YALE UNIVERSITY ART LIBRARY LETTERING LETTERING THOMAS WOOD STEVENS CARNEGIE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, PITTSBURGH THE PRANG COMPANY NEW YORK • CHICAGO • BOSTON • ATLANTA • DALLAS • TORONTO COPYRIGHT, 1916 BY THOMAS WOOD STEVENS PRANG LETTERING PENS Spoon-Bill Pens Specially suited for modern, round, rapid lettering. In three sizes; No. 2, No. 3 and No. $ Per dozen, No :,.No, 3 or No. 5 in box . j^c. Per dozen, assorted in box . . 35c. Old English Text Pens Ideal for Black Letter and Old English Text Writing. Three Sizes; No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3. Per One-quarter gross in box . . . , . 40c. ASSORTED ENVELOPE An Envelope carrying six pens; one of each of the three sizes of the Spoon-Bill pens, and one of each of the three sizes of the Old English Text Pens. Price . * 20c PRANG WATERPROOF INDIA INK A smooth flowing, dull, jet black ink. Dries without a gloss, iX^C^"' and gives a rich, velvety, bjack surface. ' * Price of one-ounce Pen Holder Bottle . . 15c. K ^ / *Q, *"* A THE PRANG CO. NEW YORK . CHICAGO ¦ BOSTON W v \^ ^ THE 'PLIMPTON 'PRESS NORWOOD • MASS -tf'S'A <%* FOREWORD THIS book is designed to serve artists, craftsmen and students who have lettering to make. It presents no " system of sign- writing," and brings forward no mechanical method. Its intention is to present good standards in styles applicable to many fields of work, together with brief instructions regard ing the drawing of letters. The text matter is written primarily for the student ; the experienced craftsman will not read it. He is only concerned with the examples presented. So we may set down the most elementary matters, explaining the uses of tools and materials, and giving an account of those historical conditions of work which have marked our alphabets. Our objecl:, in short, is to develop the idea of lettering in relation to the element of design, the decorative element, which it contains, and to the historical phases which have made it what it is. Beyond this, we shall try to point out the best manner of executing and using the plainer forms. 'Many of the drawings and certain parts of the text appeared in a pre vious work, now long out of print. The author is still grateful to the artists who contributed them, and newly grateful to those^who have added fresh work to the present issue. A special acknowledgment "should be made to Mr. Harry Lawrence Gage, head of the Department of Printing, Carnegie Institute of Tech nology. Mr. Gage has applied himself to the making of many new draw ings, diagrams and alphabets; has contributed many vital ideas to text and arrangement, and has brought to the work patience, learning and high craftsmanship. T. w. s. FEB 1 2 1917 13 5 1 [5] CONTENTS Foreword 5 PAGE CHAPTER I. Tools and Materials 13 •II. The Drawing of Letters 19 III. Roman Capitals 27 IV. Roman Small Letters 55 V. Italics 77 VI. The Gothic Forms 91 VII. The Practical Problem 104 VIII. Phases of Letter Design no [7] LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 2. 3- 4- 5- 12. 13-14. IS-16.17-18.19- 20.21. 22.23.24. 25-26.27.28.29. 3°-31- 32. 33-34- 35- FIGURE ~ 1. Roman Capitals with a strong classical feeling. By Theodore Brown Hapgood . Roman Capitals from Renaissance sources. By Harry Lawrence Gage Head-piece. By Charles H. Barnard Proportions of margins and plan of ruling for book-opening and single sheet . . Modern Roman Capitals. By Charles H. Barnard . . 6. Title page showing a written letter in relation to pen drawing. By Walter Crane 7-1 1. Diagram showing progressive steps in drawing and inking . . Diagram for opening ... .... Roman capitals written with a wide pen. By Harry Lawrence Gage Italic "swash" letters founded on sixteenth century Italian work . Roman Capitals adapted from coins and* medals. By T. W. S. The formation of the serif by right and left chisel cuts in an incised Roman Diagram showing structural differences between letters of similar shape Modern Roman Capitals. By Harry E. Townsend Modern Roman Capitals. By William A. Dwiggins . Modern Roman Capitals. By F. G. Cooper Modern Outline Roman Capitals. By Guido Rosa . .... Heavy square-serif Roman Capitals. By Harry Lawrence Gage Capitals after Charles Robinson Capitals and Numerals adapted from modern German sources. By Ned Hadley Modern Capitals and Numerals from French sources. By Ned Hadley Modern German Capitals. By Helen E. Hartford . .... Variations of the modern German. By Helen E. Hartford . Accented modern German Capitals. By Helen E. Hartford Outline Capitals in relation to architeftural rendering. By Rudolph von Larish . . Heavy modern Roman Capitals. By Norman P. Hall . . . Capitals derived from small letter forms. By T. W. S. . . . . Capitals and small letters influenced by the Japanese. By Harry Lawrence Gage Roman. Capitals and small letters written with a wide pen. By George W. Koch . Modern Capitals, small letters, and numerals designed for use in cut stencils. By Forrest C. Crooks Roman Capitals and small letters. By William A. Dwiggins . . — 36. Modern Roman Capitals and small letters. By Oswald Cooper . ... 37. Small book pages, showing freely written capitals. By William A. Dwiggins ... 38. Modern Capitals, small letters, and italics. By Egbert G. Jacobson .... 39. Roman small letters and numerals. By T.W. S. 40. Pen-drawn imitation of.classic manuscript showing Uncial characteristics 41. Modern small letters. By Charles H.-Barnard 42. Diagram showing the ruling of guide lines for the construction of small letters 43. Diagram showing construction of part-round small letters . ... 44. Diagram showing methods of varying the small letters ... 45. Diagram showing the direction of strokes in writing small letters 46. Small letters written with a wide pen. By Harry Lawrence Gage PAGE 12IS16 1718 20 2223242S 26282931 3335 36 37 3339 404142 4344 4546 47 48 49 50Si5253 545557535859 60 61 L9l 47- Announcement in Roman small letters, showing close spacing between lines. By Charles H. Barnard 63 48. Announcement in heavy Roman small letters. By Oswald Cooper 64 49. Heavy Capitals, small letters, and numerals, adapted to wood block and linoleum cutting. By Harry Lawrence Gage 65 50. Modern Roman small letters. By F. G. Cooper 66 51. Modern small letters. By Harry E. Townsend 67 52. Cover design on rough paper. By Will Ransom 68 53. Heavy modern small letters. By Norman P. Hall 69 54. Small letters after Charles Robinson 7° 55. Modern German written linked small letters ... . .... 71 56. Unaccented and accented alphabets and numerals, designed for rapid use. By Harry Lawrence Gage . . 72 57. Modern Capitals and small letters influenced by Venetian type designs 73 58. Capitals and small letters for informal inscriptions. By James Hall 74 59. Free small letters after the modern German. By Helen E. Hartford 75 60. Modern German linked small letters 76 61. Incised English script. By Frank Chouteau Brown 78 62. Italic Capitals. By T.W.S 79 63. Italic small letters. By T.W.S 80 64. Italic-script Capitals and small letters. By Lawrence Rosa . 81 65. Italic Capitals, extreme slant. By T. W. S 82 66. Italic Capitals and small letters. By M. Elizabeth Colwell 83 67. Italics with flourished Capitals. By Harry Lawrence Gage 84 68. Modern German script-italics ; 85 69. Italic Capitals, small letters, and numerals. By Norman P. Hall 86 70. Modern German Italic Capitals, small letters, and numerals 87 71. Caslon Oldstyle Italic Type, No. 471 88 72. Cloister Italic Type 89 73. Pabst Italic Type . ... . . . 