Gottfried Pott – A Look into the World of Calligraphy
The development off lettering during the last 15 years has also been accompanied by a growing interest in writing on the part of the industry. There is an abundance of tools, papers, colors, and other materials on the market today that would have been hardly conceivable earlier on. Unfortunately, currently available fountain pens still leave a lot to be desired in terms off elasticity. A few years ago a person with a pen in hand was greeted with a funny little smile. Today many typeface houses like to incorporate a calligraphic feel into their software fonts. The liberation from the typeface block opens up undreamt of possibilities but has also jeopardized the art of lettering. It is certainly true that interest in lettering has grown but the everpresent access to electronic media has often hindered access to the actual lettering form. A feeling for lettering comes from writing. I believe, along with many of my colleagues. that a concentrated study of working with the pen is nearly indispensable and absolutely necessary in order to acquire a certain instinct and sensitivity for form. The repertoire of our history of writing is an eternal source of inspiration. Yet copying is not necessarily the goal in this instance, as necessary as it might be. In fact, it is the basic kind of exercise in order to tap one’s own source of inspiration. The spectrum of activity extends from the freely executed calligraphic work of art to applied art in type design, in advertising, in book design, and so forth. I see the computer as an extension of the working palette. Traditional writing and modern computer technology complement one another.