Unlock your inner genius with the Albert Einstein handwriting font. Developed with support of the Albert Einstein Archive1, every letter in this font is meticulously crafted from original manuscripts, capturing the true essence of Einstein’s handwriting. Six variations for each letter continuously exchange as you type, along with special mathematical symbols, this font is the most complex yet user-friendly handwriting font in the world. Whether you’re writing scientific papers in LaTeX, composing a personal letter in Word, or designing a creative project on your iPhone, elevate your writing to a new level of genius.
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Testimonials
Keffee Backer on Kickstarter
Jenny Greene Professor of Astrophysical Sciences Princeton University
Anne Quito Journalist and design critic, Quartz
Susan Prescott Vice President of Enterprise and Education Marketing Apple
Phil Marshall Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics SLAC Stanford University
David Backer on Kickstarter
Nihal J. Mehta Author of Quantum Computing: Program Next-Gen Computers for Hard, Real-World Applications.
Features of the Font
Letters change relative to their position.
As you type, the font creates a variation close to natural handwriting.
Pick the letter you like.
Choose any letter to explore different character shapes, giving you precise control over the appearance of each glyph, as shown here in Adobe Photoshop.
Quick Start Documents
Begin with ready-to-use Quick Start files for Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Adobe InDesign, and OpenOffice/LibreOffice. These templates come preconfigured with the author’s authentic writing size and line spacing settings, allowing you to create historically accurate documents instantly.
LaTeX support.
Incorporate handwritten text into your scientific paper. In the download section, you will find a TeX and PDF document authored by Nihal J. Mehta that outlines the installation and usage of the font in a LaTeX project. For further information, please refer to the FAQ section.
Multi-Platform Support
This font operates seamlessly on Windows, Mac, iOS (iPhone and iPad), Linux, and virtually any platform that supports OpenType fonts (PostScript). While we aim to support Android, please be aware that functionality is currently somewhat limited.
Getting started
This font is part of the paid-library. Interested in trying it yourself? Join the Handwriting Font Library for instant access to our entire collection, for only €2/month.
What does Albert Einstein’s handwriting actually look like?
Here are six examples2 showcasing Albert Einstein’s handwriting characteristics.
The uppercase A is usually written in a pattern that can be described as: moving from left to right up and down, then back to the middle on the left and crossing left to right.
Most of the times the inked trace of movement is interrupted when going from the lower right back to add the A’s crossbar, but in some cases Einstein does not lift the pen (variation 1 & 3) or even does the movement in a weavy curly way (variation 1), just like with the capital E.
E – loops and loops.
The uppercase “E” is written in a beautiful curling movement – starting in the upper left, through multiple loops, ending with a final loop on the lower right before connecting to the next letter.
singuH Variation 2 “Hauptaufgabe” (engl. main task)
“weavey” H. The uppercase “H” is written in a beautiful weavey pattern. Note the little variations in the upper left.
All variations of the letter H in the font.
All variations of the letter S in the font.
S — curly and elongated. The examples show the sources for S variation 2 & 4. “Singularität(en)” translates to Singularity. Source: AR, page 10 & 20.
S Variation 2 “Singularität” (engl. singularity)
vergrössern (engl.: enlarge)
aussenden (engl.: emitting) ss-Variation 3
The double-s, not ß — a Swiss-German affair?
The font is based on samples created at a time when Einstein worked in Switzerland or later. In Germany, it was common to use a variation of the letter “s” called a long s (ſ). During our research no samples of long-s or ß appeared in his writing. To reflect this, if you enter the letter “ß” on a German keyboard, it will be rendered as a double-s.
More details on the double-s
In German handwriting, the regular “s” (as we use it today) was only used at the end of a word. When words ended with a double-s, this would be written as a long s (ſ) followed by a “regular” s, which eventually became a ligature ß and is now a recognized letter of the alphabet (only) in Germany. However, Switzerland decided to use only the “regular” s and abandoned the long s as well as the ß.
It is likely that during Einstein’s time in Switzerland, he adopted the Swiss style of using only the regular “s.”
Q, as in “Quantum” — I find it remarkable how the open right side of the letter Q resembles a capital G, while the downstroke is also quite significant.
G → Q
In this example (‘Gedanke’ (English: Thought)), we can observe the similarities between the capital G and Q. Occasionally, the Q connects to the next letter, similar to the G. The primary difference is the loop at the bottom being more or less pronounced.
It is usually difficult to find examples of the letter Q in handwriting samples because there are not many words that require a capital Q. However, in the case of Einstein, his manuscripts often referenced quantum theory (which is capitalized in German), so it was easy to find enough variations.
Usage examples
National Geographic – Genius
National Geographic combined the Albert Einstein handwriting font, a robot arm and a chalk board to create a unique launch of the show Genius at SXSW. The first season of the show focuses on Albert Einstein life and work.
Side-note: in Season 4 National Geographic came back and used the Martin Luther King handwriting font to explore the life of Dr. King, you can read about it → here.
Write like Einstein — in LaTeX. Whether you’re preparing your thesis, paper, or article, the Albert Einstein handwriting font integrates seamlessly into your writing. Give your paper a human touch — with Einstein’s handwriting.
Included: .tex and .pdf example documents. Find installation tips in the FAQ.
Thanks to Nihal J. Mehta for contributing the sample document.
The example on the right shows a .tex document and its output, using the Albert Einstein Font.
How is a handwriting font made?
The creation process is a unique method that focuses on the writer’s movement on paper. It is a four-step process:
Finding the right documents
Learning (understanding) handwriting
Creating the font
Benchmarking: font vs handwriting
In-depth
For a more in-depth view of the process, the multi-step creation process of this font is detailed with numerous examples in the accompanying PDF, “How was the font made?”, which you can download along with the font.
PDF, “How was the font made?”
Finding the right document(s)
A handwriting font requires multiple samples of every (lower- and uppercase) letter of the alphabet. I select a variety of manuscripts that are representative of the author’s hand and are interesting and relevant to give an insight into the author’s body of work and time.
Initially, the movement is examined and then replicated by hand on paper to understand its features.
Creating the font
All variations of the letter E in the font.
I analyze the pen’s path and place tangents along the letter. A Bezier curve aligning along the tangents recreates the writing movement. The trail then extends to represent the pressure applied through a pen.
After the drawing is complete, it is placed in the font and tested to ensure it fits with the rest of the characters.
Improvising
There are many signs that the font needs to function today. Examples are the Number-sign or Hashtag #, or the @ symbol. Many of which were not used in Einstein’s time. The best way to go around these is to improvise them after drawing all letters.
Benchmarking: font vs handwriting
Creating an authentic handwriting font requires a careful and thorough process of comparing the digital version to the original analog document to ensure precision and capture the author’s unique style. On the left, you will see the original manuscript with the same text set in the font. You can click on the image to enlarge it for better visibility.
Resources on Albert Einstein’s Life, Work and Handwriting.
Online Einstein Archive
To learn more about Albert Einstein’s life and work, I recommend visiting the Albert Einstein Archive online. The archive (https://albert-einstein.huji.ac.il) is currently undergoing renovation, but the old website (http://www.albert-einstein.org) is still accessible. Additionally, a large collection of Einstein’s manuscripts is temporarily available online at (https://ein-web.adlibhosting.com/aea/search/advanced), where you can find handwritten letters, study notes, travel diaries, and more, offering an intimate view into his mind. Most of Einstein’s writing is in German.
A successful crowdfunding campaign Kickstarted the Albert Einstein Font. Launched in 2015, the release coincided with the centennial of the General Theory of Relativity. To learn more about this exciting project, visit Kickstarter.