90 74. Black-letter Capitals and small letters. By Albert Diirer, 1500 92 75. Black letter written with a wide pen. By Harry Lawrence Gage 93 76. Modern German Round Gothic capitals, small letters and numerals 94 77. Cloister Black Type . ... 95 78. Uncial Capitals with narrow Gothic small letters From a i\th Century Ms 96 79. Uncial (Lombardic) Gothic Capitals. By Fred Stearns 97 80. Italian Gothic Capitals. By Harry Lawrence Gage 98 81. Original variations on a Gothic Alphabet. By Charles H. Barnard 99 82. English Gothic Capitals and small letters. By Frank Chouteau Brown 100 83. Gothic Capitals and small letters. By Harry Lawrence Gage 101 84. Design in Gothics. By M. Elizabeth Colwell 102 85. Cover design showing an interesting use of italics. By Will Bradley 103 86-92. Rough notes for a title page. By T. W. S 106-108 93. Monograms. By E. A. Turbayne . . . . . . IIX 94. An example of combined letters and monograms in a title IT? 95. Cover design in the Georgian style. By Will Bradley . Ir. 96. Lettering with border. By Frederick W. Goudy u- 97. Humanistic Type. By William Dana Orcutt . . . Ixg 98. Caslon Oldstyle Roman Type, No. 471 II7 99. Forum Type. By Frederick W. Goudy . . .,0 100. Kennerley Oldstyle Type. By Frederick W . Goudy IIQ 101. Pabst Oldstyle Type 102. Cloister Oldstyle Type 12I M FIGURE 1 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUWXYZ& THEODORE BROWN HAPGOOD Roman Capitals with a strong classical feeling LETTERING CHAPTER I Tools and Materials IN LETTERING, as in any other task requiring skill, the abstract matters of style and principle are difficult to remember unless they are immediately put in practice. Good tools with which to work, and respect for them, must be assumed at the outset. The necessary implements for good lettering include only a pencil, ruler, pen and ink. But as the accuracy of the work depends on accurate guide lines, a drawing board, T-square and triangle should also be included in the equipment ; they save time, and give to the student a desirable sense of security. A water-color brush and some moist white are useful for correcting; and orange- vermilion water color for rubrication. One should see to it that the drawing table is firm, and so placed that the paper is well lighted; this is important, since the drawing of letters requires an exacting use of the eye sight, and should be undertaken only under good lighting conditions. Ruling pens, dividers, and other draftsman's instruments are sometimes convenient, but seldom necessary. The kind of pen best suited to the student's personal use can only be determined by experiment. It must be fine enough to make letters of the size desired, but not fine enough to cut into the paper, and not too stiff. Annealing in the flame of a match or a gas jet will usually make a stiff pen flexible enough. Wide pointed pens are frequently useful for large letters and directly written forms. The question is one for trial rather than prescription; some artists succeed in making beautiful letters with a broken tooth-pick. A water-color brush that comes to a fine point when dampened is good for inking large letters, but requires much practice for small work; it may be used with advantage on heavy-faced letters more than an inch high. The edge of a brush stroke is smoother than a pen line, so that brush letters, when much reduced by engraving, are likely C'3] to show a mechanical character. Where the work is large and heavy, however, the brush covers the ground much faster than the pen. Any paper with surface hard enough to take ink without blotting may be used. The rougher the paper, the rougher the line; also, as a rule, the stronger in character. For accurate, formal lettering, and for practice work, where close study of the drawing is desirable, hard- surfaced bristol board is best. The heavy, sized hand-made papers, such as Whatman, serve many purposes. The paper should take pencilling well, stand many erasures, and carry ink without spreading. Drawing pencils should be free from grit, and the degree of hard ness should be adapted in measure to the size of the work in hand, hard pencils being used for small forms, and softer ones for large. Very soft pencils tend to produce quick effects, but inaccurate draw ing; too hard leads give a thin and stringy appearance that sometimes persists, in the shape of angular and unsympathetic edges, after the inking is done. Any of the carbon drawing inks, or hand-ground India ink, will serve. The fluid must stay black on the thinnest line, and must flow with freedom. Where work must be lingered over, and may suffer from moist hands, water-proof India ink has obvious advantages. Orange-vermilion water color may be substituted for ink where letters in red are needed. It may be applied with a brush, or used as ink, the pen being filled from the brush as it becomes dry. Red characters made in this way have a good body of opaque color, and serve as well as black for engraving. Good hand-drawn letters may be put to a great variety of uses. The most common of these as well as one of the most exacting, is drawing for reproduction by the ordinary zinc process. If a student learns to execute a good piece of work for this purpose, he will prob ably have mastered all the practical difficulties. Hence, in the following pages, attention will be given to methods adapted to ultimate use on the printing press, in the belief that other necessary points will be covered in this way. If you know a given letter thoroughly, and can draw it acceptably a half-inch high, you need only a little practice to put it on a sign or a black-board with equal facility. In using the tools named for the purposes suggested, it is well that the student understand one fact: all lettering may be divided, according to the method of its making, into two classes — built-up M FIGURE 2 ABC DEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVUW XYZ HARRY LAWRENCE GAGE Roman Capitals from Renaissance sources. Small letters to correspond are shown in Figure 59 lettering and written lettering. Most of the work which finds its way to the printed page is of the built-up variety. This means that the individual forms have been drawn with the pencil, and then carefully filled in with ink. The written variety is that done either directly with the ink, or carried out in single strokes over pencil indications ; it is obviously the more rapid, informal and difficult sort. The written style comes down to us from the calligrapher; the built-up from the engraver. For purposes of study it is obviously best to begin with the built-up letter, since in this the attention is concentrated on patient drawing, learning the precise form, rather than upon freedom of stroke and energy of style. 