Calligraphy: A Book of Contemporary Inspiration

An invaluable sourcebook for both enthusiastic beginners and experienced calligraphers who wish to let their imaginations run free

The creative design potential of calligraphy is almost limitless: it can be a very personal pathway to explore an enormous array of sophisticated visual concepts. In this striking and original book, renowned calligrapher Denise Lach transforms images from nature into a rich source of inspiration for calligraphic compositions.

This is not a technical how-to guide, but an incitement to reinterpret our surroundings in infinitely varied lettering. Lach invites us to look closely at details and textures, expanding our powers of observation and finding ideas in the world around us. Using a range of writing tools and techniques, she takes a playful approach to written script, encouraging readers to look beyond legibility and use letterforms as building blocks to create beautiful calligraphic images.

259 illustrations, 100 in color

Denise Lach has been involved with calligraphy and conceptual writing since early 1985. She teaches lettering design and screenprinting at the Basel School of Design, and leads calligraphy courses and workshops in Switzerland and abroad. She contributed to André Gürtler's book Experiments with Letterform and Calligraphy (1997), and has produced two books of her own, Libres & égaux (2001) and Préfaces & préambules (2006).