Whereas slick computer-generated graphics often impart a sense of progress or technology, hand-drawn graphics are a return to the creator's immediacy. Increasingly, advertising campaigns, record covers and branding are adopting manually created typography. This is the first publication to offer a complete overview of handwritten typographics, drawing on an extensive array of examples from around the world.

An introduction by design historian Steven Heller places the contemporary work in a broader context of design. At the heart of the book are hundreds of examples, presented in creative themes: ‘Scrawl', letterforms that are raw, splotchy and untidy; ‘Scratch’, scraped, cut and gouged fonts; 'Script', type that is sinuous, curlicued and ornate; ‘Stitch’, letters that have been sewn, sutured and embroidered; ‘Simulate’, typefaces that have been redrawn or copied; ‘Shadow’, dimensional, voluminous and monumental letterforms; ‘Suggestive’, forms that suggest the metaphorical, surreal and symbolic; and ‘Sarcastic’, the ironical, comical and satirical in lettering.

In an age of characterless digital typography, Handwritten returns to the values of craft. This outstanding collection of unusual, meticulously wrought and occasionally breathtaking pieces is a must for any student or practitioner of design.