Welcome readers!

It is Blog 10 of Calligraphy Corner and I am beyond excited to share today’s topic with you all. We will be delving into the modern developments of typography and font design as relates to calligraphy. Graphic design and marketable characteristics are the name of the game for this blog.

Differentiating from traditional and modern calligraphy is one important distinction we must make before returning to the rest of the discussion. The 21st century has allowed various interested parties to play with long-standing rules and alter them to fit their personal aesthetic. Whereas traditional calligraphy appears consistent and follows specific rules for spacing and letter formation, modern calligraphy does not necessarily obey particular formations. It may not have the normal guidelines and axes of symmetry that one would see with a traditionally established calligraphic hand.

Fig 1. Loveleigh Loops. Traditional vs. Modern Calligraphy.

Modern calligraphy is characterized by the very fact that it is not necessarily characterizable beyond its inability to conform. In the age of graphic design and greater access to information via the internet, savvy professional calligraphers have utilized the web and social media to advertise their products. It is in this way that nontraditional calligraphy has been allowed to thrive.

One large move made in the field of hand-lettering in the modern day is the discovery and popularization of alternative writing tools. People associate calligraphy with the typical pointed pens and ink – dip pens and oblique pens were all the rage. Though these pens are still very prevalent today and available for purchase, different options are available now for people to experiment with. A few that come to mind include felt-tip markers, brush pens, fountain pens, and digital design tools. Felt-tip markers and pens can be purchased in most craft and office supply stores. They are the typical pens that one would use as a beginner when first learning how to handle lettering. Felt-tip markers are best for beginners because they require low maintenance and typically no input of fresh ink cartridges. Brush pens are highly popular in the artistic writing world at the moment. They are tapered to the shape of what a fresh paintbrush may look like. Because many versions have bristles, this type of pen is prone to fraying. Fountain pens may seem the fanciest out of the bunch. They contain a type of metal tip called a nib that can be changed out by the more practiced calligrapher to try out different stylistic choices. The inside of the fountain pen has a space in which different cartridges of ink can be placed into. This way, the pen can be refilled if need be, or a new color of ink can be applied to a project.

Fig 2. Geek Calligraphy. Guide to Pen Types.

In regards to the digital design tools mentioned, tablets and computers are both commonly used to achieve personalized digital fonts as well as a variety of designs. Distinct software has been shaped to allow for a variety of artistic endeavors. Programs from the Adobe Suite are used extensively in the graphic design and marketing industry. From Photoshop to Illustrator, so many mechanisms can be molded around someone’s artistic goal. For example, in Adobe programs, designers can upload their designs, hand-draw them with digital pens and pads, trace previously done sketches, create their own brushes, and adjust existing fonts already present in the applications. The options are pretty much endless! There are so many interesting features that can be applicable to writing-specific design processes.

Fig 3. Youtube @ElisaAnne Calligraphy. How to Vectorize Lettering with Adobe Illustrator.

So, what does this mean for businesses?

Both digital calligraphy and modern hand-drawn calligraphy represent a growing space in the graphic design market. From left and right, creators are coming up with ways to monetize their hobby. One way that some calligraphers have done so is through social media. Creators have seen their bright, catchy designs become popular on platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. One Instagram account that I particularly appreciate is @littleredbirdlove. Marita Clark’s designs on this page are evident of the modern style of lettering and calligraphy. She uses videos of her creating her designs as part of her marketing strategy. These videos are entirely engaging and entertaining in nature.

Fig 4. Instagram @littleredbirdlove.

Creators have also put out professional websites with the goal of appealing to a wide audience of clients. Calligraphers like Virginia Lucas Hart have set up successful businesses with the help of online pages. Check out the photo below of one of her beautiful brand work projects. Many freelance calligraphers and artists show off their amazing work with digital galleries and give potential clients the chance to peruse their services. Potential freelance services might include wedding invitations, business card designs, customized stationary, certificates, and more!

Fig 5. Virginia Lucas Hart. El Team Brand Work.

The increasingly popularity of modern calligraphy and handwritten products has allowed a comfortable space to exist for creators to develop their artistic passions and pursue potential business opportunities. It is a wonderful time for beginners to get started in the craft as well. Thank you for learning about calligraphy with me! It has been my pleasure to cover all sorts of history and be able to discuss a variety of artistic aspects regarding this subject.

Hello readers!

