Architect

penn

I presume by ‘font’ you mean some kind of script or handwriting font, i.e. something based on a handwriting model that you could, in turn, adapt as a model for your own writing. Caflisch Script Pro might be a good candidate: it is a model that is easy both to write and to read, you can be quite free in how many joins you make or do not make between letters, and it does not depend on the use of a particular writing implement.

I recommend the Palmer Method for handwriting! No font can match it.

Olicana
Nothing
Satisfaction

Thanks everyone. Lots to look into. More thoughts welcome of course.

I always liked the style used by draftsmen before autocad. It isn't “cool,”I guess, but it is highly functional.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...from the Fontry

I use Rosemary Sassoon's book to retrain my handwriting:
http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Better-Handwriting-Third/dp/0071636382/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261164361&sr=1-1

Every few years I alter it slightly.

I can't speak for Justin, but maybe years down the line, you may find some of your own handwritten notes that you cannot date otherwise. But you go, 'Aha, that was from my angled-transition-on-the-curved-descenders phase!' and are able to figure out when it was from. :)

It seems you want a distinctive, but very legible handwriting, yet not affected-looking.

This may or may not help you:

Many people have noticed my handwriting is distinctive. I'm asked to address special envelopes and such.

My handwriting started to become distinctive after I took art school classes in Lettering 101. We first learned a basic upright style using a broad-nibbed pen.

I stopped writing in the slanted, cursive style I was taught in 3rd grade (Palmer?). To me, that seems to result in sloppiness, with the letters all too often running together and resembling each other (m-n-w-i-e).

I started writing habitually in an upright, unconnected style, with each letter formed separately, with a 2-story "a," and large capitals. When written hurriedly, the letterforms are more dramatic.

It resembles Genial

or Coral

> I retrain my handwriting partly when things start to go wrong with it

I'm curious: do you restrain, or do you patch?

hhp

Because Christian Robertson is too humble, I'll recommend it: Dear Sarah. Christian has great handwriting.

I'd also recommend Caflisch Script. I'll never forget when I saw an actual letter from Mr. Caflisch while working at HTF. I recognized the font immediately, then realized it was hand lettered.

And there's the Letterror guys, Erik and Just: FF Hands.

Your handwriting is a reflection of you; it sounds trite, but: it's unique, now and forever. Mimicking somebody else's is like those guys on Hollywood boulevard that dress like Marilyn Monroe. Or Yoda.

I would simply try to "render" what's inside you better. Sure, we're all affected by everything, including most notably seeing other people's handwriting, but consciously trying to be like Max or something personally makes me queasy.

hhp

> Your handwriting is a reflection of you

True, however, there's nothing wrong with mimicking or copying; if your aim is to learn how they do it. Later on, when you're competent -- apply what you learned to your own handwriting, design etc etc

Hrant: Your handwriting is a reflection of you; it sounds trite...

Yes, it does.

I fully acknowledge that there are people whose handwriting is in some real and obvious sense a reflection of them -- and if it isn't obvious, it isn't much of a reflection! But I reject the notion that this is true of all people and all handwriting. It depends very much on what one's individual relationship is to one's writing, and how one approaches it.

...our deeper selves appear...

What appears when I write quickly is the result of my poor pen grip and my subsequent tendency to write with my fingers instead of my arm. This has nowt to do with my ‘deeper self’ and everything to do with poor schooling. By schooling I do not mean, by the way, teaching of a particular style of writing, but instruction and practice in effective manipulation of the tool.

Couldn't handwriting be compared to your speaking voice? That's a "reflection of you" without question, yet it if you learned bad habits growing up, your speaking voice doesn't do you justice.

For instance, if you talk so fast, so sloppily, and with such a thick regional accent, that many people have trouble understanding; you don't make a good impression at a job interview; not suited to jobs dealing with the public, etc.

This could be dramatically improved by slowing down, paying attention, and practicing. You might use a good speaker as a role model, but it's still your own voice; you don't have to be an impersonator.

Practice, totally.
But when you try to sound like a famous actor, what do people think?

hhp

@hrant: I don't sound like "a famous actor." I'm not doing impressions. A good voice and good writing both take lots of practice.

@Tomi
You experience is exactly what I wrote above: changing to upright unconnecting glyphs allowed me find my own style. I always disliked slanting my writing; was taught you need to tilt the paper sideways to accomplish this. WTF? And it's harder to read, anyway.

By the way, when I saw your new gazillion-glyph release Suomi Script on MyFonts, my jaw dropped. Oh, that is luscious. I can't afford it at the moment, but maybe someday.