Last week I came across an article, discussing the reveal of the new Cadbury logo.
This article discusses how this new look has been created in “modern” typography and has been chosen ‘to reflect the quality and care that lies at the brands roots’.
I think the story behind this new look is great and knowing that it draws inspiration from the signature of the founder John Cadbury’s grandson William is a sweet added touch.
However, this new logo has got me wondering about the purpose of handwriting.
I have always thought of handwriting as a form of communication; we read what we write, so legibility of the written word is key to communicating.
But I do understand that handwriting is also a form of expression and when it comes to branding, the style of font a business chooses can really say a lot about them and as with Cadbury, the font they use has become synonymous with the brand.
But there are many examples of where a word can be misread because of its style of font – the new Cadbury’s logo is a perfect example of this.
In this new logo, the ‘b’ has been drawn in a cursive style and the ‘u’ and ‘r’ appear to be a ‘w’, making it read as ‘Cadbwry’.
So I want to pose a question: Would we know what letters these are if we did not already know this popular brand?
Since the introduction of the pre-cursive and fully cursive script into many primary schools, parents and carers have informed us that they are unable to read their child’s handwriting and that their children struggle to read their own handwriting too.
This is because of the entry/lead-in strokes on each letter creating an overly cursive script which is difficult to read, making the letters look different to how a child sees them in their reading books.
With this in mind, do you struggle to read your child’s handwriting because they are writing in a similar cursive style?
I would love to hear what you as a parent, carer or teacher think of these overly cursive scripts being used to teach your child handwriting as early as reception.
If you have been experiencing issues and your child is struggling with their handwriting as a result of them being rushed to join their writing with the continuous cursive style, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me on social media or email and I would more than happy to share my advice and tips to help them achieve legible writing.