Choosing Since: How a Handwritten Script Font Made My Website Feel Personal
I was staring at a hero section for a coaching website, and everything felt too stiff. The layout was clean, the colors were right, but the headline typeface—a geometric sans serif—felt clinical. The project needed warmth, a sense of human connection. That’s when I started testing Since.
Since is a handwritten script font that carries an elegant, personal touch in every character. Its strokes feel genuinely crafted, not mechanically drawn, offering a natural handwritten rhythm. It doesn’t shout; it speaks softly and with character. For a design seeking authenticity, it was an instant contender.
The Visual Personality of a Digital Script Font
In the context of web design, Since brings a specific mood: approachable, refined, and subtly artistic. Its letters flow without being overly cursive or difficult to parse. This balance is crucial for digital environments where readability is king. The font’s personality leans towards modern elegance rather than vintage flourish, making it versatile for contemporary online brands, from boutique stores to creative portfolios.
On screen, its uneven baseline and organic stroke variations create immediate visual interest. Placed over a simple image banner or a solid color background, it draws the eye without overwhelming the space. This is a display font with manners—it knows its role is to attract and guide, not to dominate.
Real Layout Decisions: Where Since Works Best
In my project, I experimented with Since in several key areas. It became the perfect choice for the main hero headline and the section headings throughout the site. For a coaching or service-based website, these headings—like “Transform Your Approach” or “Begin Your Journey”—carry emotional weight. Since gave those phrases a handcrafted signature.
I also used it sparingly in call-to-action buttons, but only for short, powerful phrases like “Book a Session” or “Get the Guide.” For longer button text, I switched to a simpler sans serif to maintain quick legibility. This is a key observation: Since excels as a supporting typography for emphasis, not for bulk content.
It’s ideal for:
- Website headers and hero titles
- Landing page headline statements
- Decorative accents in blog post graphics
- Online shop banners for limited promotions
- Logo text for personal brands or creative studios
- Key phrases on course sales pages or digital product launches
For body copy, paragraphs, and lengthy interface text, pairing Since with a neutral, highly readable sans serif (like Inter or Open Sans) or a clean serif font creates a harmonious and functional hierarchy. This pairing gives the layout a clear visual structure: the script font provides personality and focus, while the body font ensures comfortable reading and scanning.
Readability on Every Screen
A practical concern with any script font is mobile performance. On smaller screens, ornate details can blur and lines can become cluttered. Since, with its relatively open letterforms and controlled flourish, held up well. I tested it at various sizes in responsive layouts. It remained legible as a headline font at larger sizes, even on mobile. For smaller uses, like a subtle tagline, ensuring sufficient size and contrast against the background—whether dark or light—is essential. When placing it over image overlays, a solid color backdrop or a subtle shadow behind the text can maintain readability without sacrificing the aesthetic.
This font works best when given space to breathe. Crowding it with other decorative elements reduces its impact and clarity. In fast-loading visual content, like digital ads or campaign landing pages, its distinct style can create immediate brand recognition, but it must be loaded as a webfont efficiently to avoid rendering issues.
Building a Polished Brand Experience
The choice of a premium font like Since directly influences perceived brand trust and professionalism. For the coaching site, it moved the visual identity from generic to personalized. It signaled care and attention to detail. Consistency in using it across the website—in headers, graphics, and key marketing phrases—builds a cohesive digital brand kit. Users subconsciously register this consistency, which fosters engagement and a sense of reliability.
For a creative portfolio, Since could frame project titles with an artistic signature. For a product landing page for a handmade goods store, it could evoke the craftsperson’s touch. The font becomes more than a stylistic choice; it’s a tool for aligning visual tone with brand story.
A Checklist Before You Code
Before committing Since to a live website or client project, a few technical checks are vital. First, confirm its availability as a webfont in formats like WOFF2 for optimal performance. Check the included styles—does it have the single weight you need, or are there alternates and ligatures that can add variation? Verify its multilingual support if your project serves a global audience. Most critically, review the commercial font licensing to ensure it covers your use case: commercial websites, online stores, and digital templates. A great font choice is undone by licensing oversights.
Finally, view it in context. Don’t just preview it in a font picker; drop it into a mockup of your actual landing page or blog header. See how it interacts with your images, colors, and other UI elements. That real web design moment—seeing it live in your layout—is the truest test. For me, Since passed that test. It turned a clean layout into a connected experience, proving that the right script font can be the quiet, elegant voice your website needs.
