Calligraphy is the art of writing, which we also call, for short "beauty". The name is derived from Greek and refers to the words κάλλος kallos (beauty) and γραφή graphẽ (It is an ancient, fascinating craft skill that improves concentration and enhances the ability to visualise, while also presenting a formidable technical challenge. To appreciate the shape of letters as we use them today, we need to understand the origins and evolution of writing, which is woven from Sumerian pictograms, Greek hieroglyphs, Chinese characters and even the earliest alphabets. The history of pictorial symbols ˗ pictograms and cave paintings ˗ dates back 20,000 years to the Early Stone Age. The most famous finds are to be found in the Lascaux underground cave complex in France and in the Altamira cave in Spain.
S Calligraphers it's like with poets. If poets are craftsmen who forge beautiful verses out of verbal material, providing a pleasant musical accompaniment, calligraphers breathe structure into those very verses. And so the verses, created by hand, are suddenly enriched with an almost fairy-tale beauty.
Calligraphic fonts
The art and craft of calligraphy seems to have flourished until the invention of the printing press, which suddenly changed the way the world communicates. Despite major changes in its status, calligraphy has survived to this day.
If it was once prescribed for all literary works, official documents and church services, and its gracefulness can now only be admired in museums, we encounter elements of it at every turn. It can be a carefully written envelope wedding invitation or a menu written in chalk in a bistro.
Today's calligraphy is still beautiful and elegant enough to sit on the table of a royal dinner party, but in more relaxed versions it can also adorn a picnic in the home garden.
Karolinska minuscule
In the eighth century, in order to unify writing in Western Europe, Charlemagne issued a decree requiring Carolingian to be used for all existing literary works, legal documents and ecclesiastical services.
It was the first widely used and recognised minuscule. It is slightly round and the font is a little wider. The words have energy and qualities italics.
For a better rhythm the product can be supplemented with Roman Capital and is also easy to read.
Gothic
In the tenth century, the increased demand for manuscripts required a change, especially in the speed of writing, and the Caroline minuscule had to change.
The demand for more text in less space has led to letters becoming angular and compressed. The wide angular typeface became Valued for its visual appeal. Gothic script is very attractive in all its versions, is of a decorative nature with a strong impression.
Uniquely aligned with the delicate and legible Italiko where the element of illegibility is dissolved.
Copperplate
It was developed in the 16th century from Italica. It is a dynamic cursive and is the closest to a modern manuscript.
It takes its name from bakrorezuwhich was based on the writing used by engravers who wrote or engraved with a chisel (burin) on copper plates.
The sharp point of the chisel created very fine lines. The flexible pointed nib used for this font imitates the strokes of the chisel. When pressed, it produces a broader downward stroke which contrasts with the thin, soft upward strokes. Coopperplate was widely recognised official handwriting. It was taught in primary schools for career purposes, as handwriting played an important role in many companies.
Today it is romantic, suitable for wedding vows, letters, love poems and elegantly spelled names adorning table settings.
Modern calligraphy
Modern calligraphy is a completely new style, although it is based on a script Copperplate from the 16th century.
It brings flexibility, uniqueness, attractiveness and accessibility. It allows a relaxed approach and is closer to everyday handwriting. It allows us to break all the rules of standard calligraphy. It can be used to enliven envelopes, wedding invitations and mirrors, even walls. Its simplicity is ingenious and so chicthat many brides are happy to use it.
Although modern calligraphy is perceived as writing similar to lively, almost scattered handwriting, we can turn any handwriting into a more modern style, modernise it, bring it closer to current trends and call it modern calligraphy.
Unciala
The script developed around the fourth century or even a little earlier. It is majuscules, which means that it is composed entirely of capital letters or capitals.
The early versions could be written quickly, but the later versions, written from the seventh to the ninth century, became more complex and required twists and manipulation of the stylus, which slowed the writing down a bit and required a bit more concentration.
This font is somewhat flat-round and beautifully pressed, so it can be nicely complemented with a versal or ornate initial to develop the texture of the calligraphic work. Suitable for longer texts where no detailed reading of the text is required and the work is mainly of a decorative naturebut can also be used on receipts, certificates and thank-you notes to print the recipient's name and achieve a beautiful contrast even on pre-printed documents.
