Be Yourself Font: A Real Branding Project Test
There is always that moment of hesitation when starting a new brand identity project. You stare at the blank artboard, cursor blinking, knowing that the typeface you choose will dictate the entire emotional tone of the visual system. Last month, I took on a rebrand for a local artisanal skincare studio that wanted to pivot from clinical and sterile to warm, personal, and authentically human. They needed a voice that felt like a friend giving advice, not a corporation selling products. That was when I decided to test Be Yourself, a handwritten font that promised exactly the kind of confidence-boosting charm my client was missing.
I didn't just want to scroll through a specimen sheet; I needed to see if this script could actually carry the weight of a commercial brand identity. As designers, we know that a font can look beautiful in isolation but fail miserably when applied to packaging or social media templates. Here is how Be Yourself performed during a real-world design sprint, from initial logo concepts to final production files.
First Impressions and Logo Exploration
My first step was dropping Be Yourself into the logo exploration phase. The client’s name was two words, which can sometimes be tricky with script fonts due to spacing and flow. Immediately, the personality of the typeface stood out. It isn’t a rigid, formal calligraphy script; it has a bounce and rhythm that feels genuinely unforced. The strokes have a natural variation in weight that mimics actual pen pressure, avoiding that vector-perfect stiffness that often plagues digital handwriting fonts.
For the logotype, I utilized the OpenType alternates included in the font file. This is where Be Yourself truly shines as a premium creative font. Being able to swap out standard characters for stylistic alternates allowed me to customize the wordmark so it felt bespoke rather than typed. I extended the tail of the final letter to create a natural underline element, anchoring the logo without needing additional graphic flourishes. The result was a logo that looked hand-lettered specifically for the brand, saving hours of custom illustration time while maintaining professional consistency.
Establishing Visual Hierarchy in Packaging
The true test came when moving from the logo to the product labels. Skincare packaging requires a delicate balance between aesthetic appeal and regulatory readability. I used Be Yourself strictly as a display font for the product names and key benefit callouts like "Handmade" or "Organic." The cute, confident vibe worked perfectly to highlight these selling points without screaming for attention.
However, a handwritten font cannot do all the heavy lifting. For the ingredient lists and usage instructions, I paired Be Yourself with a clean, geometric sans serif font. This contrast is essential in modern typography. The softness of the script against the structured neutrality of the sans serif created a visual hierarchy that guided the eye naturally. The script drew customers in emotionally, while the supporting typeface delivered the necessary information clearly. On the physical mockups, the texture of Be Yourself added a tactile quality to the design, making the bottles feel more expensive and curated despite being a digital typeface.
Social Media Graphics and Digital Application
In today’s branding landscape, a font must perform as well on a smartphone screen as it does on printed cardstock. I tested Be Yourself across various Instagram post templates and website hero headers. One common issue with script fonts in web design is legibility at smaller sizes or on lower-resolution screens. Fortunately, the x-height and open counters in Be Yourself make it surprisingly readable for a handwritten style.
I found it most effective when used sparingly in digital spaces. Using it for short, punchy headlines or overlay text on lifestyle photography reinforced the brand's approachable personality. When designing story templates, the font’s inherent playfulness encouraged engagement. It felt less like an advertisement and more like a note from the creator. For the website navigation and body copy, I stuck to the sans serif pairing, reserving Be Yourself for moments where we needed to inject warmth and break up the grid-based layout. This strategic use prevented the site from looking cluttered or amateurish, maintaining a professional edge while keeping the brand voice authentic.
Practical Considerations for Commercial Use
Before committing to any font for client work, checking the technical specs and licensing is non-negotiable. Be Yourself falls under the Script Amp category, which generally indicates high-quality scripting with extensive character sets. During my project, I verified that the multilingual support covered the specific accents needed for the client’s international shipping labels. Nothing kills a branding project faster than realizing mid-production that the font lacks a specific glyph.
For fellow designers considering this typeface, here are a few practical observations from my testing process:
- Check Your Licensing: Ensure you have the appropriate commercial license for the specific deliverables, especially if the font will be embedded in a website or used on merchandise for resale.
- Mind the Kerning: While the font flows beautifully, manual kerning adjustments are often necessary in logo design to ensure even negative space between unique character combinations.
- Avoid All Caps: Like most script and handwritten fonts, Be Yourself loses its charm and readability when set in all capital letters. Stick to title case or sentence case to preserve the natural stroke connections.
- Test Print Output: Handwritten fonts can sometimes appear too thin or too thick depending on the printing method. Always request a physical proof before approving a large packaging run to ensure the delicate strokes hold up.
Integrating Personality into Professional Design
Working with Be Yourself reminded me why we choose specific typefaces beyond mere aesthetics. Typography is the voice of the brand. In this case, the font did exactly what its name suggests: it allowed the brand to show its true self. It bridged the gap between the maker’s personal touch and the business’s need for marketable polish.
For designers working on projects for boutiques, cafes, creative studios, or handmade product lines, this font offers a versatile solution. It avoids the overly saccharine look of some decorative scripts while steering clear of cold corporate geometry. It sits comfortably in the middle ground of approachable professionalism. Whether you are designing a shop sign, a business card, or a digital ad campaign, Be Yourself provides the typographic texture needed to make a brand feel lived-in and loved.
Ultimately, the success of this rebrand wasn't just about picking a pretty font; it was about selecting a tool that communicated confidence. The client loved that the new identity felt like them, only elevated. As designers, our goal is to translate abstract feelings into visual systems, and having reliable, expressive tools like Be Yourself in our arsenal makes that translation process smoother and more authentic. If you are looking to add a touch of genuine warmth to your next craft or design project, this typeface is certainly worth adding to your shortlist for testing.
