Introduction: Creating a Customized Font

Writing a letter by hand can be an artistic act. Every person has their own style, flow, and flourishes. Your handwriting is uniquely you! But as the world becomes more digitized, and typing on a computer phases out handwriting more and more, the things we type loose a part of our personality. Using Calligraphr.com we can learn how to transform our handwriting into a font!

Step 1: Create an Account

Go to Calligraphr.com and click on the LOG IN button in the top right corner. In order to use this website you must register with an email address, which will only take a minute. You now have a free account!

Once logged in you will be prompted with "Your first steps". Click on the Create a template link to be taken to the following page.

Step 2: Pick Your Template

Calligraphr.com allows you to choose "glyphs" (letters, numbers, and symbols) from a few different languages. Having a free account only allows you to have 75 glyphs for your font (but you can pay to upgrade to a Pro account that allows up to 480 glyphs).

For my font I chose Minimal English, Minimal Numbers, and Minimal Punctuation. This will lead you to have 79 glyphs and you will have to remove 5 of them. (I removed %, +, /, and =) To remove a glyph, simply click on the glyph and hit the DELETE button.

Once you have your 75 glyphs chosen, click Download Template to download the PDF. You can choose the size of the cells and whether or not you want helplines and characters in the background. Print the template once you have downloaded the PDF.

Step 3: Create Your Font

Now that you have the template printed there are endless possibilities you can do! You can of course do your own handwriting, but there are more artistic approaches as well. Try imitating graffiti art or even use symbols like hieroglyphics!

Challenge: Design a unique font!

Using the template you just printed out, create a unique font that goes beyond your personal handwriting style. When designing, think about how your font will look like a unified set. What rules do the letters follow? What makes them look similar? Do they need to be similar?

If you need some inspiration, try looking at these resources:

  • Femme Type is part of a creative font media company that celebrates font designers who identify as women. Recently they collaborated with 308 creators from 54 countries to assemble a truly diverse font!

Step 4: Document You Work

After you are finished drawing your glyphs, use a scanner, digital camera, or a smartphone to capture your filled-out template. Make sure to include the four markers on each corner of the image!

Adjustments

I documented my work with a smartphone camera. When I uploaded the files to the website they glyphs did not come out as neat as they could have. As you will be able to see later, there were stray marks and weird spacing issues. I would suggest scanning the template with a printer.

Step 5: Upload Your Files

Go back to Calligraphr.com and go to the "MY FONTS" tab. Click on the Upload Template button, choose your files, and hit UPLOAD TEMPLATE. (Your file must be a JPEG, PNG, TIFF, or a PDF.)

Click on the .ttf or .otf file to download your custom font! You can now add it to the Adobe Creative suite, Microsoft Word, or your computer's font database.