I am so glad that you have returned once more for Week 9 of Calligraphy Corner! I am excited to announce that today we will be transitioning into the development of fonts and word processing systems.

We are all familiar with the vast degree of fonts available on, say, Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Across Google software, there are currently 1297 font families available for use. As for Microsoft software, there are 700 font options available on Word with more in development. That’s a lot of fonts! So, when did the first computerized fonts come about?

The first electronic typeface was designed and implemented by a man named Rudolph Hell and his Hell Design Studio employees. It was named “Digi Grotesk,” and was actually a bitmap. A bitmap is a type of image file that often has color information in its rows of pixels. So, Digi Grotesk was basically a grid-like pattern of pixels and was used in computerized typesetting machines. Britannica defines computerized typesetting as a type of typesetting that involves “characters [that] are generated by computer and transferred to light-sensitive paper.” Impressively, Digi Grotesk is still in use today.

Fig 1. FontShop. Digi Grotesk Font.

One of the next steps in the history of typography was the development of Apple’s TrueType fonts in response to Adobe’s Type 1 fonts in the 1980s. Adobe developed their Type 1 fonts to use in their PostScript programming language. Apple, on the other hand, created their TrueType fonts to replace the use of PostScript in their products. Apple’s TrueType fonts firstly involved four families: Helvetica, Courier, Times Roman, and “Symbol”. This degree of competition was a big deal at the time, and was informed by the rise in popularity of the internet in the 1990s.

Fig 2. Virtual Exhibition. True Type.

OpenType fonts were then developed jointly by Adobe and Microsoft in the mid 1990s as the rivalry between Apple, Adobe, and Microsoft continued to increase. OpenType opposed both Adobe’s PostScript types and Apple’s TrueType fonts. According to Adobe, they still share the rights to this font file format with Microsoft. OneType was built on the original working version of TrueType. It is special in its ability to work across platforms; OpenType is currently accessible on both Macs and Windows computer systems. It is still relevant today as thousands of Adobe fonts have been developed and implemented using it!

Fig 3. Apple Insider. Font Book, Type 1 Fonts on OpenType.

So, let’s talk about fonts specifically. The turn of the century was the time in which many significant changes took place in regards to fonts and typography. Font formats were reconsidered with a modern lens and font developers took charge to introduce hundreds of new typefaces throughout the 2000s and 2010s. In 2009, the first draft of the Web Open Font Format (WOFF) was published. It is usable with both TrueType and OpenType fonts. WOFF helped standardize how fonts could be used on web pages. The interesting thing about WOFF is that anyone’s font design can be saved or converted to this format and be used across the web. At this time, font developers and others alike came to the realization that they could create their own fonts for web use! Different web-based companies took advantage of the open access to font development on the internet and thus sought to involve their brand.

Google Fonts, originally Google Web Fonts, was founded in 2010. At its inception, it was applauded for being an open source resource for fonts and web design. As previously mentioned, it currently offers 1297 families of fonts. Check out their website to find a style that interests you!

Fig 4. Toptal. Google Fonts.

Microsoft also has a group dedicated to typography and web design. Microsoft Typography emphasizes legibility and creativity in font development by both their employed team members and independent designers. They primarily hire outside talent to work with program managers in creating new fonts for their Microsoft Office products.  Hundreds of fonts are currently available, and that number only continues to grow as their TrueType and OpenType font base expands with various additions from different parties.

Adobe has their own fonts to consider as well. Like Google, they have their own web page listing some of their usable typefaces. Adobe Fonts has over 20,000 fonts available with a subscription and 1,000 fonts available for their basic free signup. I would recommend anyone interested to check out their website. There are multiple free features that are easily accessible and fun for the curious observer. They even have a feature that allows you to drag and drop and image, after which the computer will come up with a font design that matches your picture.

Multiple large corporations took advantage of technological improvements to bring these fonts to light. The future holds many more opportunities, however, to expand fonts based on language. It appears that much in recent design history has forgotten to include lesser used languages. Hopefully, designers will expand their fonts to include characters from a wider variety of the written word. It has been wonderful to review updates in writing from the lens of electronic fonts and typefaces. Though this is not exactly calligraphy, this blog post creates a base from which we will next be able to discuss greater creative control by graphic designers on marketing and font selection and how calligraphic writing has influenced the profitable side of the typography field.

Thank you for reading! See you next time.