Remember when you were a kid and you first learned how to write in cursive or read script? You probably practiced your “autograph” countless times before you found a style that you liked. Nowadays many schools don’t require children to learn this, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone out of style completely.

There’s a plethora of “script” style logos out there doing quite well for their respective brands. Cursive writing has been around since the 16th century–it was designed to make writing more efficient by hand and more aesthetically pleasing on paper. A script logo is one using a font that looks like it was hand written in a cursive style.

How do you know if a script style logo is right for your brand? Is there a right or wrong way to use  script in your branding?

When a client comes to Amber Design and a script style logo finds itself on the sketch pad its usually due to a combination of things; the type of business it is, the personality of the client and/or brand, the target audience, and if the client simply prefers that style. We always do our due diligence by checking out the competition so we can give the best possible advice and guidance for selecting the style of logo that’s most likely to draw in potential customers.

For example: if you look at our portfolio, there’s several tech and logistics companies we’ve done logos for, and none of them are script-style because this isn’t commonly seen and wouldn’t position those brands effectively among their peers and competition. However there are some brands, such as SpadyBud and Craftsman Plumbing, two clients who wanted a more personal and crafted look to their logo, which was why they went with the script style:

As with any logo style, there are some basic ground rules to using script for a logo or your brand identity:

Industries – some businesses are better suited for script logos than others. You tend to see them more in the following:

• Food & beverage
• Health & Wellness
• Beauty
• Hospitality
• Tattoo & Piercing
• Luxury and “retro” style brands/businesses

When/how to use:

• Adding character
• Add visual appeal
• For Display text on a logo or headline/title
• For shorter words

When not to use:

• Long-form text or paragraphs
• Multiple script styles on the same page/within the same brand
• For important rules or instructions
• In Small sizes

Check out the extensive list below showcasing famous household names with script logos done right!

Shane Co.

Sharpie

Spady Bud