Handwritten: Expressive Lettering in the Digital Age

by Steven Heller, Mirko Ilić

"A fun and varied collection of recent posters, books, ads, and other designed pieces that all employ type that is scrawled, scratched, stitched, or otherwise noodled."― Communication Arts Hand-drawn graphics mark a return to the creator's immediacy and craft. Increasingly, advertising campaigns, CD covers, and branding are adopting the rough-hewn style of manually created typography. This is the first publication to offer a complete overview of handwritten typographics, drawing on an extensive array of letterforms from around the world.

At the heart of the book are hundreds of examples, presented in creative "Scrawl" (letterforms that are raw, splotchy, untidy); "Scratch" (scraped, cut, and gouged fonts); "Script" (type that is sinuous and ornate); "Simulate" (faces that have been redrawn or copied); "Shadow" (dimensional, voluminous, and monumental letterforms); "Suggestive" (forms that imply the metaphorical, surreal, and symbolic); and "Sarcastic" (the ironic, comic, and satiric in lettering).

In an age of digital typography, Handwritten returns to the values of craft. This outstanding collection of unusual, meticulously wrought, and often breathtaking pieces is a must for students and practitioners of design. 500+ illustrations, most in color

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Art, Art Design

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Steven Heller writes a monthly column on graphic design books for The New York Times Book Review and is co-chair of MFA Design at the School of Visual Arts. He has written more than 100 books on graphic design, illustration and political art, including Paul Rand, Merz to Emigre and Beyond: Avant Garde Magazine Design of the Twentieth Century, Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design Second Edition, Handwritten: Expressive Lettering in the Digital Age, Graphic Design History, Citizen Designer, Seymour Chwast: The Left Handed Designer, The Push Pin Graphic: Twenty Five Years of Design and Illustration, Stylepedia: A Guide to Graphic Design Mannerisms, Quirks, and Conceits, The Anatomy of Design: Uncovering the Influences and Inspirations in Modern Graphic Design. He edits VOICE: The AIGA Online Journal of Graphic Design, and writes for Baseline, Design Observer, Eye, Grafik, I.D., Metropolis, Print, and Step. Steven is the recipient of the Art Directors Club Special Educators Award, the AIGA Medal for Lifetime Achievement, and the School of Visual Arts' Masters Series Award.

Reviews

[Aldo Campos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aún hoy, que prácticamente todos los días trabajo en computadora, prefiero lo hecho a mano y si tengo oportunidad, buscaré la posibilidad de hacerlo. Y este libro está repleto de fuentes de inspiración, para cuando quiero recordar que la computadora no es el instrumento esencial para hacer diseño.

[Bro (Dave Kurimsky) · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you already have a solid holistic knowledge of typography, then you won't learn much from this book. Not to say you won't learn anything— there are interesting insights peppered throughout the book. That said, the book is worth owning just for the work which is striking and well-chosen. I own the hardcover but reccomend the paperback, it's less expensive and has a cooler cover.

[Donkeyballs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, it's not really 5 stars. But I'm in it, and on the same spread with Paula Scher, and that is pretty awesome in a typography nerd kind of way. To the rest of you I'm sure that's pretty incomprehensible. But I'll take what I can get.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Handritten! As I am secretly obsessed with graphic design, and IN PARTICULAR handwriting, I was thrilled to find this book on Amazon.

[R.Friend · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring break from the computer.

[Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less a book to sit down and absorb, and more like a book to reinvigorate the simple and revolutionary pleasure of making indelible marks using a brain and a body.