7^6 PRAIRIE PRESS CIWKnVE PRINTING DECORATIONS & HAND LETTERING FIGURE 3 CHARLES H. BARNARD [id] FIGURE 4 li jlie rzcto paqt illustrates a method. cf~ cmamaidnff abotik. ia capitals con/orm? inq to dm umtincrunes.THe lines matj^ be indented unthasujlus orwlecL, mdi a hard lead pencil, -jftftaaajaft. "POETRYmau appropriatEuj beoiven slwhtlu under margins dWi proser TlNE'wricing,the lines of which are usually widely spaced, demands wulerwigins thanmassedujriiing, ujhichisheavij &has theUnes dpselij pack$ CHANCED: UPONTHE PRETTIEST- ODDESTFANTAST1CAL _ 1 THl>JGOFA.DREM/L_ the odicr night, that ijou _ Ij shall hear of. I had been _ reading the Lov£s of the. Angels^ ment tobedunrh _ mu head, full of specula? _ turns suggestedbt^ that _ exdaordinarq legertd.lt _ had given birth to inrui=_ merablr conjecJturesjand. MCWVKMZ 2 2i == 24 4- PERCY J. SMITH Proportions of margins and plan of ruling for book-opening and single sheet. FIGURE 5 ABCDE FGHJKILMNOP •2RSTU VWXY &JQRZ CHARLES H. BARNARD Modern Roman Capitals. For small letters see Figure 4.1 CHAPTER II The Drawing of Letters THE beginner should bear in mind that he is not called upon to design letters. That part of it is done — has been done for centuries. The alphabet is a series of shapes which have meaning and use because we all recognize them. Meaning and use are taken away when these shapes are changed and tortured out of our imme diate recognition. While it may of course be possible to improve these forms the student does well to consider how many great designers have accepted them as they are. But to use letters they must be drawn, and to do this their forms must first be learned. Thus the problem is simplified. You have only to learn them and draw them. It is an excellent practice to draw the letters in the formations of words, rather than as alphabets. The simplest task of all, then, is to draw one word. We will assume for the sake of illustration that the word is " POEMS " ; that it is to fit into a title page, and that it may be, in the drawing, about an inch high. Further we will assume that it is to be done in capitals of Renaissance Roman style. We have here the copy, or letters to be executed ; the size, and the style of letter. Turning to Figure 2, we find an alphabet from which, for the present, we may be content to accept the letter forms, limiting ourselves to the qjJrcions of drawing, spacing and inking. With trie T-square, pencil accurate horizontal guide lines one inch'' apart and at least five iAhes long. Into this space the work is to be fitted. Now draw a few verticals, free-hand, between the guides. If these are not accurate, when tested by the triangle, it means that some practice of this sort will be necessary. Meanwhile, draw at random a few true Verticals with the triangle, and referring to Figure 2 for the forms, sketch in the letters of the word. The mechanical verticals will be of no assistance in spacing, but they will afford, at intervals, a convenient guide, and will prevent the sketched letters from acquiring a slant in either direction. Draw very loosely at [>9] FIGURE 6 SMIffil GfP \imiM. •THEFIRSTBOOK OFTHE FAERIE- QUEENE- ¥ ¥ ¥ •COHTAYNINCr-THE-LEOEHD -OF THE KNIGHT OF THE RED* • CROS&; OROFHOLINE5SE- # •BY- EDMUND vSPEN5ER^ EDITEDBYTHOMAS;J-WXSE# • ANDPORTRAYED 1NA-5ER1E5 • OFDE51CrM5 BY WALTERCR3VWE iff # iff LOWDOH: OEORGE- ALLEN- R1I5KIN-HOU&E* 15' '"./..'¦•' ' - '---j ?' , % * » - < v .v.'1 ¦ * y.A.." i'fAAy *A- ....-_,-¦ -*fri.J«*.-e FIGURE 16. The formation of the serif by right and left chisel cuts in an incised Roman (see Figure 16) and to have a certain proportion to the letter itself. Thus another lasting characteristic was added to the Roman form. To make their letters carry by shadows, the Roman stonecutters some times cut their outlines very wide. The craftsmen of the Renaissance, using the letter more intimately, in metal and on works of smaller scale, remedied this. So the record runs : the Roman letter was evolved from the Greek; the Roman scribes gave it its typical design, and settled the direction of its accents; the Roman builders gave it its serifs, and a more severe architectural form; the Renaissance craftsmen gave it delicacy of drawing and freedom of application; and from them it came into the craft of printing, almost as soon as the new craft had birth. By making a few letters with a broad stub pen, one can easily trace the effect of the flat-pointed reed on the direction of the accented strokes. It is clear that the reed made rules for the writer; when the letter took its place in inscriptions, no alteration from these rules was possible. The accent had become part of the style. The principles of accent are these : All horizontal strokes are light. All strokes sloping upward from left to right are light, except the middle stroke of the letter Z. (In this case the reed had to be turned, and the stroke was really made downward from right to left.) All strokes drawn downward with the reed are heavy. These include all strokes which slope downward from left to right, and all vertical strokes except the verticals of the N and the first vertical of the M (which were originally drawn upward). 12*3 The swell or accent on a curved stroke follows the general principle, the O, for example, being heavy on the sides and light across the top and bottom. The old alphabets contain no special form for the J and U. In supply ing them we follow the principle, making the first stroke of the U down ward (heavy) and the second upward (light). Thus the ancient manner of drawing them gives us an exact principle for accenting the letters. Similarly, if one bears in mind the origin of the serif, one is likely to draw it with some grace, giving it the sharp distinction of the chiselled cut, and rounding it into the vertical without awkward angles or undue mass. FIGURE 17. Diagram showing structural differences between letters of similar shape [>9] The serif gives to the letters in each line a common base — insisting upon the uniformity of the foundation. The fact that each letter has at least one heavy stroke, and that these strokes are placed in a definite and recurring relation to the light strokes, tends to give a formal harmony to the inscription as a whole. Beyond this, the width of each letter is deter mined by its shape — by considerations of design. Certain mechanical contrivances, the typewriter, for example, may require that each letter approach as nearly as possible to the same width ; the result is always to the disadvantage of the style. If we cease to look at the letters as symbols, but as twenty-six repeating elements in a curious band of design, we see at once that each should be given space according to its degree of complication, the interest of its shape, and its value as a rhythmic part of the whole. There is no criterion above the practice of the great designers to deter mine the space due to each shape, so that each letter shall have a reasonable width for its characteristic form. For the Roman letter, Durer, Delia Robbia, Serlio, and a thousand nameless craftsmen of the past five cen turies, have worked out and judged the proper proportion. From the best work we note a general classification of letter widths. Thus letters which divide horizontally the space they occupy, enclosing or partially enclosing areas about half their height, are narrow; this includes B, E, F, K, P, R, and S. Looking at them as design elements, this is easily explained, since these small enclosed areas should obviously not be allowed to take shapes at variance with the general shape of the band. The lobes of the B, if the letter were drawn wide, would cease to bear any harmonious relation to the similar but larger shape of the D. The K and R, by the extension of the swash tails, may be made to fill a wide space where needed, however. The I, L, and J are also classed as narrow, though the I and J always require, in use, a little extra white space at each side. W and M are extra wide. All others are of full width, though not mechanically equal. The round letters, C, D, G, O and Q, should always