Hand Lettering Art Design

Many of us rue the lost art of letter writing; in fact, simple hand writing itself is a largely uncommon practice today in this quick paced world of electronic communication where emailing, texting and tweeting have become the order of the day. Those were the days when letters were painstakingly written to communicate good as well as unpleasant news, but letter writing itself had become an art, a treasure trove of information and communication that could be preserved for generations.

Nothing can beat the excitement of discovering an old letter; perhaps a frayed, yellowed, hand written document that painstakingly conveys feeling and emotions through the power of the written word. Just as historians have divided civilization and time between BC and AD, the vast cultural shift may soon demand that eras describe 'when people hand wrote letters' and 'when they forgot the art of writing'.

The impact of hand written letters

Hand writing as a habit and an art has defined and tracked the progress of mankind and the civilized world for over 500 years. Letters written by famous personalities to family and friends, of daily happenings and special events, can at most times be sorted or arranged in chronological fashion, telling or creating a heart-warming story or anecdote that can be shared over generations. Letters have fulfilled the role of literary devices right from the time of Shakespeare where epistolary novels depicted events and occasions through the series of letters written by characters depicted in the novels.

Compelling evidence of an individual's lifestyle, his habits and mannerisms and many others can be deduced from written letters. The style of handwriting is unique to every individual as the fingerprint is, and is the subject of great research and study of people characteristics.

A fast disappearing trait

Today, that letter writing ability is confined to email replies and forwards, tailed one on the other leading to a trail of communication, mostly unpleasant. We have greeting cards, printed and electronic, for every occasion possible; electronic communication like email, SMS, faxes, video chat etc. negate the need of the written letter.

A year or two ago, a media house thought up the great idea of hand written letters, an initiative to revive the letter writing habit. A 'from a father to a daughter' initiative found many ordinary folks and celebrities pick up the pen and 'pen' down a message from the heart to 'daddy's little girl'. The emotional bonding it replenished and recreated was a highlight.

It can be safely assumed that the current generation has grown up without knowing the intricate art of letter writing or the impressive communication it creates between sender and receiver, given as they are to the 'quick send and receive' modes of SMS, emails and tweets. While there is no denying that electronic communication is interactive and allows geographical distances to be electronically diminished, the anticipation of a two-way communication that the power of the written letter can provide is beyond compare.