ICT Reviewer
History and Development of Letters
The present-day Roman letter styles were originated from the
ancient Egyptians as evidenced by Egyptian hieroglyphics or
‘picture writing”.
The ancient Phoenicians developed the wedge-shaped or
cuneiform writing in the form of symbols.
The ancient Greeks modified this form of writing to develop what
they called the boustrophedon writing.
Letters are conventional symbols usually written or printed used
to represent simple or compound speech sound.
Lettering is a form of free-hand drawing and not a style of
writing. The strokes and direction of free-hand drawing are basic
to lettering. The horizontal strokes are drawn from left to right
and
Hieroglyphics all other strokes are Heiratic
drawn downward.
Phoenician
Early Greek
Letters Style:
1. Gothic- This letter styles consist of uniform width of elements.
Gothic letters are the simplest letter
style and largely used for posters, streamers, signage’s
and billboards.
2. Roman –This is composed of thick and thin elements. There are
two types of Roman letters, the
Old Roman and Modern Roman letter style. popularly
used in books, magazines,
newspaper, and map title including names of countries
and cities.
3. Text - The most artistic letter style consist of thick and thin
elements with fine hair line
embellishment usually used for legal documents and
diplomas.
4. Italic – These are any letter style in slanting position. The angle
of inclination for italic letters is 67.5 degree.
GOTHIC Text
ROMAN ITALIC
Lettering Instruments:
1. Quill pens are used to make fine, single-stroke letters. They come
in different sizes.
2. Technical pens are used for both freehand and mechanical
drawings. Technical pen points areavailable in various sizes ranging
from 0.1to1.0.
3. Speedball pens are available in four different tip shapes.
a. Style A- square tip, used to make square Gothic letters.
b. Style B- round tip also used for rounded Gothic letters.
c. Style C- flat or wedge tip used to make Roman or Text letter
styles.
d. Style D – oval tip also used to draw Text and roman letter style.
4. Steel brushes are wider than style C speedball pens. They are
used to make Roman and Text letters.
5. Felt point pen commonly known as pilot pens it come in two
different tips, fine point and broad point. It can be used to draw and
letter styles.
Order of Strokes of Letters and Numbers
- Straight Line Letters
- Letters with inclined elements
- Letters with curved elements
- Letters with circular elements
Letter Proportion:
1. Normal letters is used when the space is adequate.
2. Extended letters is used when the space is wider than normal.
3. Compressed Letters is used when the space is narrower than
normal.
Spacing of Letters:
1. Optical spacing- Letters appears to be equally spaced, but not
spaced equally.
Note the white areas between letters are more or less equal.
2. Mechanical spacing- Letters are spaced equally but appears to be
unequal. This kind of spacing makes the white areas between letters
appear unequal.
Guide Lines and Rules of Stability in Lettering:
- Guide Lines are light lines used to achieve uniformity in height and
inclination of letters. This will aid the letterings appears to be neat
and well-organized. Horizontal, vertical, and inclined guide lines are
being used in letterings.
Ascender
Letterings
Cap line
Waist line
Base line
Drop line
Descender
Horizontal Guide Lines:
a. Cap line- It determines the height of the uppercase letters and
strokes of the lowercase letters that extends up called the
ascender.
b. Waist line- determines the general height of the lowercase
letters.
c. Base line- is where all the letters stand or rest.
d. Drop line- will be used as guide for the lowercase letters that has
a strokes that extend down called the descender.
Inclined Guide Lines
- For italic letters inclined guide lines are necessary to maintain the
slopes of the letters at 67.5 degrees to the horizontal lines.
Vertical Guide Lines
- Vertical guide lines will help beginners in maintaining the letters in
its vertical positions.
Two Division of Letters:
1. Single Stroke Letters are letters drawn with one stroke of a pen,
brush or pencil.
2. Build-up Letters are letters done by drawing the outline first
then filled up solidly
Gothic:
Roman:
Italic:
Old-English:
