Lettering: combining styles

Lettering: combining styles

Sans serif and playbill. Script and illustration. Serif and ornate. There are hundreds and hundreds of different combinations of lettering that can make such unique pieces of artwork. For my last blog post, I decided to combine some of my favorite fonts.

Combining styles is when you join serif with script lettering in one piece, such as the examples from the book (McDevitt, 60).

If you were to use combining styles, I would recommend using a longer phrase so that it you have more letters to work with. I chose the quote “Go the extra mile, it’s never crowded”. I was able to use different styles and techniques to get the finish product. For example, one of the first things to think about when sketching your phrase is how you want to stack the words. I chose to stack in a certain way so that the words “mile” and “crowded” were emphasized. This step is crucial because you want your final draft to be pleasing to the eye.

Mary Kate McDevitt describes combining styles as “It’s what will make your piece as distinctive and interesting as possible” (60). So, I decided to base all of the fonts on sans serif because it was a simple design. I also wanted to emphasize “mile” and “crowded”, which I did by using variations of sans serif. On “mile”, I chose to use script to balance out sans serif. And on “crowded”, I thought a Limelight font would be perfect. Limelight is when you add a bold look to words. This font is my go-to font whenever I’m lettering words because it gives any piece a distinctive look.

After adding details and outlining with sharpie, I finished the final piece:

I 100% recommend Hand-Lettering Ledger A Practical Guide to Creating Serif, Script, Illustrated, Ornate, and Other Totally Original Hand-Drawn Styles to anyone who is looking to learn more about hand-lettering. Mary Kate gives such great advice and I can confidently say that my techniques have improved significantly. This book is perfect for practicing both basic and intermediate lettering skills.

Do you have a favorite lettering style that you always use? If so, why do you think you always come back to that style?

Citation - McDevitt, Mary Kate. Hand-Lettering Ledger. Chronicle Books, 2014.