Elaine Quigley: YES… good handwriting is vital

In the early 1930s an artist and teacher, Marion Richardson, was commissioned by the government to create a handwriting style that was practical, readable and easy to produce.

A teacher's manual was provided and various schools were chosen to trial the new format. What was amazing was that even though the young people followed the format carefully and accurately, each example was slightly different, either in size, pressure, thickness of stroke, spacing or just general overall appearance. The individuality that was thus demonstrated made it clear that we all need to express ourselves in some way, to distinguish ourselves from everyone else and affirm our personality as having the ability to be who we are. If there was only computer writing available, society would lose vitality and creativity from a deeply personal perspective.

Once something is set in a computer's workings, it cannot be tweaked or adjusted. The beauty of writing is that it can enrich our lives from many perspectives.

ELAINE QUIGLEY

Past Chairman of The British Institute of Graphologists