Gerrit Noordzij (1931) is a legendary Dutch thinker, typographer and bookbinding designer, whose works have influenced several generations of young calligraphers. Irina Smirnova recently cooperated in the translation into Russian of his basic work “The stroke of the pen”. Noordzij’s theoretical model provides a simple explanation of the calligraphic expression of lines and contrasts in lettering. The St. Petersburg Study Calligraphy creates delightful new lettering styles under Irina’s supervision based on Noordzij’s principles.