Hand lettered type is found in a large variety of mediums and styles, from a writer's scrawl, to comic books, to graffiti. It's hard to pinpoint a definition for hand lettered type, as almost all type originated from hand drawn sketches. Conventional type, the typefaces we are used to seeing every day (on the computer, in the newspaper, and on road signs) are mass-produced and have been meticulously crafted into smooth lines, often to be as legible as possible. But hand lettered type is created primarily with pen and pencil, generally without the use of computers, and it is usually not made to look flawless.
With this blog, I hope to both narrow and expand my very vague and messy definition of hand lettered type. I plan to explore examples of hand lettered type that blur the lines between "conventional" and "handwritten." Stay tuned for entries about hand lettered type as downloadable fonts, in marketing campaigns, and as fine art! Are you as excited as I am? Eep!
Great sketches by Tuva Moen Holm
Posts
