Are the terms calligraphy, lettering, and type all synonyms for the same thing?
The simple answer is no. There is a distinction. And it’s critical to understand if you dabble in any of them!
Typography
Type designers must cater to the lowest common denominator. They must examine an infinite number of alternative letter combinations and design each letter properly to guarantee that, regardless of the layout, the individual alphabet letters blend together seamlessly when strung together to form words or phrases. Consider how the words you’re reading right now have the same letter formations yet appear to flow seamlessly together. That is the result of a type designer’s hard labor. Fonts were not always digital files saved in computer folders; each letter used to be distinct pieces of metal stored in print shop drawers and constructed by hand as needed!
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of lettering, but it’s not. Calligraphy, according to typography and design expert Gerrit Noordzij, is writing—a single pass of the pen/tool to write as a kind of art; lettering is drawing with many strokes; and typography is writing using prefabricated, pre-designed letters. This is, in essence, what distinguishes the three from one another.
Many people think of calligraphy as “decorative handwriting or handwritten lettering,” according to the Oxford Dictionary. I prefer to think of calligraphy as a discipline, similar to playing an instrument, in which the practitioner must constantly practice and increase the talent.
Even though calligraphy, lettering, and typography all apply the same concepts for determining what is “excellent” in terms of spacing, consistency, weight, and contrast, they are all independent crafts. I perform calligraphy and lettering in my work, but I also employ type as a designer, using pre-designed letters (i.e. typefaces) to produce a finished artwork. I formally studied typeface design (the field that leads to the development of prefabricated letters known as fonts and typefaces), but these days I choose to focus on becoming a student of calligraphy and creating lettering by hand.
Lettering
I prefer to think of letters as having two personalities. On the one hand, it’s a representation of letters that join together to form a pattern that is only designed for one configuration. When a designer lettering, he or she is making art in which the emphasis is on the complete, unique composition rather than guaranteeing that the individual elements might function if thrown together in a different way. If the individual alphabet characters were transposed in most lettering jobs, it would appear like amateur hour!
On the other side, it is a series of letters that we recognize as words or sentences. A lot of what is referred to as calligraphy these times is actually just lettering. Remember, according to Gerrit Noordzij, lettering is composed of drawn letters made with many strokes.
