Arts & Culture

I have always enjoyed observing visual details in the world remember taking great delight in a school assignment where I had to design my own alphabet. Later, a calligraphy course introduced me to the world of nib pens, real ink, how to make historical letter forms, and even illuminate them with gold. From Islamic and Chinese calligraphy, to the English Lindisfarne Gospels, to the Irish Book of Kells and the French Duc de Berry’s Books of Hours and more, calligraphy truly is a worldwide art form.

The legacy of all of this incredible calligraphy has, until recently, been handwriting, as unique to each person as their own signature. With the diminishment of handwriting, some people are concerned that not only will it disappear, but people will not be able to sign their names. I read an article in the Toronto Star about one father who, shocked that his son was not being taught “cursive” (handwriting) at school, decided to teach it to his son himself. Handwriting also connects us intimately to someone, whether it is on a birthday card, in a love letter, or even on family recipe cards, such as those which I cherish from my wonderful English grandmother.

As a reader, however, I am very grateful to Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press in Europe. Europe went from havinga few thousand handcopied books in 1450 to millions by 1500. Typeface itself has become an art form, with numerous styles and adherents to each (the typeface I am using now is Helvetica).Helvetica is a fascinating film about this typeface, which was developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger. When I watched this film, I realized how influential and popular this typeface has become, and I have been noticing it everywhere.

You might also enjoy this lighthearted history of typography, and here’s to a letter-perfect world!