Traces of Life Embedded in Handwriting: Sandoll Chilseong Shipyard
Humming a Tune, Enjoying a Trip to Sokcho
In the spring of 2018, I encountered a business owner with a unique request: to create a font from his father's handwriting. This son, having transformed his retired father's shipyard into a café, believed that the true identity of the shipyard lay not in the boats but in his father's script. The designers at Sandoll immersed themselves in the life stories and spaces of Chilseong Shipyard, eagerly making their way to Sokcho to experience the site firsthand.
The Melodic Temptation of Writing
Overlooking the sea stood the Chilseong Shipyard building. Next to it, a small museum showcased the father's handwritten notes, revealing a playful engagement with writing in their everyday routines. This piqued my curiosity about what discoveries lay ahead. A sense of anticipation filled the air.
The Melodic Temptation of Writing
Overlooking the sea stood the Chilseong Shipyard building. Next to it, a small museum showcased the father's handwritten notes, revealing a playful engagement with writing in their everyday routines. This piqued my curiosity about what discoveries lay ahead. A sense of anticipation filled the air.
Upon meeting the father at the shipyard's edge, under our client's guidance, he shared his memories with a mix of reluctance and nostalgia. The final step in ship construction involved naming the vessel, a ritual akin to registering a birth, filled with hopes for the ship's safe and prosperous journey. Notably, individuals even requested the father's handwriting for ships built elsewhere, seeking his signature for their vessels.
Enchanted by the Story of Construction
I found myself captivated by the father's brushwork, a compelling blend of painting and writing that left a lasting impression.
Understanding the father's handwriting required familiarity with the specific techniques of applying paint with a flat brush. Before our visit to Sokcho, descriptions and photographs had made it difficult to discern whether the script was painted or drawn. This distinction was crucial: writing would be executed in a continuous flow, while drawing might involve careful layering and refining. Seeing this process in person was essential to determine whether he would write or draw. The father's method, a mix of both, defied our expectations, presenting a novel approach for designers accustomed only to calligraph
Surprising Discovery, Sokcho Style
After leaving the shipyard, a stroll past a local supermarket led to an unexpected discovery: handwriting that mirrored the father's style. He claimed to have never formally learned to write, yet the brush lettering on the supermarket sign, especially the character 'ㅍ' and the accompanying comma, suggested a shared stylistic heritage. This observation led me to wonder about the origin of this distinctive script, which seemed to naturally emanate from the community, blending with the sounds and rhythms of the seaside town.
Reflecting on the Journey Home
The trip confirmed the value of experiencing the shipyard in person. Initially, I feared the local essence might be lost; however, the venture revealed that what I considered mere handwriting actually encapsulated significant traces of life. The challenge lay in preserving this authenticity within the constraints of font design, balancing raw expressiveness with functional legibility.
When at a Loss, Just Start Something!
In consultation with the client, we decided his father would recreate approximately five hundred characters in a standardized format. This approach gradually unraveled the project's complexities, capturing the essence on both wooden boards and paper.
Each Person Writes Differently
The manuscript contained multiple instances of certain characters, suggesting the father's critical eye towards his own work. The design team faced the challenge of selecting the most harmonious characters, analyzing the script to understand the intrinsic relationships between consonants and vowels.
New Handwriting Creation Process
The font development process involved distilling the essence of the handwriting into a 'skeleton,' then adding 'flesh' to this framework. This method aimed to preserve the core characteristics of the script, ensuring the font's integrity across various applications.
낱말을 이뤘을 때의 모양, 글줄을 이뤘을 때의 모양을 생각하며 계속 고쳐간다. 글자가 보이면 안 되고 칠성조선체가 보여야 하기 때문이다. ‘씬'의 'ㄴ’받침은 흘림체로 되어 있다. 얼마나 얇게 처리할 것인가. 너무 얇으면 작게 썼을 때 보이지 않는다. 차라리 깔끔하게 안 보이면 참 좋겠으나 지저분하게 잔상이 남는 것은 싫었다. 때로는 싫어하는 게 중요하다. 그만큼 집요할 수 있기 때문이다.
Presentation through Exhibition
The culmination of our efforts was showcased in the <Chilseong Shipyard - Font Presentation> exhibition on Hangul Day 2019 at the Factory2 Seoul gallery. The display of the original manuscript alongside the developed font sparked a mix of pride and introspection, highlighting the delicate balance between artistic fidelity and creative interpretation.
The Life of the Font Independent of the Original Manuscript
The font's evolution over time, shaped by its use in varied contexts, promises to enrich the legacy of the Sandoll Chilseong Shipyard. This dynamic process captures the beauty of a script that continues to adapt and resonate with users, reflecting the ongoing story of a community and its cultural heritage.