be given full width to avoid cramping their generous curves; the varia tions of the others from the O are indicated in Figure 17. Each develops, in the best lettering, its own curve, adapted to its own shape but con sonant with the other curves in the alphabet. These round letters have the advantage of spacing closely, to make up in part for the ample width they require within themselves. L>] FIGURE 18 AN ALPHABET <@ %> 88 ABCDEFGH IJtKJKLM NOPOBJQ BJTUV¥ XWX.YZ ROMANESOVE HARRY E. TOWNSEND Modern Roman Capitals. For small letters see Figure 57 In height also a slight variation is necessary. A sharp point, such as the base of the V, will not seem to reach the base line unless it is actually drawn slightly beyond it. On account of this appearance — a mere optical illusion — the A (except where a serif is provided at the top), M, N, V and W all cross the guide lines at their points. The same is true in a less degree of the round letters. But the effect must be executed with care ; only a slight extension is required to correct the appearance when the guide lines are erased. Good Roman lettering has a strong sense of stability; this is sometimes subtly increased by certain details in the drawing, such as rounding the horizontal into the vertical at the base of the D, and leaving the upper junction square inside; a similar step being taken with the E, L, and B. An examination of any of the formal alphabets will show that the dis tribution of heavy and light strokes provided for by tradition will never allow two heavy strokes to be joined without the intervention of a light one (as in the K, where the swash tail takes off from the light upward stroke, not from the vertical). This effectively prevents any spot of black being heavier than the downward stroke, and maintains an even "color" throughout an inscription. For the exact proportions and forms of the letters, one must study, drawing and re-drawing, the best models. In these it may be noted that the width of the heavy stroke is about one-tenth the height of the letter, the light element being two-fifths to one-half as wide as the heavy one. Mechanical measurements are of little value. The student should be able to judge for himself the best proportions, and should practice until this judgment comes easily to him. The correct spacing of formal Roman capitals requires the utmost care, since here again there is no mechanical method. The space between the letters of a word should be judged by the area of white, not by the distance along the guide lines. This area varies in shape, and the eye takes account of the irregular intervals by averaging them roughly. Imagine the letters raised and a viscous fluid poured between them; the shapes it might cover, never running into the corners nor invading far the narrow openings, would be the effective areas of white. Figure 12 illustrates the point. The single stroke letters, I and J, require extra space; the round ones can be closely fitted; the normal space falling where two vertical- sided letters come together. The space between words should be about the width of the narrow L>] FIGURE 19 WILLIAM A. DWIGGINS Modern Roman Capitals — a very personal alphabet letters ; but if the letters within the words are loosely spaced, this must be considerably increased. The wider the spacing, both of letters and words, the more white must be left between lines. If the spacing is close, one may bring the lines as close together as one-fourth their height. The conditions of the problem usually determine the length of the line ; the number of words in each line is determined by the copy, or word ing to be lettered. It remains for the designer to determine the size, or height, of the letter to be used. In Roman capitals, the height may be roughly estimated by dividing the length by the number of letters — that is, allowing a square for each letter and space. This does not work out exactly, however. If not many narrow letters occur in the copy, it may prove necessary to reduce the height of the line. In fact, the student should bear in mind that the height of the line determines the practica bility of any given arrangement, and that it is better to change it at once than to spend hours in a vain effort to make thirty letters go where there is room for only twenty. In drawing a long inscription, you have of course the advantage of a naturally flexible medium; each individual character may be impercep tibly narrowed or widened, and its form may, within certain limits, be changed to fit the space. In an informal inscription it is quite permissible, for instance, to save space where an A follows an L, by taking up the foot of the A and moving it bodily to the left until the raised foot overlaps the base of the L. Other combinations are shown in Figure 94. In taking liberties with the forms of the letters, for the sake of a more compact spacing, one is only following the tradition of the Roman, and nothing new is likely to result. One of the charms of old lettering is its freedom. Many of the results of this spontaneous craftsmanship are no longer useful, since the eye of the reader has become so accustomed to the regularity of type that the freer and more unusual forms are no longer legible. When formal Roman capitals are called for, the inscription is usually important enough to make necessary a high standard of execution. Hence practice work in solid capitals has a special value. The form of the letters, making a rectangular shape of each word, shows that no looseness of" arrangement will be appropriate. The difficulty of rendering the letters free-hand should always be frankly met ; and in practice it is best to work out a specific inscription, to fit a particular space, and to attack it as though for actual use. [5#] FIGURE 20 ABCDEFG H I J KLM N OPORSTU VWXYZ& TfTHAT each letter VY really is, regardless oi now anybody has interpreted it— that's the idea! • j F. G. COOPER Modern Roman Capitals. For small letters see Figure 50 FIGURE 21 Modern Outline Roman Capitals GUIDO ROSA FIGURE 22 HARRY LAWRENCE GAGE Heavy square-serif Roman Capitals FIGURE 23 A5CD0F GH IJ Kly flNORQ P5TUVWWXYZ& *lhc Deign ofi> KING COLE/ Capitals after Charles Robinson. For small letters see Figure 54 FIGURE 24 aBepeFGHUN_nopofs SCCJIW NED HADLEY Capitals and Numerals adapted from modern German sources FIGURE 25 mBCD? EFG HI J KLM NOPClRSTUV ,WXYZ, » 123 8 6754 1 NED HADLEY Modern Capitals and Numerals from French sources FIGURE 26 /^ODERW GER/^K) CAPITAL- LETTERS ARCHlTECTv^RALr- ARCPEFQHIJKI^Oh) PGPROJTVVW^VZI noDeRncerRn^Q C^PIGttL/ L6UC6R5 ^BCDeFonuKLionOPPRSUUVCJKYZ 1234567695321 HELEN E. HARTFORD Modern German Capitals FIGURE 27 TIBK&EF^HIJKLMN VPVR5TWXWyZ 9PQK5TUVXW/VZ dBCD>EFQHIJKimri QPQR5TUVXVA/V2 ABC&^3HJJK(>ttNOPQRSTUVXU/VZ *M3CDEFGHJJKtfnft OPQR5TIA/XVX/V2 HELEN E. HARTFORD Variations of the modern German FIGURE 28 OTDERN - FREE HHND ¦ LETTER GERWN - ma DEFGHJNL/tNO PQR3WVXW7Z INTRODUCING VflRIETY-flND CHARACTER ~ N - COTT/^LS HELEN E. HARTFORD Accented modern German Capitals FIGURE 29 rassras mils nnfirmi& f mm Emmn mm o o JUL 11MI® TOR JHULg&S nmmmmm ummnn I . . . RUDOLPH VON LARISH Outline Capitals in relation to architeclural rendering FIGURE 30 ABCDE FGHIJ RLMN OPQR STUV WXYZ - NORMAN P. HALL Heavy modern Roman Capitals. For small letters see Figure 55 FIGURE 31 QhUKlO MDPQRS TUVWG? fORBRUsh pen OR QU I Ll_ t. w. s. Capitals derived from small letter forms FIGURE 32 HARRY LAWRENCE