# Elsie font

> A high-contrast display serif with curled ball terminals, issued in Regular and Black for fashion-style headlines.

Elsie is a high-contrast display serif by Alejandro Inler, developed together with Ana Sanfelippo, with hairline serifs and curled ball terminals. Elsie has two weights, Regular 400 and Black 900, and no italic. It is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 and is aimed at fashion, beauty and magazine headlines set large.

## Facts

- Classification: [Display](https://trendhub.net/fonts/category/display)
- Designed by: Alejandro Inler
- License: SIL Open Font License 1.1 (https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/)
- Styles: 2 (Regular 400, Black 900)
- Variable font: No
- Glyphs: 302
- Character sets: latin
- Last updated: 2025-09-05
- Official source: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Elsie
- Page: https://trendhub.net/fonts/elsie
- Tagged for: Headlines, Branding, Editorial, Elegant

## About Elsie

Elsie is a display serif with strong contrast between thick vertical stems and hairline connecting strokes and serifs. What sets it apart in the specimen is the ornament borrowed from italic writing: ball terminals that curl into small loops on a, c, f, j, r and y, a looped arm on the k, rounded v and w, and a Q with a waved tail. Numerals are old-style figures that rise and fall around the x-height. The official notes describe the theme as femininity, glamour and fashion. Elsie has two styles, Regular and Black, and the notes call the Black suitable for large display use. Each font has 302 glyphs and covers basic Latin with Western European accents. Alejandro Inler developed the typeface in conjunction with Ana Sanfelippo; a separate Swash Caps family also exists.

## License

SIL Open Font License 1.1. Copyright (c) 2010-2012, Alejandro Inler (alejandroinler@gmail.com), with Reserved Font Name 'Elsie'

Allowed:
- Use the fonts in personal and commercial work, in print, on the web and in apps.
- Modify the fonts and build new versions from them.
- Redistribute the fonts, on their own or bundled with software, as long as the license text and copyright notice go with them.

Conditions:
- The fonts cannot be sold by themselves.
- A modified version must stay under the same license and cannot use a Reserved Font Name without the copyright holder's permission.
- The authors' names cannot be used to promote a modified version without permission.

Summary only, not legal advice. Full text: https://openfontlicense.org/open-font-license-official-text/

## Where it works

- **Fashion and beauty headlines**: Hairline serifs and curled terminals were drawn with fashion and glamour in mind, according to the designer's notes.
- **Magazine covers and openers**: The Black weight gives a masthead or opening word heavy stems while keeping the thin hairlines.
- **Boutique and cosmetics branding**: A short name in Regular shows the looped k and curled r, c and y as built-in ornament.
- **Invitations and menus**: Old-style figures sit comfortably beside lowercase in dates and prices.

## Things to know

- **Hairlines need size**: The thinnest strokes are hairlines, so Elsie is drawn for display sizes; the official notes describe the Black as a large-size weight.
- **Regular and Black only**: There is no weight between 400 and 900 and no italic.
- **Western European Latin**: The 302 glyphs cover basic Latin with Western European accents; the Latin Extended set is incomplete.

## FAQs

### Is Elsie free for commercial use?

Elsie is free to use in commercial and personal work under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. The license also permits modification and redistribution; the font cannot be sold on its own, and derivatives remain under the same license and may not use a Reserved Font Name without permission.

### Who designed Elsie?

Elsie was designed by Alejandro Inler, who developed it in conjunction with Ana Sanfelippo.

### How many weights does Elsie have?

Elsie has two weights, Regular 400 and Black 900. There is no italic and no variable version.

### Which languages does Elsie support?

Elsie includes the letters needed for English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, the Nordic languages, Catalan and Estonian.

### Does Elsie have lining figures?

The default numerals in Elsie are old-style figures, with 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9 dropping below the baseline, as the specimen shows.

---

Source: https://trendhub.net/fonts/elsie (trendhub)