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handwiting can be surprisingly effective typography. 

sunday december 14, 2004

text1.jpg, 2pages.jpg, book.jpg


there is something genuine and honest about hand written texts that is lost when the words are transformed into typography.<br/><br/>
i recently read a lecture by Agnes Martin in a old little book from the 1970's presented in the original form of numbered pages of notes.<br/><br/>
there was something enticing about the bite sized pieces of text, and as there were only 21 of these bites, i decided to ingest all of them in one sitting.<br/><br/>
i then came across the same lecture in a book from 2002 that had been subjected to reasonably thoughtful typographic design. strangely enough, i was less interested in reading this lecture, even before i realized it was the same.<br/><br/>
the typed text is certainly easier to read, but perhaps part of the handwritings draw is the very challenge posed by the process of deciphering the authors meaning.
perhaps we will understand the author's message if it is presented along side of the quirks specific to that authors hand.<br/><br/>
so two things are happening in the original text that are not in the re-presented one:
first, bite sized pieces help make the text appetizing and approachable. second, the handwriting helps us to receive a deeper understanding of the ideas.
designed typography is not always the best way to most effectively communicate. sometimes it is more interesting to let the raw text speak for itself.<br/><br/>
however, perhaps the refreshing honesty of the handwriting would be lost if this kind of presentation was the norm. in such a case, i would wager that the typographic design would stand out as fresh and precisely clear.