Calligraphy styles are probably the best part of the job, and usually what inspire people to seek out a calligrapher. I think one of the most fun reasons to work with me is that I do offer quite a few styles of calligraphy, and I feel like there is a little something for everyone! Some seem more like your parent’s version of calligraphy, some seem more like bold, graphic modern art done by brushstroke. But they are all pretty special. And all developed by my own hand!
Personally, I love getting to pick the style of calligraphy to use for a project. I love getting to pick which one will work alongside each specific event and client/couple’s personality! But I think some clients really get a kick out of getting to pick a style for themselves. Which is also a lot of fun!
When I first started my business I basically knew two things: that I would call it ‘Order She Wrote” and that I would make lots of styles and eventually name them after my girlfriends and important women in my life. I think that idea came to me pretty quickly because as I started to learn calligraphy and practice writing, the styles started to actually remind me of my friends. Not just because of their personalities, but every now and then I was thinking, “Oh, Emma will love this one. This feels like the style she would pick.'“ Once I began to develop more unique styles, I branched into characters in literature and movies. (I couldn’t resist.)
I thought it would be fun to get the scoop on some of my styles and to get to know their namesake! Next up: Emma.
The Emma style is named after my little sister. Less whimsical than Luna (the real Emma is probably an even bigger Harry Potter fanatic than I am) but still upright and very cute. I love this style almost as much as my sister. Just kidding. Emma is pretty great.
I was inspired to make this style when I was tired of trying to emulate a classic Copperplate script when I was first starting out in my business.
When I first started out, a had a few clients who were not quite sure what style they were looking for, and I didn’t have the confidence to make that big of a choice on their behalf. So I would suggest we go with a more modern style or a more traditional one. I think that stark of a difference was a little intimidating, so they went with what they knew: traditional.
When people think of “traditional calligraphy” they are often thinking of Copperplate script or Spencerian. (Or they are thinking of the really old stuff like Shakespeare or those big capital letters often found at the beginning of fairytales. I know that’s what I used to think of, anyway!)
I’m not classically trained in Copperplate or Spencerian, so those styles don’t come naturally to me. And, to be quite honest, I don’t like to do them! It’s not what my aesthetic is, and it’s not a zone I feel confident sitting in. I do think I’ll take a class one day to develop those skills!
But back to Emma, this style came from me turning what I thought of as a traditional style, on its head. It then becomes a little whimsical and folksy, warm and friendly, with nods to some of the old ways to make capital letters, and is very legible to traditionalists. But when you see her written out, she doesn’t really feel like that old style at all, but something new and old at the same time. I love this style.
As with all of my styles, Emma is constantly changing! Not in a big way of course— when that happens, I name it a whole new style— but in tiny ways, perhaps not even noticeable to anyone else. As I have more and more experience and practice, my writing changes. So even as I update the photos on my styles page as often as I can, they will still be out of date by the time you see them! But I think that is what is so cool about it. It’s like live theatre in that way: never the same performance twice.
If anyone reading this is looking to work together, and you feel overwhelmed by picking a style, don’t worry! When a client comes to me with no particular choice in which style they want to use, I always ask to see their invitations or inspiration photos and go with a style that reflects that. Even if they haven’t started thinking about the design of their invitations, I can use something like their Save the Dates and go from there!
