Letteringis an act or result of artfully drawing letters, instead ofwritingthem simply. Lettering is considered an art form, where each letter in a phrase or quote acts as anillustration.Each letter is created with attention to detail and has a unique role within acomposition.[1]Lettering is created as an image, with letters that are meant to be used in a unique configuration. Lettering words do not always translate into alphabets that can later be used in a typeface, since they are created with a specific word in mind.[2]
Examples
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Lettering includes that used for purposes ofblueprintsandcomic books,as well as decorative lettering such assign paintingand custom graphics. For instance; onposters,for aletterheador businesswordmark,lettering in stone,lettering for advertisements,tire lettering,fileteado,graffiti,[3]or on chalkboards.[4]
Lettering may be drawn, incised, applied usingstencils,[5][6][7]using a digital medium with a stylus, or a vector program. Lettering that was not created using digital tools is commonly referred to as hand-lettering.[1]
In the past, almost all decorative lettering other than that on paper was created as custom or hand-painted lettering. The use of fonts in place of lettering has increased due to new printing methods,phototypesetting,anddigital typesetting,which allow fonts to be printed at any desired size.[8][9][10][11]Lettering has been particularly important inIslamic art,due to the Islamic practice ofavoiding depictions of sentient beingsgenerally andof Muhammad in particular,and instead using representations in the form ofIslamic calligraphy,includinghilyes,or artforms based on written descriptions of Muhammed.
More recently, there has been an influx of aspiring artists attempting hand-lettering with brush pens and digital mediums. Some popular styles are sans serif, serif, cursive/script, vintage,blackletter( "gothic" ) calligraphy, graffiti, and creative lettering.[12]
Related artforms
editCalligraphy is based onpenmanship;it’s essentially "writing letters." Lettering, on the other hand, is based ondraftsmanship,i.e. "drawing letters."
— Joseph Alessio[13]
Lettering can be confused with similar terms, such ascalligraphyortypography.
Calligraphy is known as a more rigid process, that requires learning the formal shapes of letters and often combining thick downstrokes with thin upstrokes. This style of writing is generally created withdip pensand inks. Some calligraphers and hand-letterers say that calligraphy created withbrush pensbecomes lettering or faux-calligraphy,[14]but others believe that the approach used to create the letters is more important than the tools used to do so.[1][15]
Typography is the use of type in a repeating system, where each instance of the same letter looks the same.[1] [15]
Part of the reason why these misconceptions are common is that some font shops categorize their fonts as "hand-lettered", "illustrated" or "calligraphy". Said fonts can begin with a hand-lettered alphabet that is then digitized and turned into a repeatable system. This identifies them as typography, instead of lettering.[1]
Hand Lettering for Beginnersdefines the three terms as follows: Lettering is the art of drawing letters, calligraphy is the art of writing letters and is related to the idea of penmanship, and typography is a repeated system of letters or the art of arranging type.[1]
See also
edit- Typeface anatomy,the graphic elements that make up letters in a typeface.
References
edit- ^abcdef"Hand-lettering, Calligraphy, Typography: What's the Difference?".Retrieved29 Feb2020.
- ^"FAQ".Jessica Hische.Retrieved29 February2020.,
- ^Callingham, James (1871).Sign Writing and Glass Embossing.
- ^Foster, Walter (2014).Creative Lettering and Beyond.Quarto Publishing Group USA.
- ^Pool, Albert-Jan."FF DIN: Digital Block Letters"(PDF).FontShop.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 30 March 2017.Retrieved14 December2016.
- ^Mosley, James."Lettres à jour: public stencil lettering in France".Type Foundry (blog).Retrieved12 December2015.
- ^MacMillan, David."Why No" Type Designers "Here?".Circuitous Root.Retrieved2 July2022.
- ^Simonson, Mark."Not a font".Mark Simonson Studio (blog).Retrieved14 December2016.
- ^Coles, Stephen."Lettering is not type".Type Network.Archived fromthe originalon 2021-04-27.Retrieved2019-07-25.
- ^Johnston, Alastair."The Misery of Edwin Drood".Booktryst.Retrieved14 December2016.
- ^Shinn, Nick."The Golden Age of Hand Lettering in American Advertising".Type Culture.Retrieved1 April2017.
- ^"What Are The Different Lettering Styles?".Lettering Daily.2018-09-24.Retrieved2019-06-25.
- ^Joseph Alessio (January 17, 2013)."Understanding The Difference Between Type And Lettering".Smashing Magazine.Retrieved8 May2021.
- ^"The Difference Between Hand Lettering, Calligraphy and Typography (+ Why It Truly Matters)".Letter Lane Design Studio.22 March 2016.Retrieved29 February2020.,
- ^ab"What is the Difference Between Hand Lettering and Calligraphy".Lettering Daily.3 October 2018.Retrieved29 February2020.,
External links
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Media related toLetteringat Wikimedia Commons
Many textbooks on lettering or books of example alphabets were published in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Those linked below are free to read atarchive.org.
- A Textbook on Lettering and Sign Painting.Scranton, PA: International Correspondence Schools. 1902.OCLC1085618630.
- Armstrong, George D.; Hodgson, Frederick Thomas; Delamotte, Frances George (1914).Modern painting, hardwood finishing and sign writing.Sears, Roebuck.OCLC1049637942.
- Johnston, Edward(1917). W. R. Lethaby (ed.).Writing & Illuminating & Lettering.The Artistic Crafts Series of Technical Handbooks. London, England: John Hogg.OCLC1158486814.
- Muster-Alphabete: verschiedener Schriftarten in den neuesten Formen(in German). 1880.OCLC1049698520.(sampler)