Guest post: Calligraphy alternatives from Seamless Creative
Welcome back former BB contributor Courtney from Seamless Creative and designworklife….
As a graphic designer, typography is always on my radar. So needless to say, I became particularly obsessed with calligraphy while planning my own wedding in 2010. Even on very modern invitations, it just adds a gorgeous personal touch that’s hard to match.
Unfortunately though, not all of us can afford to include professional calligraphy in our wedding budgets. If you fall into that camp, I’ve got you covered. In the last couple of years quite a few calligraphic scripts have become available, making it quick, easy and inexpensive to achieve a similar look on your own. Script typefaces have been around forever, but for the most part they were always missing the handmade touch that hand-calligraphed details provide. And while it’s not quite the same as the real thing, this new breed of scripts includes varying thicks and thins and alternate glyphs, giving the letterforms more of a spontaneous (and less digital) look. Here are a few of my favorites:
Above: Katie Rose
Sarah Watson Illustration
I love this whimsical lettering by Sarah Watson Illustration, especially that 1st one!
[images from Sarah Watson Illustration]
Dear Darling calligraphy
Beautiful calligraphy by Dear Darling! I love the dainty floral design around the text…
[via Zucchero, Zucchero]
Top 10: Calligraphy
I’ve discovered so many great calligraphers over the years…here are just a few of my favs!
1st row: Crystal Kluge, Betsy Dunlap, Primele
2nd row: Kristine Lombardi, Neither Snow
3rd row: Paperfinger, Kathryn Murray, Linea Carta
4th row: love*jenna, May+Belle
Studio tour: Paperfinger
Name: Bryn Chernoff
Location: DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) | Brooklyn | New York City
Company: Paperfinger | Modern Calligraphy & Hand-Drawn Design
What is your aesthetic? Organized | Tasty | Comfortable | Contemporary | Natural | Spacious
How does your studio style convey your professional aesthetic? A place for everything and everything in its place. It’s important to me that when I walk into my studio each morning that it is the kind of space that makes me excited to sit down and start working. On a clean wooden desk, whatever is spread out while I work looks good in the process. I work mostly to natural light thanks to the large windows. And I get immense pleasure from the organized drawers stocked with pens, inks, paper samples. My studio has pops of color here and there but still has a quiet, graceful feel to it.
Favorite part of your studio? My tackle-box of nibs. It’s my version of a candy store.
Where do you go for inspiration? Children’s books. A photo of myself at age 7 that I keep on my desk. Plants. World wide web.
What tool do you use in your business that you can’t live without? Harvest, my bookkeeping and invoicing software. I love everything about it. It makes invoicing fun.
I have to give a shout-out to my geeky device that helps me keep straight lines on opaque envelopes, the Phantom Liner. Oh and one more must-have! My wireless Sennheiser headphones that I wear all day and keep on my head all the way across the office and at the sink while I’m washing nibs.
Is there anything you’d upgrade to? A giant studio where I could explore larger format work, host events, work with friends, run around.
Anything else we should know? I used to have a radio show called “Plus Size Soul” featuring women vocalists from the first generation of jazz, blues and soul. I relive those days by posting a song to my blog, Paper Tastebuds, every Friday. The music is diverse and is always a song that I’ve been listening to that week in the studio.Via my blog, I also continually add ideas to a wedding gift guide if you’re looking for unique presents. Come visit and listen in on Fridays!
[images from Emily Gilbert]
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