GAGF," Capitals and small letters influenced by the Japanese i i'/ FIGURE 33 ABCDEFGH IJKLMNOP QJLSTUVW ? XYZ& +- vwxyz * Roman Capitals and small letters written with a wide pen FIGURE 34 ABCDCF GHUKLM dOPQRS ruvtoxvz abcdefg'd ijkimnopq rstuvwxyz (23456789 FORREST C. CROOKS Modern Capitals, small letters and numerals designed for use in cut stencils FIGURE 35 A B C D E F G H I J K L MN O P QJCS TU VWXY Z er~^ (&T&i\in5(S)i 'Title-pages, nook~covers, etc: zeoe & ^Box Eleven , Qer case letters. CTheS} give <\Qide white spaces between the lines, permittinc] an occasional lonq descender. J OSWALD COOPER Modern Roman Capitals and small letters. A fine example of the pendency toward the written style FIGURE 37 AFOOT AND LIGrTPHEATCTED I THE9FPSALM REPRINTED FROM TElONGlAMES VERSIONS JL MCMVI TAKETOTrEOPEN roaD/Keaithv;eree the world before ME ,TJE LONG BRoWN PATH BEFORE ME o LEADINGWHEREVER I CHOOSE. HENCE' FOTOTIASKNcTOfeD'TOKTUNE-IAMGGEIDFORTUNE/KNafbKIH I WHIMPER NOMOKE POSTPONEN0M0RE NEED NOTHINGS STRONG AND CON' TENT I TRAVELTHE OVmVOAD m\mm ETHAT DWEL' LETHIN THESE'CRET place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. BM Will say of the LORD §f He is my refuge &• my fortress: tm> Gob; in him will I trust. I Urely he shall deliver I thee from the snareofthe fowler, anb from the noisome pestilence. C n z. z. 7 WILLIAM A. DWIGGINS Small book pages, showing freely written capitals FIGURE 38 ABCDEFG HIJ KLMN OPQRSTU VWXYZ A'BCD'ET QTilf K.LMKOTQTIS TV VWXYZ abed efg hijklmnopq rstuvwxyz abcdefghijklm nopqrstuvwxyz EGBERT G. JACOBSON Modern Capitals, small letters, and italics FIGURE 39 fah aocae ij klmnop qrstuvw xyz- 1234567 890 Roman small letters and numerals. For capitals see Fig T. W. S. ure 2 CHAPTER IV Roman Small Letters AN inscription in Roman capitals has a dignified, monumental effect. It belongs with stately architecture. Its style has the quality of carving in stone, rather than of the reed-writing which had originally influenced it. When the inscription is extended to a full page, it becomes difficult to read, as well as difficult to execute. The letters must always be "built-up"; they cannot be written. So for work-a-day purposes the small letter, or minuscule, was evolved. The classic Roman, written in a round and loose form, became the Uncial. Drifting still further from the architectural style, the "Rustic" appears as a manuscript letter in the fifth century; and along with this eame an informal combination of Uncials, with certain strokes carried QV0\tsqveT^Nb6a> cMBUTeRe-cxiatosi XBc6ef6ftiJ,a)No FIGURE 40. Pen-drawn imitation of classic manuscript showing Uncial characteristics l55l well above the line as "ascenders," to which the term Half Uncial is applied. All these variants resulted from the effort to make legible Roman letters that could be produced rapidly — in short, to arrive at a running hand. By the eighth century the capitals were recognized as such, and used, in many manuscripts, only as headings and initials, while the body of the work was done in minuscule — small letters. The variants through these formative centuries are most interesting, and many of them, especially those of the Uncial order, are in high favor, as examples, among present-day designers. Toward the final form of the Roman small letters many countries contributed. The Northern variants are often black and spiky, and from them we get our Gothic and black-letter forms ; the beautiful lettering of the Irish manuscripts comes of a fine .and original treatment of the Half Uncial motive. On the Continent the Emperor Charlemagne took a hand in the matter, officially prescribing the use of the "Caroline" letter. The invention of printing found a fairly established usage among the calligraphers, distinguishing between capitals of the old form and small letters. Until they were cast in type, however, the small letters had never found a positive or definitive form. The models of the early typefounders, who were merely trying to reproduce, in a new and less expensive process, the work of the calligraphers, were naturally obtained from the best pen men of the day. Within thirty years from the time the first book issued from the press, there were types in both Roman and black-letter, which, in proportion and design, have never been surpassed. By their history we see that the small letters, or "lower case," as the printers named them, are the newer and commoner form. They still have about them the feeling of the pen and the graver, not that of the chisel. Their broken and irregular word-shape, the wide variation in de sign from letter to letter, and the inevitable accent of the capitals with which they must always be used, all mark out the field of their usefulness as the common reading medium. From the nature of their work it appears that the minuscules do not usually require the exactness of execution, either in form or spacing, of the capitals. The individual letters may differ considerably from the typical form, and, so long as they do not fall out of harmony, the result will gain in richness by their variety. Most students find it possible, with a moderate amount of practice to draw lower case letters easily enough. The chief difficulty is not in the [5<5] FIGURE 41 jj kk 11 mm nn oo p qq ww xx zyy CHARLES H. BARNARD Modern small letters. For capitals see Figure 5 Cap Line Waist " FIGURE 42. BaseDrop — Cap Diagram showing the ruling of guide lines for the construclion of small letters individual character, but in holding a block of words to an even "color" or general tone, without irregular "rivers" of white creeping down the page, and without unsightly variations in the sizes of the letters themselves. In drawing, begin by carefully building up an exercise in letters about a half inch high, with capitals about one inch. Use Figure 39 as a guide, with capitals from Figure 2. The written forms are best undertaken after a careful study of the drawing of the individual characters. The use of vertical guide lines is not likely to be so necessary as when beginning with the capitals, but the horizontal rulings are even more important. Each line of small letters must be built on at least three guide lines: the base line, on which the body letters rest ; the waist line (about half the height of the capitals), marking the tops of the low letters; the capital line, giving the height of the capitals and ascenders. See Figure 42. The drop line, indicating the reach of the descenders, g, p, q, and y, and T^S>^ FIGURE 43. Diagram showing construclion of part-round small letters. The curves would, if continued, pass the vertical strokes [5] lOUare invited to visit VThe Jarvie Shop >on the First Days of its residence inThe 7ine Arts Building: Aoom Six Hundred Thirty- eight, Friday and Saturday the nine teenth and twentieth oi ^May The Jarvie Candlesticks and other Craft Work will be shown. FIGURE 47. Announcement in Roman small letters, showing close spacing between lines CHARLES H. BARNARD [<*?] Here a difficulty develops with the capitals. When the idea is carried to the extreme, these become so high as to overpower the small letters following. Similarly a change of style by changing the proportions of the thick and thin strokes has its limitation. When the weights become too nearly equal, the color of the low letters becomes too heavy, and the design suffers FredS'Bertsch • 1 1 I tenyears at "RoqmniS Athenaeum Buildinr 59 E van BurenStreet nave moved across