
How to achieve stellar lettering with digital tools.Įntering the world of lettering is an artistic endeavor, one with even more creative options when done digitally. Current events impact design, so always keep an eye out for new fonts and lettering styles that arise with the times to stay on trend. Consider different styles like graffiti lettering or Bauhaus fonts that developed from cultural trends and took on a life of their own. New lettering trends are always emerging and changing. Styles like monoline (where lines are all the same weight) and block letters (where the letters never connect or touch) fall into this category. Without tails, this lettering style looks modern and clean. Serif letters can also take on an ornate, stylistic look when flourishes are added for decorative purposes.Īny lettering without serifs is categorized as being in the sans serif style. These tapers are sometimes called “tails” or “feet” and can lend a more formal look to your lettering. Serifs are the small lines or marks added to the ends of letters in certain typography styles. While traditionally done with ink or brush pens on paper, new apps like Adobe Fresco are bringing calligraphy into the digital world. Script, cursive, and brush lettering are all viewed as modern calligraphy, contributing to its recent rise in popularity. Modern calligraphy is any form of calligraphy that’s untraditional in its looser, more organic form. Nowadays, you’ll often see black letter or gothic lettering in tattoos or signage. Forms of it were also used in early printing presses. One traditional form of calligraphic lettering is Gothic, sometimes called “black letter.” This script style was used extensively throughout medieval Europe and was created by making heavy downstrokes with the brush. Rules govern the shape and execution of these letters, similarly to a font. Traditional calligraphy covers specific hand-lettering styles, like Copperplate and Spencerian, that were created with distinct strokes and formations. It gives you a frame of reference to start from, and you can use it as a wireframe.”Ĭalligraphy is the design and creation of hand lettering with a brush or other writing tool. “When you’re learning, starting with a general typeface design isn’t a bad idea,” designer and artist Robin Casey says. But starting with a font - rather than starting each letter from scratch - can save time and spark new ideas for creating custom lettering. While you can adjust the kerning and size of fonts, they’re more rigid to work with than creating your own. Where lettering refers to stylistic, custom typography, a font is defined as a set of characters and letters in one uniform style and size. It’s important to differentiate between lettering styles and fonts.
