Free Font Friday: Beth Ellen

by Taylor Slattery | July 24, 2020

Beth Ellen is a handwritten script typeface that was created by Rob Jelinski. The typeface was created from the handwriting of his mother, who loved to write notes and passed away from cancer. The strokes vary in width from thick, reflective of blotchy deposits of ink, to thin threads gently stringing the letters together. Due to the nature of its creation, Beth Ellen has a very unedited, raw appearance, something not often seen in other fonts emulating handwriting.

It reminds me a bit of the type of typography you might see on the cover of a young singer-songwriter, sitting on a window sill, gazing out as the sun sets, guitar in hand, the lyrical type appearing to float off the pages of their notebook. It definitely feels more intimate than other handwritten typefaces. It makes no attempt to be overly clean or decorative, a quality I appreciate.

Beth Ellen’s charm is undeniable, though I do find it harder to read at large sizes. I think it would be best used in shorter bits of copy, whether that be on packaging, posters, or maybe even apparel design. Anything too long and it becomes a bit fatiguing to the eye. You can find it for free here.

Taylor is the Managing Editor of Notes on Design. Taylor is a graphic designer, illustrator, and Design Lead at Weirdsleep.

If you are interested in learning to use typography, Sessions College offers Basic Typography and Advanced Typography courses as well as a course in Web Typography. Contact Admissions for more information.

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