Every personalised product offers the same six fonts: Script, Serif, Block, Display, Mono and Hand. Reading the orders, people do not choose them at random; the choice follows the occasion so consistently that you can guess the product from the font. These are the patterns from this year's orders, anonymised, and what they suggest for yours.
Script: gifts and names
Script is the most-chosen font overall, and it is chosen for gifts: a name on a mug, a bookmark, a glass, a tote, a jewellery box. It reads as "someone chose this for you". It is also the default on many products, and the default wins often. Where it goes slightly wrong is on long wording (script joins close up at small sizes) and on children's school kit, where a child cannot read it.
Block and Mono: school, sport, business
Bottles, lunch boxes, food jars and lunch bags are ordered in Block far more than anything else, for the practical reason that a child recognises their name in clear capitals. Mono is the choice for initials, teams, gym tumblers and the men's-gift end of the range; it reads as modern rather than gift-shop. Business orders (aprons, signs, shirts) are Block or Mono almost without exception, and usually the logo sets the rest.
Serif: dates, anniversaries, the formal end
Serif appears where there is a date: wedding coasters, anniversary pieces, christening keepsakes, "est." lines. It is chosen less often than Script but with more intent; nobody picks Serif by accident. It is also the font that reads best for a monogram on a small lid.
Display and Hand: the deliberate choices
Display is picked for signs, celebration wording and anything that should look like a poster; it is the rarest choice and the one most often paired with a single strong colour. Hand is picked for children's gifts and grandparent gifts, where a handwritten feel is the point: "Nana's helper", a line in a child's words, a bunny with a name.
Custom fonts by name
A minority of orders ask for a specific typeface by name in the note (a rounded sans, a particular script). Where a close match exists in the six, we use it and say so; where a customer supplies a font name that is not available, we email before printing rather than substitute silently.
The two choices we quietly query
- Script on a school bottle. It is pretty and a five-year-old cannot read it. We print it if asked, but the school-kit guides all say Block for that reason.
- Display for a forty-word dedication. Display is built for a few large words; a paragraph in it becomes very small. Serif or Block carries long text better.
A working rule
| Occasion | Font people choose |
|---|---|
| Birthday, thank-you, bridesmaid | Script |
| School kit, sports, kids | Block |
| Men's gifts, gym, initials, business | Mono or Block |
| Weddings, anniversaries, christenings, dates | Serif |
| Signs, celebrations, one big word | Display |
| Grandparents, children's wording | Hand |
The six are shown side by side in the font guide, and the preview on every product page shows your wording in the font you choose as you type. Everything is printed to order in Cheshire, usually dispatched within one to three working days, with free UK delivery; the font is printed as chosen, so if you are between two, the table above is what most people decided.
Frequently asked questions
Which font is most popular for personalised gifts?
Script, for names on gifts such as mugs, bookmarks, glasses and totes. Block is the most-chosen for school kit, and Serif for anything with a date.
Which font should I choose for a child's school bottle?
Block. A child recognises their name in clear capitals long before they can read Script, which is why school-kit orders are overwhelmingly Block.
Can I ask for a font that isn't one of the six?
You can name one in the note; we use the closest of the six and say so, or email before printing if there is no close match.
