Alphabet Lettering Styles

Find the right font.

Different lettering styles help make your text meaningful and expressive. If you are writing a business document, you should use a formal font that comes off professional and polished on page. If you are looking for a tattoo, you probably want a font that strays away from the subdued business typeset. Different fonts represent different moods, settings and ideas. There are so many fonts to choose from, especially with the Internet and lettering style software. There is no excuse to use the same font repeatedly.

Times Roman

Times "New" Roman is the default on most computers and is a standard for almost all business documents and textbooks. It is one of the most successful and easily recognizable typefaces in history, created by "The Times" of London in 1931. Times Roman is visually appealing, keeping it simple while also having small flairs in the lettering.

Carolingian

This is a font named after an eighth and ninth century cultural renaissance, with a flowing, spacious style. It is often used in books for poems or song lyrics. It can be easily adjusted to elongate the text to give it a very whimsical feel.

Arial

Arial is another very popular typeface that has become increasingly popular through emails. It is the default typeface for most email accounts and typically the font used on cell phones. The font is very simple and easy to read, with no decorative elements.

German Blackletter

German Blackletter is an attractive and well-known lettering style; however, it can often be difficult to read. It is typically not used for a large body of text. It is ideal for titles or one-line sentences. Too much of this font can be a little hard on the eyes.

Foundation Hand

Foundation Hand is one of the more attractive and simple lettering styles to read. It tends to be used often for family trees and any type of document where clarity and legibility is an important factor.

References

• Alphabet Letter Patterns: Peruse the Variety
• Tattoo Lettering: Choose a Font and Color for a Tattoo

Resources

• Heraldry Calligraphy and Illumination: Lettering Styles
• English Club: Font Styles