Handwritten type is one of those awesome design elements that I find myself always wanting to find a way to implement into a project. It’s really a powerful tool, because it can eliminate the need for photography and illustration all together. I’ve been thinking about this more often because I just saw the movie “Where the Wild Things Are”. Aside from the fact that Spike Jonze did an incredible job translating this beloved children’s book, his use of handwritten type was so perfectly executed, and by that I mean the imperfections and quirks in the handwriting are absolutely appropriate.

It may seem a trivial aspect of a movie, simply because type usually only appears at the beginning and ending credits, but it really plays a significant roll in introducing the mood and setting (I’m sure Saul Bass would agree). And the handwritten type in “Wild Things” further demonstrates this point. The vertical, all caps writing signifies a child explaining something fantastic, and I knew from the title sequence this movie was going to be something special.

Other examples of some incredible handwritten type, are works by Marian Bantjes whose done art ranging from magazine covers to Saks Fifth Avenue campaigns, and Si Scott with work ranging from tattoo design to Nike ad campaigns. Both typographers manage to leave you in disbelief, as all of their work looks too perfect and extraordinary to be hand-crafted.

On the subject of handwritten type, I read an interesting blog this morning about the correlation between a font, and the typographer of that font's actual handwriting. Is there a connection? Judge for yourself… I think maybe I can make out some Meta in Erik Spiekermann's handwriting?