What's the Difference? Calligraphy vs. Handwriting vs. Font
What’s the difference between calligraphy vs. handwriting vs. font? This gets talked about a lot in the calligraphy and handlettering community. There are two common misconceptions about calligraphy among the general non-calligraphy public. It’s either that 1) calligraphy is good handwriting, or 2) calligraphy is a font.
These are obviously two very opposite sides of the spectrum, and both are untrue! In fact, calligraphy takes different aspects from both handwriting AND fonts; it is its own art form on its own.
In order to best discuss the difference between calligraphy vs. handwriting vs. font, we will first need to define our terms. The following are definitions from Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com.
Definitions
- a) artistic, stylized, or elegant handwriting or lettering; b) the art of producing such writing
- fancy penmanship, especially highly decorative handwriting, as with a great many flourishes
- the art of writing beautifully
- writing done by hand especially: the form of writing peculiar to a particular person
- a style or manner of writing by hand, especially that which characterizes a particular person; penmanship
- an assortment or set of type or characters all of one style and sometimes one size
- a complete assortment of type of one style and size
While some of the language in these definitions are similar, it is clear that each of these are different from each other. Broadly speaking, fonts are computer-generated, handwriting is handwritten, and calligraphy is a stylized handwritten art form. Let’s dig a little deeper into differentiating fonts and handwriting from calligraphy.
Handwriting vs. Calligraphy
Handwriting is what people write every day – whether that’s a note, a student essay, or the grocery list. Handwriting is typically written quickly with little thought to the letter forms. It’s also stylistically unique to the person writing. Everyone has their own handwriting. I tend to mix a little of print and cursive, because that’s most natural to me for writing quickly.
In contrast, calligraphy is written very slowly (the video below is sped up 4x) and much thought is given to the shapes and forms of each letter. There are varying styles of calligraphy, and each has different rules that need to be adhered to as far as the angle of the letters and the shapes of the ovals. This is in stark contrast to handwriting, where basically anything goes.
Fonts vs. Calligraphy
Because traditional calligraphy scripts have specific rules that need to be followed, the letter forms can almost look like a font because they are so precise and consistent. However, even with these rules it is possible to spot stylistic differences among different calligraphers writing the same script.
For example, the script called Copperplate may look slightly different depending on which calligrapher wrote it (while still maintaining the basic rules of the script), but if there were a font called “Copperplate,” it would look the same no matter what computer is used to type it. Additionally, calligraphy is written by hand, which means that there will be imperfections in the writing no matter how precise the calligrapher is. It’s just human nature!
Modern calligraphy (a separate type of calligraphy from traditional scripts) allows for little nuances among the same letters to add a more artistic touch. Notice in the video above that my two different S’s and the difference in the size of the two L’s. On the other hand, since fonts are computer-generated, every letter is always identical. While a font may be handwritten in its creation, once it is made a font, each letter is always typed the same way. There is never any difference between these letters.
What does it matter?
So, why does knowing the difference between calligraphy vs. handwriting vs. font? The biggest takeaway I hope you get from this blog post is a greater appreciation for the art and skill of calligraphy. It’s not an innate or natural skill. It’s not someone just with good handwriting, nor is it someone just typing up something in a script font. Calligraphers take care to write each stroke with precision, technical skill, and an artistic eye. Calligraphy is an art form in and of itself.
Did this help you?
I hope you learned a little more about calligraphy from this post! If you are looking for an heirloom piece or a sentimental gift, I’d love to chat with you about what I can make for you! Hit the button below to get in touch.
