Barack Obama’s handwriting is striking in that the body of the letter is so different from the signature. What does it mean? The body of the handwriting is small and fairly even.  But then the signature seems to loom up out of nowhere.  What can we make of it?

There is a great deal to be said about this handwriting. When we look at the small, rather even handwriting we see logic, consistency and measured thinking. We also see  practicality and a lack of pretension. But then that signature seems to contradict everything that we have observed. It billows out into a vision of a much larger picture.

Without going into too much detail, the most outstanding aspects of the handwriting are warmth, independence of thought, strong determination and directedness, an ability to stand his ground and fight back where necessary, careful forethought and an optimistic faith in the future. Generally speaking, this is a thoughtful and cerebral handwriting.

Then note how the capitals – the capital I, Y, V and A are printed cleanly without any preamble.  They show an ability to get down to matters directly without hesitation.

Obama’s Large Signature

But then of course there is that large, imaginative signature which shows his confidence in his own ability and his sense of destiny. Looking at it more closely we see that there are two distinct and dominating elements.  The B of Barack and the O of Obama are prominent and attract our attention. Note that the B of Barak is large, open and clear. It signifies a pride in his personal capacity.

Now take a look at the O of Obama which is much more guarded. Not only is it smaller than the B, it encircles most of the word in a protective gesture.  And so we see that while he relies on himself in his personal capacity he feels protective towards his surname. 

Then take a look at the small, clear date below the signature.  It is as if he has made his statement and is now anxious to get back to his reality.

And just to end with a rule of thumb that you can apply to other situations – whenever the handwriting shows a noticeable discrepancy, there is some sort of corresponding and underlying message waiting to be noticed.

In this case it’s about the sober handwriting in the body of the letter that shows an academic outlook but which is countermanded by the signature of a politician seeking recognition on a large scale.

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