Today in my mail I received a blue envelope that had my name and address neatly printed on the front. The reply address was a P.O. Box but it still appeared handwritten. When I flipped the envelope over, it had the Hallmark seal on it. The curiosity got the best of me and I opened it to find a card with the following message:
This is handwriting font technology and it’s really hit the direct mail scene the last couple of years. Direct marketers know that if they get you to open a piece of mail, you’re much more apt to read the piece. If you read the piece, you’re more apt to call. If you call, you’ll probably buy. It all begins with the open, though!
The reason why this font is somewhat believable is how they vary the size of the same letters (check out the ‘e’s in speed), and the letter spacing (both kerning and tracking). The technique definitely captures your attention, there’s enough of a difference from ordinary type to trick you into thinking it’s hand-written.
One easy way to tell that it’s not is that the actual lines are perfectly spaced from one another and precisely straight. No doubt these subtleties will also be changed in the future. Either way, it’s a pretty nice piece of work and I’m sure it will convert quite a few prospects. I’m not interested since I might be moving soon.
