Lettering

1. Lettering Landscaping Chapter 2

2. Importance of Lettering • Support element to the overall visual presentation of a product or service • So important that corporations obtain trademark protection for the lettering styles they use • Landscape plans and drawings require lettering that matches the sophistication and importance of the work they are intended to explain. • Clients will associate the graphic quality of the presentation with the quality of the design.

3. Methods of Lettering • Lettering templates • Waxed press-on letters • Lettering machines • Transfer film • Hand lettering

4. Lettering Templates • Guides that reproduce the same size and style over and over • Various styles and sizes available • Selection of sizes necessary • Use is limited

5. Waxed Press-On Letters • Quick and easy to use • Commercially manufactured in an assortment of styles and size (fig 2-2) • Letters are mounted on sheets of plastic or wax paper and transferred to the drawing surface by the heat of friction created when a pencil is rubbed over the surface of the sheet

6. Advantages Disadvantages • Easy to apply • Create a professional image • Easily removed with cellophane tape, permitting correction of errors • Expensive • Crack with age • Wasteful; vowels commonly depleted before consonants Waxed Press-on Letters

7. Lettering Machines • Initial expense is greater • Over time the machine is more cost effective • Simple to operate • No waste

8. Transfer Film • Paper thin, transparent, plastic sheeting with a clear adhesive backing and a sheet of waxed paper over it • Commonly referred to as “sticky back” • Use is common • Allows the use of modern word processors

9. Hand Lettering • Distinctive style • Created with single strokes of the pen, pencil or marker • Styles used are simple variations of the basic block • Heights and centers of the letters are controlled by location of 3 guidelines

10. Guidelines • Control the height and location of letters • Aid in the proper shaping of letters • Two forms of alteration • Changing the location of the center guideline • Changing the number of guidelines from 3 to 5

11. Changing the Center Guideline • Can shift the weight of the letter by raising or lowering the center guideline • Fig 2-11 and 2-12 p. 21

12. Changing the Number of Guidelines • Significantly alters the appearance of letters • 3 guidelines for standard block style • 5 guidelines • Creates an intentional horizontal angle while keeping the degree of angling consistent throughout • Has a looser appearance • Not adaptive to lower case letters • Fig 2-14 p. 22

13. Hand Lettering Techniques and Tips • Always use guidelines. • They will keep the lettering consistently sized and styled throughout the plan and keep lettering straight • Keep guidelines light. • Use straightedge support for all vertical lines. • See fig 2-15 p 22 • Continually monitor line quality • Keep line intersections free of overlaps to avoid creating an inconsistent, shaggy appearance. • Space letters and lines to permit comfortable reading • Fig 2-16 p. 23 • Maintain case consistency • Fig 2-17 p.23

14. Summary • Many methods of lettering • Method used is determined by time, importance, presentation style and ease of use. • Letter should be made with single strokes • Guidelines should be used and changing the number of guidelines can shift the weight of the letters as well as alter the appearance of them