Cutesy fonts are usually associated with two styles: one is a bit inflated and bubbly, while the other is softer and rounder. Inflated bubble fonts may have rounded corners but they also add puffiness, softening the letterforms even more.
In contrast, the rounded style of a font is just that—rounded. But not all of them look the same. For example, a rounded font can have closed shapes as opposed to open, or puffy shapes as opposed to thin. The difference between the two might be subtle, especially when considering how you use these cutesy fonts. You could argue that both styles are cute, but each serve different needs and applications.
Best uses for bubble fonts
Bubble-style fonts work best for short, playful uses. Think about stickers, posters, birthday graphics and social media images (especially packaging). While there’s no hard rule on what to use, it’s important to remember that some cutesy fonts will work better than others. Here are a few examples of inflated bubble-style fonts that we found to be suitable for playful projects:
Bubbel Candy Inflate
Bubble Cloud Lobed
For those who want to make their own cutesy letterforms, however, there’s another approach. We’ll describe the original-font route and explain why we prefer one over the other, so that you can pick your own favorite.
Choosing rounded cutesy fonts
FontGenerator offers an extensive library of cutesy fonts. Dreamslug Grotesk and Ion Velvet Grotesk each include 351 glyphs, while the other rounded options range from 95 to 232 glyphs. Some of the fonts offer additional variations, such as a second style. The rounded fonts are the safest choice, since they’re easier to read.
If you don’t feel like creating your own letterforms, then we’ve created several lists that show which of the available Google fonts are the most suitable to use in either category. The rounded fonts, for instance, are suitable for kids’ brands, casual products, interfaces and headlines, with softened corners and round stroke ends. Here are a few examples of the kind of rounded fonts that should appeal to a younger audience:
Dreamslug Grotesk
Ion Velvet Grotesk
Dreamslug Grotesk Rounded
You could say that the main benefit of cutesy fonts is that they allow you to express your personality by simply using text. If you’d rather copy and paste cute Unicode symbols into your social bios or messages, there are many options available. Just keep in mind that this isn’t necessarily a font, per se; it’s more of a copy-paste style. They’re perfect for social captions, messages, or fun “just because” reasons.
It’s easy enough to use cutesy fonts in print, too, especially for packaging. But you might consider the alternative: crafting or cutting your own text out of craft materials. These fonts are useful for brand assets, but they might be limited in their use when designing software.
Creating custom letterforms
The first option is the original, handwritten letterform. This is probably the way to go if you’d rather design your own letterforms. Describe what kind of letters you want, then provide a reference image. Once you get an installable font back from the designer, you’ll want to test out your choices. You can download and save individual characters within Studio, editing them if necessary, before finalizing and downloading the completed project.
There are plenty of fonts to choose from, but it’s important to know when to use each one. Use bubble-style fonts for bold, short and large-format uses. Choose a rounded font if you’re looking for friendly readability. Make sure the font covers all the letters and characters you need to use. Save the cutest Unicode symbols for quick social message purposes.