Lets Talk About "q"

[BlotBot]

I had an unsettling experience this last weekend. I was going out to finger the papers at my local stationary shops, and invited a friend who recently announced her engagement so she could check out the invitation offerings. We were in a particularly hoity-toity stationary shop (shoppe) that I think specialized in wedding invitations when the whole thing started. My friend, whose last name begins with "Q", was looking over the fonts available and stated that, naturally, the "Q" in the font was very important. Further (here we go), she said she much preferred the modern Q rather than the Q that looks like a "2". Finally, she stated that she had decided to take her husband's last name, a boring "S", over the glorious "Q" name she has, which is very unique and infused with Ellis Island family history.

So what's up with Q? I have to admit I find the modern Q easier to read, even though I learned the 2-Q when I learned cursive writing in elementary school. It seems like the idea of the 2-Q is to start making a large oval, and then abort on the left side to swoosh down to make the foot. It should work, but I think the oval is aborted too early and the large oval is hard to distinguish. Sometimes I see the upper entry loop large enough to make part of the left side of the oval, and that helps (http://www.zanerian.com/Zaner8.gif).

What are your thoughts on Q? Are there any examples of gorgeous 2-Q's out there that I can use to tempt her away for the "S"?

[RMN]

Looking a that Zanerian example you linked to I must agree with your friend I do not like it. I find any of those initials too elaborate, but à chacun son goût....

 

D.ick

[beeftip]

I like the ornamental "2" Q. Quite a lot actually. Yes, it is a bit of a chore to read, but it's just so elegant. I don't think it's overly-elaborate... a gilded Lilly so to speak.

 

It took tremendous skill to be able to write like that. Sure the modern Q is simpler to read. But it's just an oval with a little slash through it. I have yet to see an ornamental "modern" Q that is as pleasing to my eye as the "2" Q.

 

Perhaps look at that "Q" again and keep in mind the skill and dedication that it took to write it like that, but also the creativity it took to design it that way. Maybe you'll find it more favorable to your eye. But, if not, that's fine too.

 

In any event, I'd want to keep my last name too if it was interesting and started with a "Q".

[mirosc]

If you want to be understood internationally, I guess the modern Q is a better choice than the 2-Q.

I'm not speaking for everyone (luckily), but for me that 2-Q looks very strange, to put it mildly. I remember how puzzled I was many years ago when I read a text and had no clue what that strange scribbling at the beginning of a word was - it should have been a Q, but it wasn't...

[Ted F]

I thought "Q" had something to do with Star Trek. Anyway, I was curious about this so I looked in a pamphlet I have entitled "Script and Manuscript Lettering" by the Higgins Ink Co., dated 1947. In it they show samples of both Qs. I must say I prefer the modern Q. When I write Qs I switch between the modern Q and a large lowercase q. I don't remember which way I learned first but it was not the 2Q and I learned to write before the pamphlet was printed (not that I write great).

[jimk]

Some interesting possibilities by F. B. Courtney:

 

http://www.iampeth.com/lessons/ornamental_penmanship/FB_Courtney/dashy_writing_page11.html

[Ted F]

Some of the letters are hard to read in that example. However, in the top panel, top line, second 'q' from the left is the large lowercase 'q' I mentioned (without the tailing final loop).

[gawain3]

http://font.downloadatoz.com/font,6899,lynda-cursive-normal.html

 

This is interesting. A free font download if that is what you need. Or a different (to me, anyway) version of the upper case q which combines the Q with the 2!

[Ted F]

I looked at the Lynda Cursive fonts and realized that the basic formation of the characters is the way I was taught to write them with the exception of the Q. I don't ever remember writing a Q like that.

[mboschm]

http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o565/mboschm/DSC_0854_zpsbcb5a57f.jpg

[Ted F]

These are the two ways I write a Q. The second one being by far the most common one that I use. I have seen it in script font specimens.

 

 

[RMN]

These are the two ways I write a Q. The second one being by far the most common one that I use. I have seen it in script font specimens.

 

Q.jpeg

Normally, I use the first one.

 

 

D.ick

[bokchoy]

Some time ago, I tried to make a list of as many letter variations as possible. Some were from people's handwriting and some were from school fonts from different countries. Here's what I ended up with:

 

http://i.imgur.com/EAPgUJo.jpg

 

For capital Q, I was taught something that looked like a 2. Now I use the 6th one starting from the top left. I was taught the first lowercase q on the left, but prefer the second one.

[Ted F]

The samples below are from Higgins's "Script and Manuscript Lettering", 1947, and these are just 2 of 32 in the pamphlet. The script samples were used by artists to design trade mark names and slogans. Shown are 3 versions of the Q.