by Regardless of how you want to call them, handwriting fonts, fancy cursive fonts, best script fonts, these are truly beautiful typefaces.
Handwritten fonts resemble calligraphic and handwritten lettering styles. The goal behind a cursive font, or script font or handwriting font for that matter, is to be both formal, where it looks elegant, or informal, where it appears as a playful one.
The best handwriting fonts can be unconnected, semi-connected, or connected, referring to the flow between each of the individual letters. The connected ones are carefully made so each letter flows into the next one, providing a continuous flow.
Some of the best cursive fonts are commonly used on invitations, or headings for announcements, or even advertising. On the web, they’re seldom used for a body text, and they’re best used for their intended purposes. Let’s take a look at some stunning free cursive fonts, as well as some premium ones.
Alex Brush
Designed by TypeSETit, this is a brush-script connected font. When used for formal purposes, it looks amazing. You can get it in a single style, and with more than 250 glyphs.
Pacifico
Made by Vernon Adams, Pacifico is a connected script with a retro appeal. It looks like the typefaces used in the US somewhere in the first half of the 20th century, and comes with over 200 glyphs, in a single style.
Great Vibes
A truly elegant font by TypeSETit, each letter of this script connects elegantly to the next one, regardless of the word you’re typing. The single style has more than 400 glyphs.
Lobster
A script font made by Impallari Type, they made the font as connected as possible. The single style gives you over 300 glyphs to choose from.
Allura
Another one by TypeSETit, this one is very elegant, yet somewhat less careful than the previous fonts. We have another font with a single style, and more than 350 glyphs to choose from.
Kaushan Script
If you’re after a contemporary script font, where the font maintains a modern appeal, yet the letters have a calligraphic style, this is a great option. The single style offers more than 400 glyphs.
Grand Hotel
Made by two designers of Astigmatic, Grand Hotel is a great casual script font. The title screen of Café Metropole and the typeface used were an inspiration for this font, which has a single style and more than 350 glyphs.
Windsong
Windsong is made by Bright Ideas and is a condensed calligraphic script font. The style resembles historical writing, and you can choose from more than 250 glyphs.
Sofia
Latinotype did a great job with this casual, semi-connected script. Some letters come together in a very elegant manner, while others don’t. There is one style, and more than 200 glyphs.
Black Jack
The brushed design makes this casual font look great. It is made by Typadelic and is a simple font that offers a bit over 150 glyphs in the single style it comes in.
Lobster Two
If you like Lobster, but would prefer a lighter, more upright form, Lobster Two is the right one for you. There are four basic styles, and more than 350 glyphs.
Dancing Script OT
Another casual script font by Impallari Type, the inspiration for Dancing Script OT were the typefaces used somewhere around the 1950s. The single style offers over 200 glyphs.
Arizonia
A playful, yet very elegant script, the inspiration for this font by TypeSETit were the flowing forms that a sign painter’s camel hair brush creates. The single style will give you more than 250 glyphs.
Tangerine
The product of Toshi Omagari, Tangerine is a truly elegant script font. The italic chancery typefaces that were used back in the 16th and 17th centuries were used as inspiration, and the two basic styles it comes in will give you more than 250 glyphs each.
Freebooter Script
Apostrophic Labs did a great job with this extravagant, yet elegant script. The single style has more than 200 glyphs, but there’s also a set of alternate characters as well.
La Sonnambula
Fernando Haro is a freelance graphic designer who tends to describe himself as an eclectic typographer. This product of this is an extended handwritten font, and it was made with very elegant titles in mind. It was named after a Vincenzo Bellini opera, which was performed in Milan in 1957. Even though the inspiration is venerable, it is very up to date.
Lily of the Valley
Dcoxy, or Gregory Medina, has a great selection of fonts that are free if you need them for personal use, and Lily of the Valley is one of them. It is quirky and fun, and many letterforms have adorable flourishes. You get full lowercase and uppercase sets, as well as symbols and accents. If you need extra weights and numbers, you can contact Medina for a licensed full version.
The Woodlands
A beautiful design by Jeremy Vessey. This modern calligraphy aesthetic is very popular, and it was made to give designers a free alternative if you’re after that lettering feel that everyone loves. It is free for both personal, as well as commercial use.
Noelan
The team at Pixel Surplus did a great job with this font, which is free for both personal and commercial use. The clean, modern design looks stunning, and there are plenty of alternates, as well as international characters.
King Basil
Missy Meyer and Mats-Peter Forss collaborated for this one, and a few more. It is available for free, and it works great in plenty of prints and digital projects, such as logo designs, posters, and stationery.
Milkshake
This thick and substantial script font is the product of Laura Worthington. She was drawn to the roundness and thickness of the product, and absolutely loved the sturdy look. The font is bold enough for titling treatments, or headlines, and is absolutely capable of holding up against a busy background.
Variane Script
Boy Moch Tomi is the person behind Variane Script, a font that goes back to the days of classic design. The complexity of the script is stunning, and a few of the options are free to use. With this modern take on a classic font, you’ll be reminded of the 20th-century American signage, great for giving your brand some vintage feel.
Balqis
This font gets its character from the varying thick and thin strokes, and is ideal when you need a personal touch, and don’t want to be too formal.
Bolina
A truly versatile option, Bolina is a classic, condensed font that also comes with varying thin and thick strokes.
Sophia
Want to add character with a charming, realistic brush script? Sophia is ideal when you need that hand-drawn effect, and want to inject a personal touch to the project.
CAC Champagne
A highly legible font, this is a classical display option. The versatility and timelessness are immediately noticeable, and it works in both traditional and formal environments.
Cookie
Cookie is based on brush calligraphy, and it was inspired by the 1950s style. It is not too decorative, and you can use it to capture attention without being aggressive.
Dr Sugiyama
For an exotic feel to your work, use Dr Sugiyama, a font inspired by the early hand lettering styles. There are unusual ligatures, as well as varied stroke widths, and the combination of both results in a font that the audience is bound to remember. To not overcomplicate the designs, use sparingly.
Summary
The list above should give you a few options, especially when you need a new script font to use in your projects. Regardless of whether they’re personal or commercial, choose one and go ahead!
