Project Proposal

Research question

Handwriting and the digital revolution.

– The lack of handwriting

Almost all of our visual communication is delivered using the products of the digitalized world: SMSes, emails, web pages, facebook, twitter; the list of purposes is endless. The digitalization has made it easy to reach out to the mass world, and there are a lot of advantages. But new inventions make the old ones ‘out of date’; we use them less, which in this subject is our handwriting. Because of the new era, many people think that handwriting is about to become a lost art form.

People’s handwriting, their ‘signature’, is a really interesting subject to me. Handwriting is unique, can be used to prove people’s identity, and many believes that handwriting is an important part of whom we are. Others think that we have no use of handwriting anymore, and that it is a burden, rather than something useful.

Just by studying the generation above us, you can see a huge difference in people’s handwriting, and I want to explore the subject and see if there is important to make handwriting more popular again. Teachers and people who have done research on this subject say that the development is problematic, because it is so important to be able to communicate using our handwriting.

In this assignment, I want to examine the subject of handwriting. Can I, as a graphic designer, put focus on handwriting, and change people’s mind about what handwriting means to us? What makes the subject so important to some; while other believe that it is useless? Is it really a part of our identity, a part of who we are? Will the lack of handwriting affect the fonts that would be produced in the future? When should we use handwriting, and when is it best to use the computer?

Why is it such a remarkable lack of people’s handwriting? How has it developed and changed during the years from beautiful elegance - to my horrible letters? Can we change the trend?

Context

Some of the key individuals related to my study will be people who daily work with the subject or who has done research of handwriting, like scientists, calligraphers, teachers as well as ordinary people who daily uses/or don’t use their handwriting. The key idea that is essential for my studies is the lack of the quality (and use) of handwriting.

Methodology

I want to read studies and researches done about peoples writing habits. I know that there have been many studies on how handwriting is impacting children’s learning methods and creativity, so I want to read those to get a better understanding on how it impacts us. I also want to compare different handwritings from different generations and centuries. It will be a great source to contact people who work with handwriting to get their opinions. Who is for? Who is against?

I want to put focus on handwriting, create debate, and to achieve this; I think that it would be great to hang up huge blank posters (on tube stations, bus stops, places where people is passing by), asking if people can write their name, a sentence or something using their handwriting. I also think it would be great to interview different people in different ages about their relation to handwriting, and ask them to write something on a note/poster so I can compare their handwriting. How is the difference between their ages/generation? How is the relation between how perfect handwriting they have according to their relation to what they think about handwriting?

Since this is a very subjective theme, I think it is important to talk to people, and maybe create a website where people can write their opinions, maybe upload their handwritings. By googeling the subject, I have found that this is a wide and very engaging theme among forum users and bloggers.

Resources

I want to contact people who work with handwriting, for example calligrapher and book designer Christopher Haanes (Norway), who means that we are about to forget how to write by hand. I also want to contact people who believe that there is no point of learning handwriting, people who believe that handwriting is out of date. I want to use libraries and Internet to find related texts about the subject of handwriting.