Calligraphy isn’t just for weddings anymore. These days, people are choosing calligraphy for holiday greetings, birth announcements, dinner menus, party invitations and . . . golf balls?
That last item was probably one of calligrapher Sandra Gulley’s stranger requests. She had to use a brush instead of a pen to write on the ball. “It wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t want to do it again,” says Gulley, owner of Abbey Studio and the Art of Calligraphy, two River North firms.
More consumers are realizing that calligraphy lends a personal–and beautiful–touch to items that otherwise would be mundane. But it’s not just individuals who are using it; corporations are getting into the act, too.
“I’ll get a hotel client who’s having a dinner party for 200 with red roses and gold service plates,” says Chicago calligrapher Rosemary Hall. “I’ll do 200 red and gold menus.”
Hall has gotten so busy that she now has a computerized font that enables her to crank out envelopes by the thousands. A computer prints her personal calligraphy on an envelope, and someone not familiar with calligraphy wouldn’t even be able to tell it’s not done by hand, Hall insists.
“It has imperfections. It’s kind of quirky,” Hall says.
Computerized calligraphy also saves money. Hall charges $1.75 for a computer-printed envelope. The same thing done by hand will set you back $3.50.
But computerized calligraphy looks stiff to calligrapher Victoria Frank’s trained eye. When calligraphy is done by hand, each letter varies artistically. Even the most sophisticated computer program can’t provide the same effect, she says. “It looks like type,” she says, but concedes that computerized calligraphy “is better for formal, corporate invitations.”
She suggests that clients use calligraphy executed by hand for weddings. “It’s so much more beautiful,” says Frank.
Hall agrees. For a personal, special occasion, “you want something no one else can get. (A beautiful invitation) gets people excited. They think, `I bet they’ve left no stone unturned with the details of the party.’ “
Hall also does birth announcements. “The parents set up everything ahead of time,” she says. “They say, `If it’s a boy, I want this. If it’s a girl, I want that.’ “
Hall charges $250 for the artwork on a master design for a hand-lettered invitation and $100 for a menu. These designs can then be taken to a printer and run off, though printers usually work only in batches of 100. If you don’t need that many, individual invitations can cost from $5 to $25.
Place cards are $2 each, table numbers are $5. Hall also will fill out certificates and service awards for $1.50 a line.
Don’t hire just any calligrapher. “You don’t want to hire someone with just pretty handwriting,” says Frank.
Your calligrapher also should know basic etiquette, such as how to address an invitation to a couple living together. (Write one invitation. Put one name on top of the other.) How about friends who live together but aren’t a couple? (Each gets his or her own invitation.)
“You want to go to someone who can give you the extra value of knowing the answers,” she says.
Attention to detail “shows the formality of the occasion,” she adds. “It’s not an invitation to a barbecue. You want to set this aside as a special occasion.”
Chicago calligrapher Stacey Shapiro knows her wedding etiquette inside out. But you will pay a price for her expertise. She charges from as little as $5 to as much as $25 per invitation, depending on the copy, what’s inside the invitation and the kind of paper used.
While she can execute other styles, Shapiro prefers the stylish grace of Spencerian script (“It’s so expressive”), popular in the Victorian era.
Shapiro also creates ketubahs, or Jewish marriage contracts written in English and Hebrew. Those cost $100 to $1,000, depending on the size, paper and amount of copy. Testimonials and resolutions also cost $100 to $1,000, again depending on size, copy and complexity.
Shapiro advises those looking for hand-lettered items to shop around. “Get samples,” she says. “Make sure you know what you’re getting.”
And, she adds, calligraphy, especially for really important occasions, shouldn’t be a do-it-yourself project. Hire a professional. “It’s worth it,” says Shapiro. “Some clients will sit down and try it do it themselves. It’s a nightmare. Then they’ll call me.”