the haU to 110001703 and theyhaveanew telephone number Harrison5889 May FIGURE 48. Announcement in heavy Roman small letters OSWALD COOPER y an immediate loss of elegance ; when the light strokes become too thin, the page wearies the eyes. In all the other vital characteristics the same need of holding to the golden mean will be found to prevail. In spite of these conditions, the lower case is a rich field for individual and original effort. A designer of strong personality seldom uses one style for any considerable length of time without developing in it a new set of minor variations, making the letter at last as personal as his own hand writing — which, indeed, it is. This is the condition under which the most interesting styles are produced, — the unconscious influence of a personal taste on a reasonable form. L64I FIGURE 49 GHUKMLMNOPO abcd&efgh jklmynopq rsiuvwxz 123456789 HARRY LAWRENCE GAGE Heavy Capitals, small letters, and numerals, adapted to wood block and linoleum cutting FIGURE 50 abcdefghijk, lmnop Q^stu vwxy. 123^67890 THEN interpret it as your own^ — 0 Handietterin£ should be as individual as handwriting Modern Roman small letters. For capital letters see Figure 20. F. G. COOPER FIGURE 51 Lower Case. 88 8? 88 aatbcoddee ff g-gkh i j jj kl lmmnnopp or s f ft t u vw ^w x y^ z Q^ tu « <& <8> Par different these from everv former scene; the cooling brook, the green, HARRY E. TOWNSEND Modern small letters. For capitals see Figure 18 FIGURE 52 Brothers of fa Book MISCELLANEA The Links of Ancient Rome By Payson Sibley Wild and Bert Leston Taylor Privately printed for tke Brothers of theBook^YiM Arts huilding~Cfaicago 1912 . WILL RANSOM Cover design on rough paper FIGURE 53 7000 NORMAN P. HALL Heavy modern small letters. For capitals see Figure 30 FIGURE 54 abcdeffg bijklmrjo pqottuvwxy^yW Jle called for bb Tift: 51er3 iii. Small letters after Charles Robinson. For capitals see Figure 23 FIGURE 55 lpum,Sdiraben.kunfa&K|rilcrif^Schri|t; benut^t: marLom/mjecknid^igfefL ScKbtnUeineleicriE aus-' dem. Schrdbuuerk^eugri^ jiie^eride^pjufil^ votl der bdcu £3/3 ? :, j^rinis* Modern German written linked small letters FIGURE 56 ABCDEFGHIJICL MNOPQRSTUV WXYZ a b c d erV h i j k I m n opqrstuvwx yz 1234567890 ABCDEFGHIJ1CLMNOPORSTUV WXYZ abcdetghijklmn opqrstuvwx y z 1234567890 HARRY LAWRENCE GAGE Unaccented and accented alphabets and numerals, designed for rapid use FIGURE 57 PNNEvosdfc^ Iquodaclhucquant |ormenIes'lunr>etr mefflg venit ? Ecee dicoTO- biV : Levaie oculosVefe>£ ecvidctfercgiones^quia at baefuntjam admeflem.* ETqui metfc,mercedem_-> ABCDEFGHIKLMNOP QRSTUVWXYZJ&3^ abcdefglukuTinopqr&t: u v\^xyzz ft : ; * >: ±i 2* Modern Capitals and small letters influenced by Venetian type designs. May be written with the wide pen FIGURE 58 SINGLE*STR0KE*CAPITAL5 ABCDEFGHl JKLMNOPQ. RSTUVWXYZ 1 nesmzxIL letters .should, ie packed^ closely tjogether in VDrrrihxr worcL5 aDcaeronijkimnopo^^tXLv xwxyz, SHADED * CAPS. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP QRSTUVWXYZi23*36789 I he^e, letters aoG^uire. 2\ o oo ^Q of tie tool used ~& steel 0Q Jl pen of medium. Size — — IT FREE - PEN - ALPHABETS BASED^ON^ CLASSIGFORMS Capitals and small letters for informal inscriptions JAMES HALL FIGURE .59 AH-AlphAbGTOF cnobGon- QGQnoAn rOGBApl6uSG-OP EG6l5pGQpOinT 5implG • GFFGCTIVG Abc6GFqhijkLfrin OpQBSTaVOJX-VZ HELEN E. HARTFORD Free small letters after the modem German FIGURE 60 iden QueKftifU) Afeichturaclofarae %, jzi^afoqpapBl^ Modern German linked small letters CHAPTER V Italics THE italic form came of the need for a rapid, cursive letter — the need which produced all the various families of small letters. While the calligrapher dealt in chronicles and Books of Hours, a slow and patiently-made letter served. But the literary men of the Renaissance burned with a desire for expres sion, and made for themselves a style of writing that could be used before the inspiration cooled. The patrons were also to be considered: a poem gained much from being clearly and gracefully written out. The times required that the work of scholars be done in a beautiful manner. The printers, when they came upon the scene, followed the fashion, and certain Aldine books, printed wholly in Italic (a style traditionally founded on the hand-writing of Petrarch, but engraved for type by Francesco of Bologna), attained and still hold a very high reputation. The Spanish writing books of the sixteenth century furnish many beau tiful italic forms, some of them verging upon linked script, and provide explicit directions for the writing of the letters stroke by stroke. To the student who wishes to attain skill in direct writing, rather than in the more laborious and exact method of building up letters, a careful study of the italic is to be specially recommended. The forms, being immediately derived from written work, and never deeply influenced by any carved style, adapt themselves readily to the pen ; and a mastery of them is excellent preparation for the more difficult Roman forms. The student should prepare himself, however, in both fields, by carefully build ing up a few exercises, on a scale larger than is possible to single-stroke writing, in order that he may investigate the actual drawing of the letters before attempting to^vrite them directly. In ruling for italics, one should draw a series of slant lines over the page, to avoid variations in the angle. These lines should be perfectly parallel, but may be at any interval. The most convenient method is to [77] FIGURE 61 abcdefqhi) mno stupiwcyz T ¦ j r ,. 7 . FRANK CHOUTEAU BROWN Incised English script, from "Letters and Lettering" WJKLMN OPQRSTU VWXYZ& FIGURE 62. Italic Capitals. For small letters see Figure 38 T. w. s. set the paper obliquely on the drawing board, so that the T-square will fit the angle ; when the slant lines have been ruled, the paper is reset in a vertical position. There is no exact or authoritative angle of slope. In extreme styles the angle becomes as great as twenty-five or even thirty degrees from the verti cal. From twelve to twenty degrees may be considered the normal range. In estimating the space required by a given copy, it is safe to assume that the italic will take less than the Roman. In character it is affected by all the means employed to vary the Roman, and in addition to these, by a number of hand-writing features, turned-up serifs and the like. In its most formal style it is simply the Roman letter slanted. Where indi viduality is desired it leans toward script. [7P] Italic is usually well suited to work which suggests a casual or spon taneous motive. While not so legible at long range as Roman, it has an effect of emphasis combined with elegance not easily obtained in any other way. In the form of a nearly vertical script-italic, drawn up in panels, a quaint dignity appears in it. A greater slant and some judicious flourishing of the capitals gives one a rather elaborate medium which was beautifully used by the Louis XV engravers. It may also be effectively used in connection with Roman, following the Georgian or Colonial fashion ; in this the italic is somewhat flourished, and is reserved for connectives and unimportant words, the Roman capitals serving for emphasis. Where used with many italics, the Roman should be varied somewhat — the round letters being accented in the direction of the italic slant. The invention of the typewriter has, to a large extent, done away with the practice