Modern update on an old idea...

January 29, 2010 11:03 AM

Does anyone know a good font that would look similar to the handwriting Woody Guthrie used on his guitar for the phrase "This Machine Kills Fascists"? Preferably free, or at least cheap.

I'm planning on having this iconic phrase engraved on something I own, but I'm having trouble finding a font that would look very close to Woody Guthrie's handwriting on his guitar, as shown in this iconic picture. I've used a bit of Google-fu, but I'm coming up short.

Thanks in advance.

posted by plaidrabbit to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

Check out all the hand written fonts from Dafont. It looks to me like there are some that are fairly close.
posted by extrabox at 11:08 AM on January 29, 2010

I googled "fonts that look like handwriting" and found some I thought were similar, but I don't know the logistics of which fonts can be used for engraving. Cool idea.

Mostly Mono
Lavi
FG Klara
Domestic Manners
Initial
Colophon
Conformity
Tom's Handwriting
Dadhand
Hand Me Down
GF Matilda
posted by sallybrown at 11:20 AM on January 29, 2010

Best answer: Baby dont worry from Dafont is fairly close.
posted by plinth at 11:30 AM on January 29, 2010

Updated to have a lowercase t.
posted by plinth at 11:31 AM on January 29, 2010

Best answer: It's hand written in magic marker. Magic markers are still available and cheap. You don't need high-tech for everything. Seriously, really, you don't.
posted by nangar at 11:48 AM on January 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

(Here's something related that I made with a vinyl plotter [alt view]. I'll allow that it lacks some of the charm of the handwritten original... but to my tastes, more than makes up for this with snark.)
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 12:36 PM on January 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Yeah I would hand-draw it, and if you need a digital file, ask an Illustrator-savvy illustrator to make you a nice EPS you can hand off to someone with a laser-engraving machine.

Twenty bucks, tops.
posted by rokusan at 12:48 PM on January 29, 2010

Response by poster: Nagar - At first, I totally regarded your post as kinda not helpful and against the question, but upon further review, you reminded me that I'd made a font off of my handwriting earlier in the year. Why I didn't think of this until then, I have no idea, but I really like the idea of it being in my own handwriting now. So, thanks for the thought, even though you were advocating a more low-tech idea. :)

Plinth - that's a great font, and might be what I go with, if I don't use my own handwriting.

Thanks everyone!
posted by plaidrabbit at 12:53 PM on January 29, 2010

plaidrabbit, I felt really bad after I typed that, but unfortunately MeFi doesn't let you take comments back. I'm glad it actually helped.
posted by nangar at 1:34 PM on January 29, 2010

Response by poster: No worries - ended up working out. :) Thanks again!
posted by plaidrabbit at 3:58 PM on January 29, 2010