font the best way of acheiving this? Once these questions have been turned over in one's mind, Comic Sans can assuredly be struck from the list of typesetting options. If you need a free Comic Sans alternative or more explanation of the arguments against this particularly devisive font, look no further than BanComicSans.com. The free fonts section is a vertiable trove of handwriting and comic-style lettering.

Best Free Fonts

For comic-style scripts, you can't beat BlamBot.com's huge free selection. As long as you are sure to follow the strictly noncommercial terms of use, you can add a cornucopia of professional-grade comic fonts of all kinds. One of my personal favorites is Badaboom, a lively rendering of the hand lettering most commonly associated with onomatopoetic words. If there were ever a font that screamed "BAM! SOCK! POW!", it'd have to be Badaboom. BlamBot.com also carries simpler upper and lower case fonts as well as more elaborate comic scripts in different styles.

Moving away from comic scripts, DaFont.com's Scripts category is a repository of good free script typefaces. Scriptina offers a lovely, elegant handwriting that wouldn't look out of place on a greeting card. Champignon and Old Script are both beautiful calligraphic fonts, and the former comes with an interesting set of swash alternates. Campotype One, Marketing Script, and Black Rose keep up with some of the paid fonts and would be great for sign lettering.

Best Non-Free Fonts

A great place to start browsing script fonts is the portfolio of prolific and consistently good type designer Alejandro Paul. No one should miss his 2007 blockbuster Candy Script or the Madison Avenue-ish Charles Bluemlein collections. He is especially good at creating the alternate characters that keep script fonts lively and flowing, from the elegantly proportioned calligraphies and juicy brush strokes to the expressive handwritings. All in all, Paul's work is some of the best available.

Another much-celebrated script, Nothing, comes from designer Ryoichi Tsunekawa, whose body of work includes several other excellent script typefaces.

Remember, when looking for a good script font, make sure there are appropriate connections between characters and enough alternate characters to keep the text looking spontaneous...which is the whole point of choosing a script font in the first place!

Quick note on how to download and install fonts

Downloadable free fonts usually come packaged in a ZIP file. Save this to a folder you will remember. Open the file, and drag the TrueType or Open Type files out. If you're using a Mac, double click the files and click "Install Font." If you're using a PC, open the Control Panel, open Fonts, click File > Install New Font, then browse the directory. Find the folder with your typefaces, select the fonts you want to install, and click "Install". Remember to check the readme or .txt files with the face to ensure that your use will comply with the creator's wishes.