Creating Your Own Font: Step-by-Step Guide
Creating your own font might sound complicated, but with modern font design tools like FontLab, Glyphs, and even some free alternatives, it’s easier than ever to bring your typography ideas to life. Whether you’re a designer, typographer, or a curious beginner, here’s a complete step-by-step guide to creating fonts from scratch.
1. Choose the Right Software
There are several tools you can use to create fonts. Here are the most popular:
- FontLab (Paid): One of the most powerful and industry-standard tools. Great for detailed font creation and precision control.
- Glyphs (macOS only, Paid): A user-friendly tool popular among type designers, especially for UI and icon fonts.
- FontForge (Free, Open Source): Ideal for beginners or hobbyists, available on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Calligraphr (Free & Paid): A web-based tool for turning your handwriting into a font.
- Birdfont (Free & Paid): A simple tool with a clean interface that’s great for basic font design.
2. Sketch or Digitally Draw Your Letters
Start by designing your characters (glyphs). You can do this on paper and scan them, or draw directly using a tablet.
- Focus on core characters first (A-Z, a-z, 0-9).
- Maintain consistent proportions, line thickness, and spacing.
- Save your sketches or digital drawings in SVG or bitmap format.
3. Import Your Designs Into the Software
In FontLab:
- Open a new font project.
- Import your sketches or SVG outlines.
- Use FontLab’s tools to adjust Bézier curves, smooth edges, and align characters.
For Calligraphr, you simply upload a scanned template of your handwriting.
4. Adjust Spacing and Kerning
Spacing and kerning are critical for how your font looks in text.
- Spacing: Adjust the space around each character.
- Kerning: Fine-tune the spacing between specific letter pairs (like AV or To).
FontLab provides real-time previewing so you can see how your text behaves as you type.
5. Test Your Font
- Export your font as
.otfor.ttf. - Install it on your system and test it in real applications (Word, Photoshop, browser).
- Make sure the font scales well and maintains legibility.
6. Export and Share Your Font
Once you’re satisfied:
- Export the final font file.
- You can distribute it through marketplaces (like Creative Market, MyFonts), share it for free, or use it in your own branding.
✅ Bonus Tips
- Study type anatomy (baseline, x-height, ascenders/descenders).
- Be patient! Great fonts take time.
- Use guides and grids to maintain alignment.
- Consider using a Wacom tablet for better drawing precision.
💬 Final Thoughts
Creating fonts is both a creative and technical process, but thanks to modern software like FontLab and its alternatives, it's now accessible to anyone. Whether you're aiming to design a typeface for branding, UI, or personal projects, the tools and steps above will set you on the right path.
So what are you waiting for? Go turn your letterforms into a real, working font!
Once you've completed all the steps, you can submit your font to see how it renders on the website and other platforms. Try it out here.