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Many people mistake calligraphy for lettering and vice versa. The reason for the confusion is that both of them are associated with the art of writing. It also got worse with the rise of social media and the spread of visual content.
In this article I’ll show you all the differences based on principles and techniques of these disciplines.
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Calligraphy vs Lettering
Calligraphy means literally “beautiful writing”, so it’s the art of writing letters in a beautiful way. It is a fluid, elegant and kind of ornamental art and its main focus is the form and harmony of letters. The most famous calligraphies are gothic script, italic and copperplate. The basic tools are usually pens, nibs and brushes. It’s preferred for projects like formal invitations, artworks and decorated documents.
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Lettering (or hand lettering) is the art of drawing letters in a creative way that is not necessarily related to a calligraphy ductus. It is a graphic representation of letters that easily allows customization and flexibility in terms of style and influence. Some examples are vintage lettering, modern script and typographic compositions. Lettering tools include markers, pencils, brushes, and graphic software. It finds use especially in the creation of logos, posters and T-shirt designs.
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Choosing one or both for a project
Now that you know the differences, let’s see how you can employ and integrate them in your projects.
You can use calligraphy for projects where elegance and fluidity are crucial; for example, invitations, special documents like diplomas or paintings with motivational sentences. Meanwhile, lettering fits most custom projects, where design must be captivating, customized and easily readable, like branding, logo design and graphic creations.
Anyways, both of them can be used in the same artwork. One of the most common ways is writing calligraphy and decorating it with modern lettering shadows, lining or texture. You can also integrate them separately, for example, an artwork alternating lettering and calligraphy words.
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Conclusion
So always remember that calligraphy and lettering are two different disciplines. The main differences are about tools, goals and techniques. Both are unique and important arts; now it’s up to you to decide if using them together or separately.
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