of beautiful court hands and engrossing scripts. While penmanship is doubtless more rich in individual character than ever, beauty has passed from its fashion. The student will find more suggestive material, of assistance in developing fine script letters, and thence italics, in old and official chirography. defgfiy klmnopqrrstuvwwxyyzg FIGURE 63. Italic small letters. For capitals see Figure 62. * T. w. s. [>] FIGURE 64 %. Q9f999C£ of&U&WX etcetera TStUVVJX\)2L , . . ; LAWRENCE ROSA Italic-script Capitals and small letters. A fine variant of the French engraver's manner FIGURE 65 , .. _ . . T. W. S. Italic Capitals, extreme slant FIGURE 66 1 i ABCDEFG HIJKUMN vwx.yz&. Taste & space, Oratozr Man Simplicity in Jlrrangrement hover, Unigtze fwkjicys db M. ELIZABETH COLWELL Italic Capitals and small letters FIGURE 67 WSCD&T&HU 1 One mars al Ihe sprincr cAnadays^ at tne morn; cMornincfs at seven; me hillsides aew~pearlea; Jne larks on tne wind; J fie snails on trie thorn: cfoas in his heaven ~— €gicj\zM NT RJJ 8? Courtesy of the American Type Founders Company FIGURE 72 Cloister Italic L ABCDEFGHIJ KLMNOPQRSTUV WXYZ& abcdef ghi jklmno pars tuvwxyz'vwkftftfifffl $LA234$J}A/-A()SL qA e g j '&!%¥ Courtesy of the American Type Founders Company FIGURE 73 Pabst Italic ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQ RSTUVWXY Z&Qu£$S£ 'BTtgMM'P'R'T 1234567890 . ahcdefgnijk/mn oft qrstuvwxyzpffflfp Courtesy of the American Type Founders Company CHAPTER VI The Gothic Forms IN the course of its decline the classic Roman letter went through many changes, taking on characteristic styles in many lands. Some of these were of great beauty and interest, but so far from the letters with which we are familiar as to be virtually illegible to us. One, however, attained a fairly definite form, and was used with consid erable regularity for centuries ; this was the Uncial, which was also known as the Lombardic letter. As this style spread northward it came to be written in a more con densed form, very heavy, with spiky terminals ; — the usual result in vari ations of a Germanic origin. This variant called Black-letter was strong and rich, but not legible except to the experienced eye. In using it for missals and Books of Hours it became convenient, because the contents of a page could not be taken in at a glance, to mark the initials strongly; also the letters beginning the separate verses. Thus the capitals became extremely heavy and complicated in design. At the time1 of the invention of printing, Black-letter and the more open variants were in common use. Many of the earlier types were founded on these letters. Caxton took six different fonts of them to England. Jenson gave up the use of his beautiful Roman letter for them, because they saved space. In Germany they survive in common use, scarcely altered from the types cut by Peter Schoeffer of Mainz, except in some loss of virility. In the nomenclature used by printers and type-founders these letters are called Old English, or Text. Historically they are called Gothics. As the historical name relates the style correctly to the use of the word Gothic in the arts, it will be used here, since we are considering letters and not types. (In printing, a square sanserif Roman, with strokes of equal weight, is called Gothic.) To distinguish further, the heavy forms of letters in which the black stroke overpowers the enclosed white, will be referred to as Black-letter; the more open forms as Round Gothic. The Uncial letter, shifting through the Half Uncial, bridged a gap between the classic Roman capitals and the small letter. This Uncial, M FIGURE 74 A & r & * f %\ p/ 7 , ., ,-, . , , ALBERT DURER, I COO . Black-letter Capitals and small letters while essentially a capital, has no small letter of its own, since the Gothic small letter is a later development. But the Uncial as the ancestor of the Gothic or Text capital, may properly be used with Gothic small letters. FIGURE 75. Black letter written with a wide pen HARRY LAWRENCE GAGE a The Gothic capital in Jact, grew out of this association of Uncials with Black-letter; its chief object was to mark a place, to emphasize a begin ning. It grew heavy and complicated, isolating itself from the general tone of the page. Its history and design alike forbid that it be used alone. [PJ] fl^cdpfg^tfmnoflcn^ratmj/B 3 :i2?45^7^o : wm:und:trai : rafDffBiriiiunnii FIGURE 76. Modern German Round Gothic capitals, small letters and numerals : To state the matter again. Uncials (Lombard Gothic Capitals) may be used solid, without small letters. Uncials may be used as capi tals with Round Gothic or Black-letter small letters. Round Gothic and Black-letter capitals (Old English) must be used with small letters, never as solid capitals. To the last statement an experienced designer may find an occasional exception. It does not apply to the simpler forms, in which the Roman influence is strongly felt, such as the Troy and Chaucer types of William Morris. Gothic letters afford a greater variety than other styles, chiefly be cause they were never fully developed. The plainer forms of Round Gothic and Black-letter may be executed easily — written, in fact — with a wide stub or quill pen. This accomplishment requires some practice, however, and careful ruling-up, both with horizontal and vertical guides. See Figure 83. Black-letter is an open field for the letterer because it is not practicable to produce its best effects with type. At its height it is a rich, virile style, bound closely together, letter to letter, and legible only to the accustomed eye. Hence one should be careful to employ it only in brief inscriptions, or in combinations easily recognized by the average reader. It is not necessary to cumber the memory with the intricate drawing of the Text capitals. The Uncial form, on the other hand, is easily drawn and can be frequently used, as can also the plainer styles of Round Gothic and Black-letter. The drawing of these should be thoroughly mastered and practiced by the student of lettering. [p#] FIGURE 77 Cloister pack ftr&g&t^u ». au $1234567890 Courtesy of the American Type Founders Company FIGURE 78 akbefyhtMmnoj)<)t$ From a 14th Century MS. Uncial Capitals with narrow Gothic small letters FIGURE 79 FRED STEARNS Uncial {Lombardic) Gothic Capitals FIGURE 80 HARRY LAWRENCE GAGE Italian Gothic Capitals. Adapted from an inscription in silver repousse FIGURE 81 he: Bractefetter, tax of flj^jOTrfj; teles^formalaitfi ad- mite of tootf freedom in trtattti&t tfian foe R.oman.Jn^l«;dfe trail turns, Qhqland" a-s-a-v Original variations on a Gothic Alphabet CHARLES H. BARNARD FIGURE 82 FRANK CHOUTEAU BROWN English Gothic Capitals and small letters from "Letters and Lettering" FIGURE 83 TOD WAM& r (Eofenlife HARRY LAWRENCE GAGE Gothic Capitals and small letters written with a wide pen FIGURE 84 M. ELIZABETH COLWELL Design in Gothics. The original was printed with the outline in red FIGURE 85 An Illustrated Monthly Magazine of FINE & APPLIED ART Edited by Charges Holmjs Tub lis bed by John Lane The Bodley Head at 140 Fifth ^ve New York Price 35 centj YeaTly Subscription $3.50 post paid WILL BRADLEY Cover design showing an interesting use of Italics CHAPTER VII The Praclical Problem WHEN you have chosen the proper style for a given piece of work, you have taken the most important step toward the perfect end. What remains to be done is matter for skill, and skill alone ; the choice of the style, the