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The Handwriting of Type Designers

Posted by kdawson on from the slow-down-you-move-too-fast dept.

jamie found this blog post wherein an Australian Web technologist, Cameron Adams, wondered whether the handwriting of his favorite type designers encoded some sort of influence on their designs. So he wrote to them and asked for a sample. The result will make you slow down and appreciate the beauty and the aesthetics of type. Or else it won't.

15 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. I'm facinated by sleeping123 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm always criticized for my sloppy handwriting, and it's refreshing to see that the experts in the field of readable, beautiful type can be just as "lazy" or sloppy as me.

    1. Re:I'm facinated by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      ...can be just as "lazy" or sloppy as me.

      I wonder how often these folks write in longhand, and how old they are. I started typing in the seventies, and have noticed that my handwriting hasn't so much changed as lost finesse and regularity as I transitioned to the modern full-time keyboard.

      I can't recall the last time I wrote out a full sentence. I probably haven't done more than a dozen in the last ten years. It's just notes and lables now. People born since the Mac probably have vastly fewer pen-miles than I did at 24. That's got to have an effect on how they approach the drawn charater.

    2. Re:I'm facinated by ozmanjusri · · Score: 5, Funny
      Dude, if you want to see sloppy writing, I will send you a sample.

      I will send you a piece of paper to sign.

      It already has a little writing and some numbers on it, but don't worry about those. Just sign on the line in the bottom right corner.

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    3. Re:I'm facinated by cerberusss · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I can't recall the last time I wrote out a full sentence. I probably haven't done more than a dozen in the last ten years. It's just notes and lables now.

      I like writing letters. When I was young, I'd write letters to my favorite uncle and grandma, and now when I'm older and support two Plan International children, I write letters to those.
       
      I'm European and have an Indian friend with a 6-year-old. For his birthday, I wrote a letter to the little guy, who was totally amazed that someone would write him a real letter :-)

      --
      8 of 13 people found this answer helpful. Did you?
  2. Lost Art by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That would be an interesting poll:

    How many words per day do you write with "pen and paper"?
    o) 0
    o) 1-5 (passwords on post-it)
    o) 6-20 (milk, breat, ramen, condoms, beer, ...)
    o) 21-200 (still in school, you insensitive ...)
    o) >200 (i do it for a living!)

    lsr@#suechtler

    1. Re:Lost Art by cyphercell · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's slashdot man. His mom asked him to pick up the condoms. He showed her how to setup a myspace profile and has regretted it ever since.

      --
      Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
  3. In related news by Aussenseiter · · Score: 5, Funny

    The author of that article neglected to mention that the creators of Arial, having devised a font so perfect they chopped their own hands off because they knew their work could never be surpassed.

    1. Re:In related news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Their hands were actually cut off for their poor and uninspired ripoff of Helvetica.

  4. Re:That was unbelieveably cool by rho · · Score: 5, Funny

    That was unbelieveably cool

    No, it was believably cool.

    Unbelievably cool would be if it came with a pony.

    --
    Potato chips are a by-yourself food.
  5. I would love to see by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    the handwriting of the creators of Wingdings.

  6. Re:That was unbelieveably cool by maglor_83 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Unbelievably cool would be if it came with a pony.

    What, you didn't get yours?

  7. Re:Is it really surprising... by arigram · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I disagree. I found their writing really beautiful. Handwriting in the end, isn't different from drawing (nor drawing is much different from handwriting) so you have to look at them artistically and study their lines, shapes and relationships like you would do with a free hand sketch. Apart from revealing their personality (as for any of us), handwriting is the best proof that everyone has an artist inside of us. And an art critic, as well. :)

  8. Re:I had no idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    You must be new... to typography.

    What's surprising is the appearance of an article like this on Slashdot, a site frequented by roughly zero typographers. Not that the lack of typographers is a bad thing, Slashdot is about Free software, bashing Microsoft, and language paradigm flamewars. Hardly this site's target market.

    I have more than a passing interest in typography, but trust me, it takes years to learn about this stuff. I would suggest Slashdot leaves type related articles to Typophile, I love typography and all the others.

    Remember that this is not just creating text. It is an intricate art form, dating back thousands of years. If you, or anyone else, wants to educate themselves The Elements of Typographic Style is essential reading. One other thing I've found: many typographers (but not type designers so much) are even more pedantic, exacting and pretentious than software engineers, or even grammar Nazis. If you posted the above on the Typophile forums, they'd probably be round your house with pitchforks and torches. :)

  9. Layne, is that you?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Layne, is that you?! It's me, Mrs. Berkshire, your grade 10 teacher! How amazing that we can both be here to reminisce of your brazen school days. I still keep all of my students' detention writings in my desk drawer. Let me write out some of the favorite ones I had you write during your year in my English class.

    1. I will not play Dungeons and Dragons in class.
    2. I will not scream "Beam me up, Scotty!" in class.
    3. I will not program on my abacus in class.
    4. I will not hack administration's punch cards to improve my grades in class.
    5. I will not debate 86-DOS vs Mac 128k in class.
    6. I will not mastur^H^Her math in class.
    7. I will not read slashdot in class.

    Sincerely yours,

    Mrs. Berkshire

  10. Re:Is it really surprising... by YourExperiment · · Score: 5, Funny

    so, what's the difference between ledgible and artistic?

    One of them is a word.