Different Styles of Lettering

The art of practicing lettering is a definitive art form that has blasted on social networks in recent years, making more and more people curious about this time-honoured art form. Like many definitive trends, lettering is making a recuperation.

Although lettering has recently arisen in the digital world, it has always been a noteworthy component in advertising and marketing. The commerce industry uses lettering for logos, posters and billboards. Nearly every time you see text in an ad, a designer has carefully selected or created the font.

However, many people create the art of lettering beyond the scope of marketing. The everyday letter writer can use the art of lettering for practical everyday uses such as making planners, blackboard art, and stationery design.

What is lettering?

So we all know what letters are and used to string them into sentences and words since kindergarten. If writing as an art form is new to you, you might wonder how it differs from just writing a sentence.

Well, the term lettering is a generic term that refers to the art of creatively drawing letters and words. Instead of just writing random text, letter writers take the time to create a work of art using letters.

Lettering is an art form that can embellish the artistic taste of your design. The difference between letter and font is that lowercase letters are custom formed for a respective project. Rather than using standard fonts, you can use custom typefaces to exactly match the style or personality of your design.

You can also adjust the letters as needed to fit within the limits of your design. This can be done on paper or digitally. Of course, fonts can be created to imitate the look and feel of custom lettering or to duplicate a particular style. Whether you're designing logos, posters or packaging, lettering can bring life and personality to your work.

History Of Lettering

The ancient letteres have been using their inventiveness to create beautiful designs throughout yore. Long before we had the printing press, the first books were written in creative letters.

It is believed that the Romans first introduced calligraphy and creative writing. Later, many other cultures around the world used handwriting, brushes, and calligraphy to create books and artwork.

This art form did not completely vanish with the innovation of the printing press in 1436. Lettering, like many other art forms, has had its highs and lows in popularity and has lately become one of the considerable viral sensations on social media.

Without wasting any more words, let’s dive into the styles of letterings

1. Calligraphy

Calligraphy is the art of creating decorative writing or letters using a calligraphy pen or calligraphy brush. Calligraphy dates back to ancient China during the Shang Dynasty. It became more widespread during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) because all educated men and some women had to be eloquent in calligraphy.

Calligraphy varies from writing and quill writing because calligraphers traditionally use pointed calligraphy pens. This pen contains real liquid ink, which controls the thickness of the line based on how hard the pen presses on the page.

Calligraphy is a bit less focused on individual letters than on the entire calligraphy script. The calligraphy font focuses on the beautiful curves and nuanced flow of the letters. The four main aspects of calligraphy are writing procedure, structure, composition and use of ink. Calligraphers create beautiful typefaces using these techniques.

Calligraphy beginners may choose to try their calligraphy skills with a different medium until they are ready to use a calligraphy pen. Pencil or pen and paper are a great way to start practicing if traditional calligraphy pens run out of budget or are frustrating for you.

Calligraphy also has three subtypes of calligraphy writing which include Modern calligraphy, Script calligraphy, Copperplate calligraphy, Spencerian calligraphy and traditional calligraphy. In traditional calligraphy, there are three types of traditional calligraphy styles Arabic calligraphy, Eastern calligraphy and Western calligraphy.

2. Hand Lettering

Handwriting is very closely related to calligraphy, but differs slightly from it due to the deliberate emphasis on each independent letter. Handwriting concentrates on drawing individual letters instead of writing them all at once. In handwriting, each letter in a word or phrase is an illustration.

The beautiful handwriting designs you see online often take hours to complete, even if it's just one letter. Like other writing styles, handwriting takes a lot of practice and attention to detail. For hand lettering, an artist needs to have special hand lettering pens for detailed work.

Hand lettering also we have various styles of lettering like script lettering, sans serif lettering followed by serif lettering, vintage lettering, gothic lettering, moonweight lettering and graffiti lettering.

3. Brush Lettering

Brush lettering is one of the favourite handwriting styles of digital creators. This technique produces designs that are beautiful and super fine to look at. Brush lettering artists use brush pens to create embellishing strokes and detailed strokes. Again, this style is quite similar to calligraphy and handwriting, but the tools you use are what make the difference.

This typeface is acknowledged and portrayed by the thick hairline and thin hairline of the letters. To create brush lettering designs, you can use real brushes and ink, or use a specially designed brush pen or even brush markers to practice brush lettering. Again, you'll want to watch a lot of videos and practice a lot before you can fully master the style. Don't be intimidated by the experts you see online; they all also started as beginners.

Final Letters for the Lettering styles

This guide may be straightforward, but it can be eye-opening for those who are just starting to understand typeface styles. Whether or not you create something by hand or work digitally, understanding the different lettering styles available will help you create your best work. It applies regardless of whether you're using custom lettering or simply choosing a font for that style.

Instead of worrying about your results and comparing them to the great works shared on the web, we encourage you to concentrate on getting sounder and continuing to comprehend. It may take time, but once you master it, it's a skill that will last for a lifetime!