Typography 4--> Experimental Type Trends

Hand-Generated Typography

The trend in hand-generated type is an attempt to break out of the traditional methods of typography, which have become highly digitized in the last 30 years. Ever since the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984, people have become obsessed with the digital age and forgotten the roots of their craft. The hand-generated trend has begun as a way to bring back the fine arts in graphic design.

Hand drawn typography arguably began in Pre-historic times and has been evolving throughout the centuries. These characters have an aesthetic quality that can never be properly represented in computer fonts. It is a form of expression that becomes the personal mark of the artist or designer who creates it. No one else is able to produce that letter in the same way. In this aspect, hand drawn typography is similar to handwriting. No single person will be able to write the same as another.

In the past few years there has been great effort to expose the illustrative type trend. In the April 2008 issue of Print Magazine, they focused on one designer, Michael Perry, who has created an entire book dedicated to hand-drawn type. We find this method appearing everywhere from posters to product design and brand identities, including that of Urban Outfitters and others.