Traces of Life Embedded in Handwriting: Sandoll Chilseong Shipyard
Humming a Tune, Enjoying a Trip to Sokcho
In the spring of 2018, I encountered a business owner with a unique request: to create a font from his father's handwriting. This son, having transformed his retired father's shipyard into a café, believed that the true identity of the shipyard lay not in the boats but in his father's script. The designers at Sandoll immersed themselves in the life stories and spaces of Chilseong Shipyard, eagerly making their way to Sokcho to experience the site firsthand.
The Melodic Temptation of Writing
Overlooking the sea stood the Chilseong Shipyard building. Next to it, a small museum showcased the father's handwritten notes, revealing a playful engagement with writing in their everyday routines. This piqued my curiosity about what discoveries lay ahead. A sense of anticipation filled the air.
The Melodic Temptation of Writing
Overlooking the sea stood the Chilseong Shipyard building. Next to it, a small museum showcased the father's handwritten notes, revealing a playful engagement with writing in their everyday routines. This piqued my curiosity about what discoveries lay ahead. A sense of anticipation filled the air.
Upon meeting the father at the shipyard's edge, under our client's guidance, he shared his memories with a mix of reluctance and nostalgia. The final step in ship construction involved naming the vessel, a ritual akin to registering a birth, filled with hopes for the ship's safe and prosperous journey. Notably, individuals even requested the father's handwriting for ships built elsewhere, seeking his signature for their vessels.
Enchanted by the Story of Construction
I found myself captivated by the father's brushwork, a compelling blend of painting and writing that left a lasting impression.
Understanding the father's handwriting required familiarity with the specific techniques of applying paint with a flat brush. Before our visit to Sokcho, descriptions and photographs had made it difficult to discern whether the script was painted or drawn. This distinction was crucial: writing would be executed in a continuous flow, while drawing might involve careful layering and refining. Seeing this process in person was essential to determine whether he would write or draw. The father's method, a mix of both, defied our expectations, presenting a novel approach for designers accustomed only to calligraph
Surprising Discovery, Sokcho Style
After leaving the shipyard, a stroll past a local supermarket led to an unexpected discovery: handwriting that mirrored the father's style. He claimed to have never formally learned to write, yet the brush lettering on the supermarket sign, especially the character 'ㅍ' and the accompanying comma, suggested a shared stylistic heritage. This observation led me to wonder about the origin of this distinctive script, which seemed to naturally emanate from the community, blending with the sounds and rhythms of the seaside town.
Reflecting on the Journey Home
The trip confirmed the value of experiencing the shipyard in person. Initially, I feared the local essence might be lost; however, the venture revealed that what I considered mere handwriting actually encapsulated significant traces of life. The challenge lay in preserving this authenticity within the constraints of font design, balancing raw expressiveness with functional legibility.
When at a Loss, Just Start Something!
In consultation with the client, we decided his father would recreate approximately five hundred characters in a standardized format. This approach gradually unraveled the project's complexities, capturing the essence on both wooden boards and paper.
Each Person Writes Differently
The manuscript contained multiple instances of certain characters, suggesting the father's critical eye towards his own work. The design team faced the challenge of selecting the most harmonious characters, analyzing the script to understand the intrinsic relationships between consonants and vowels.
New Handwriting Creation Process
The font development process involved distilling the essence of the handwriting into a 'skeleton,' then adding 'flesh' to this framework. This method aimed to preserve the core characteristics of the script, ensuring the font's integrity across various applications.
낱말을 이뤘을 때의 모양, 글줄을 이뤘을 때의 모양을 생각하며 계속 고쳐간다. 글자가 보이면 안 되고 칠성조선체가 보여야 하기 때문이다. ‘씬'의 'ㄴ’받침은 흘림체로 되어 있다. 얼마나 얇게 처리할 것인가. 너무 얇으면 작게 썼을 때 보이지 않는다. 차라리 깔끔하게 안 보이면 참 좋겠으나 지저분하게 잔상이 남는 것은 싫었다. 때로는 싫어하는 게 중요하다. 그만큼 집요할 수 있기 때문이다.
Presentation through Exhibition
The culmination of our efforts was showcased in the <Chilseong Shipyard - Font Presentation> exhibition on Hangul Day 2019 at the Factory2 Seoul gallery. The display of the original manuscript alongside the developed font sparked a mix of pride and introspection, highlighting the delicate balance between artistic fidelity and creative interpretation.
The Life of the Font Independent of the Original Manuscript
The font's evolution over time, shaped by its use in varied contexts, promises to enrich the legacy of the Sandoll Chilseong Shipyard. This dynamic process captures the beauty of a script that continues to adapt and resonate with users, reflecting the ongoing story of a community and its cultural heritage.