AbstractsEducation Research & Administration

Cursive Handwriting: Elementary Curriculum and Graphic Design

by Mary Leiser




Institution: Savannah College of Art and Design
Department: Graphic Design
Degree: M.F.A.
Year: 2015
Keywords: Thesis (M.F.A.)  – Graphic Design; Savannah College of Art and Design  – Department of Graphic Design
Record ID: 2058348
Full text PDF: http://ecollections.scad.edu/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1002737


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. Keywords: Cursive, Common Core, Script Typefaces, Handwriting