Font Styles for Headstones

The right font is as important as the right inscription.

Sensitivity is the key to a tasteful headstone. The three most important things to consider for a headstone to look both impressive and tasteful are the stone itself, the inscription and the font. The font is often the last thing to be considered, but it is just as important as the stone and inscription in making a headstone a worthy tribute to a loved one.

Century Gothic

Century Gothic is a clear, tasteful font. A mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters works best together, as capital letters alone may result in a loss of aesthetic quality. It is also a font that looks more impressive the bigger it is. Aspects of this font include the bottom of the "T" and the "Y," in lowercase, being straight-edged and not curling round. The lowercase "T" also resembles a crucifix. Regarding the numbers of this font, there is a sizable gap between the one and the nine in the number "19," but the overall effect of the font is still pleasing to the eyes.

Maiandra GD

Maiandra GD is a flamboyant font, but one which is still elegant and appropriate for a headstone. The lowercase "L" and "Y" are slightly curved, as are most of the uppercase letters. As with the Century Gothic font, the best combination is a mix of both lowercase and uppercase letters. The numbers of the Maiandra GD font give the slight impression of leaning to the right, but this doesn't affect the appearance of the font to a negative degree.

Palatino Linotype

A classy looking font, Palatino Linotype looks effective with any combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, and the letters complement the numbers beautifully. This font does have some distinguishing features. The cross on the "T," in lowercase, is low and will be lower than the height of letters such as "A" and "E." The loop of uppercase letters "P" and "R" also don't quite connect to the bar. However, Palatino Linotype looks graceful regardless of the arrangement of letters and numbers used.

Perpetua

The spacing between the letters of this font immediately catch the eye and it has a classical look. As with the Palatino Linotype font, all combinations of letters and numbers work well together. There is a slightly better look to this font when, for a person's name, an uppercase letter is used for the first initial of the Christian and surname. Lowercase should then be used for the rest of the name.

References

• Grahams Monumental Headstones: Layouts

Resources

• Monuments of Distinction: Frequently Asked Questions About Headstones