COLLECTION NAME:
Graduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
Cursive Handwriting: Elementary Curriculum and Graphic Design
Creator:
Leiser, Mary
Subject:
Thesis (M.F.A.) -- Graphic Design
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Graphic Design
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
Cursive handwriting instruction has been a part of American education for over one
hundred years. That history and all that it represents is threatened by the new Common Core
standards accepted by 43 states. Studies by leading psychologists have produced evidence that
letterforms are difficult to recognize without prior practice through writing, and keyboarding is a
poor substitute for the physical act of putting pencil to paper when it comes to learning
letterforms. By eliminating cursive handwriting instruction from U.S. elementary education, the
American public, over time, will lose the ability to read the beautiful script handwriting of
America’s forefathers and typefaces based on such writing.
Handwritten type and script typefaces are used in graphic design to express personality,
individuality, and emotion as well as historical qualities. For companies like Coca-Cola or
Johnson & Johnson, their originally handwritten logos are part of their personality as well as
their history. Connections to the past enable script typefaces to convey more than the average
sans-serif typeface; they carry values drawn from history and societal importance. Without the
common ground established through the cursive handwriting education, generations to come may
lose the ability to read these typefaces, and graphic designers will lose a valuable tool of
expression. The field of graphic design may be facing its last revival of handwritten and script
typefaces.
hundred years. That history and all that it represents is threatened by the new Common Core
standards accepted by 43 states. Studies by leading psychologists have produced evidence that
letterforms are difficult to recognize without prior practice through writing, and keyboarding is a
poor substitute for the physical act of putting pencil to paper when it comes to learning
letterforms. By eliminating cursive handwriting instruction from U.S. elementary education, the
American public, over time, will lose the ability to read the beautiful script handwriting of
America’s forefathers and typefaces based on such writing.
Handwritten type and script typefaces are used in graphic design to express personality,
individuality, and emotion as well as historical qualities. For companies like Coca-Cola or
Johnson & Johnson, their originally handwritten logos are part of their personality as well as
their history. Connections to the past enable script typefaces to convey more than the average
sans-serif typeface; they carry values drawn from history and societal importance. Without the
common ground established through the cursive handwriting education, generations to come may
lose the ability to read these typefaces, and graphic designers will lose a valuable tool of
expression. The field of graphic design may be facing its last revival of handwritten and script
typefaces.
Abstract:
Keywords: Cursive, Common Core, Script Typefaces, Handwriting
Publisher:
eLearning / Savannah, Ga. : Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2015-03
Format:
PDF (47 pages) ; illustrations (chiefly color)