I have a love-hate relationship with fonts. I admire the creativity and expression but despise the daunting task of finding the ideal font. I have invested endless hours searching for "the perfect font" for a number of purposes and I approach this rabbit hole cautiously and very mindful to my daily business demands.

I am not a font expert but I have spent hours learning about how fonts equate to a perfect engrave. Engraving on wood presents unique challenges and opportunities. The material itself—its grain, porosity, and color—plays a significant role in how a font will appear.

Beautiful fonts do not always make beautiful engravings. Many things must be considered when choosing a font; wood species, wood color and tone, wood porosity as well as kern, weight, width, and style(s) to name a few. 

Fonts are a highly individual choice. It's akin to interior design. People are drawn to specific styles instinctively. I favor minimal fonts that are simple and easy on the eyes for reading. I appreciate ones that offer bold choices that aren't overbearing.  However, this is not always the preferred choice for engraving. 

Opinions on fonts vary.  Font opinions can be strong among professionals and hobbyists alike and are often openly discussed with passion. Choosing a font can be likened to art, where beauty is subjective. 

There's a sweet spot with font choice in engraving. Two style extremes exist; overly simple may appear sterile and devoid of personality while excessively ornate can be distracting and divert attention away from the engraved message. There are few exceptions to this guideline, yet some do exist.

Sometimes none of it matters  No matter the opinion (professional, personal, etc), the ultimate goal is to please the customer. Having the ideal engraving font is pointless if it isn't what the customer wants. Understanding the customer's vision is imperative to any design. Sometimes overly simplistic is perfect because there is an intended purpose behind it that calls for this. Ornate can also be ideal for certain situations as well. When we offer our professional opinion to our customers it is because they want help bringing their design to life, but being receptive to their wishes for the final piece is the true measure of the perfect engrave.