“I think it’s fun to see my work in the wild, and it’s been cool to be a part of so many diverse projects, from movies to video games to food packaging to billboards!” said Geswein.
Most people never expect to see their handwriting show up on websites — let alone on food packaging or album covers. For Catie Holt, however, that is exactly what happened.
Holt, a 2006 graduate of Cedarville University with a degree in early childhood education and a former elementary school teacher, considered other options after struggling to find a teaching position in her home state of Michigan. While working at a summer camp after graduation, she remembered meeting a recruiter from LifePlus International Schools during her time at Cedarville.
This reflection led her to think seriously about teaching overseas.
“I was talking with a family at the camp about possibly teaching in China,” said Holt. “One of them said, ‘Why don’t you do it?’ That was the wake-up call I needed, so I filled out the application and started a yearlong process of vetting and preparation.”
In July 2007, Holt moved to Chendu, China, where she taught preschool, kindergarten and first grade. Five years later, after returning to the United States, she taught at a Chinese Christian school in Chicago’s Chinatown, a position she held until getting married in 2013. Then, she returned to Michigan to the quaint tourist community of St. Joseph along Lake Michigan.
It was during her overseas training and orientation that Holt met Kimberly Geswein, who also became a teacher in China. In addition to her background in education, Geswein had experience in graphic design and was interested in fonts.
“Kimberly asked me if I wanted my handwriting turned into a font. She gave me a grid and had me write out each letter,” said Holt.
That’s how Cedarville Cursive, a font based on Holt’s playful handwriting, was born.
According to Google Fonts, Cedarville Cursive now appears on more than 98,000 websites and ranks ninth of Geswein’s 22 fonts on Google Fonts. Some of her other, most popular creations include Shadows Into Light (featured on more than 519,000 websites) and Indie Flower (featured on more than 437,000 websites).
“I think it’s fun to see my work in the wild, and it’s been cool to be a part of so many diverse projects, from movies to video games to food packaging to billboards!” said Geswein.
Faith plays a central role in both women’s work. Holt chose Cedarville University for its mission mindset and daily chapel services and continues to integrate her faith into her educational work. Geswein’s fonts often carry spiritual names like Covered By Your Grace and Loved By the King.
Her fonts can be spotted in unexpected places, including Skittles packaging, Ariana Grande’s “My Everything” album cover and even an episode of “The Office,” where character Dwight Schrute mocks one of her typefaces, KG Only Hope, as a “ridiculous font” (season 9 episode 2).
For Holt and Geswein, education has been a driving factor. Geswein has developed symbol fonts to help teachers create math and language resources. Holt inspires others to use books for learning. She created a series of lesson plans based on children’s books, which she continues to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers.
“I wanted to create tools that parents and teachers can use to help kids build the joy of reading from a young age,” Holt said.
Holt explores some of those books on her blog, booksyoushouldlove.com.
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio’s largest private universities and is recognized by The Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.