Sand scribblings

There’s something very romantic about writing in the sand. Cape Town calligrapher and typographer Andrew van der Merwe takes this hobby to a professional level.

Van der Merwe is a self-confessed letter artist but also calls himself the world’s first beach calligrapher. He has a unique, self-developed technique that he uses for carving onto the sand.

Sun, sand, water and wind are some of the themes that appear in Van der Merwe’s work. The forms he uses are most often inspired by African and other ancient writing systems.

Van der Merwe has been fascinated by lettering and writing since childhood. His commercial portfolio includes designing corporate identities, book covers, wine labels, invitations, logos and scrolls.