original plan, involves taste and invention as well as skill. Since taste and invention cannot be had from a book we shall make no futile efforts to explain their application. But, eliminating as far as possible the element of personality, a plan of attack may he given. Let us suppose a problem. A title-page for a privately printed edition is ordered; the copy is as follows: ANDREA DEL SARTO Called the Faultless Painter A Poem by Robert Browning The copy may be used in full, or only the essential words; information about the printer and publisher should be reserved for the colophon. The title and matter of the book may suggest an old Italian Gothic, as shown in Figure 80. If the title-page is to be hand lettered, type effects are evidently not wanted, and this letter has not been successfully reduced to type. In fact its best use from the beginning, has been mural and decorative. In spacing it is not extremely flexible; so we assume a simple arrangement of the copy, and fill the short lines with florets in keeping with the letter, and pencil the copy in a close block. The result has a certain "fifteenth-century feeling," but is decidedly black. Some effort may be made to relieve this quality by the use of a rule, leaving considerable white space around the letters, and reducing their size in proportion. Still they are black. We might improve the proportions of the page, but this characteristic would remain. It may be taken to indicate that these letters are best adapted for use in places where strong color contrasts are not to appear, or where great blackness is desired. On a colored cover paper, printed in medium tones, they might serve [jo4] better, but to the modern eye they remain somewhat difficult. For ref erence, let the note be inked in, roughly, as in Figure 86. Leaving the more formal manner for a moment, we may attempt a simple arrangement using a free Roman capital form derived from the lower-case, Figure 88. This presents the title in a simple, unassuming fashion, and leaves abundant space for decoration of almost any sort. But we cannot fail to see that this is too casual. The right thing is not to be done so easily. However beautifully we may decorate the page, the inscription itself, the central motive, will lack the dignity that is its prime reason for being. Laying aside, for the present at least, the possibilities of the solid block of capitals, an experiment with a modern form may be made, using the ribbon inscription which is so popular with some English publishers. By this means we succeed in calling proper attention to the words "Andrea del Sarto" and "Robert Browning," setting the subsidiary words back against the field. In this line of work it will usually be found necessary to add something in the nature of floral or conventional pattern, in order to hold the ribbons together; or this end may be accomplished in a still simpler fashion by ruling of an architectural character. Some attraction could easily be added in a little clever handling of the ribbons, giving them an effect of relief; but this, being factitious and apart from any real accom plishment with the inscription, would only carry us still further from our object, which is to arrive by continued experiment at a just and work manlike solution of the problem. Looking back at the complete copy, we can scarcely fail to see in the phrase "Called the Faultless Painter," a suggestion leading to the Georgian or Colonial style. A few minutes' work in this direction will produce a sketch similar to Figure 89, possessing a slight resemblance to old work and having about it a quaint sense of variety. While we feel sure this might be improved considerably in detail, it serves to show that the manner and matter do not suit one another, even if we apply no other test than an elementary historical one. When we experiment with this title in Black-letter, we shall find it profitable to divest the copy of all superficial matter. The average reader has no such aversion to Black-letter as is usually credited to him, but he demands it in small doses, that he may feel its rich, decorative effect without encountering difficulty in reading. Using the copy in its shortest form, and selecting an old English Gothic (following the excellent ren- Liosl FIGURE 86 FIGURE 87 ROB6RIWBROffilfflKa I Called The Faultlefs Painter "h By-Robert [T Jj Browning \l FIGURE 88 aT)DRea-DeL SARtoapoen) &>ROBetcr BROwnms ANDREA Culled ®ne*sb ££4UUT'LEfS-* Z&fihzTRpLA PO EM ^Robert Browning FIGURE 89 Rough notes for a title page T. w. s. dering by Mr. Frank Chouteau Brown, Figure 82), we obtain a page similar to that suggested by Figure 90. This is more promising, and a little experimenting in shifting the relative positions of the title wprds might reveal something still more pleasing. But there still remains the opportunity to use, in perfect harmony . with the text, the Renaissance Roman letter. It will bring up some special UoMBtDurarai L FIGURE 90 FIGURE 91 difficulties, among them a demand for more careful execution than all the others. It will be plain and not far removed in character from the capitals of some of our best types ; in fact the chief advantage over type in the page we propose will be the superiority of free spacing and an absolute choice of proportions. Beginning with a mere suggestion of the spaces filled by the words we arrive at a note like that shown in Figure 91. This is, of course, one of a large number of possibilities, in arrangement, as the optional copy leaves us a wide latitude in that direction. Following this sketch, how ever, one obtains a page like Figure 92. The foregoing section, which may seem very elementary to the expe rienced reader, does not present the only way of arriving at the given con- O07] FIGURE 92 rr ANDREA DEL SARTO A POEM 11 ROBERT BROWNING T. W. S. elusion, nor is any single step mentioned either necessary or inevitable. But for the craftsman whose work in this field is beginning, some special ized, concrete exemplification of principles must be made. From this we may deduce a more general expression. In any piece of lettering the object to be achieved is the presentation of a given inscrip tion in the most suitable and beautiful manner. That the inscription may be suitable and beautiful, we should first determine its relative impor tance. If it be the vital part of the design in which it stands, everything else should be subordinated to it. If it be merely explanatory, nothing can excuse the arrogance which permits the lettering to draw attention from the main issue. When the value of the inscription is determined, its placement must be effected in exact accord with this, regardless of the .temptation to "give the lettering a show." For beauty, harmony between the lettering and ornament is of course essential. But since each problem presents this question anew, the general principles could scarcely be presented except in connection with a study of ornament. The discerning student will of course recognize that a deci sion on the basis of historical association cannot fail to be helpful; he will also see that the Romans represent the plain form, that Gothics bring* into the inscription a sense of elaboration, and Italics a feeling of script-like informality. t/%f CHAPTER VIII Phases of Letter Design JUST as the forms of letters are strongly influenced by the manner of their making — building-up or writing — so their values as orna ment have been similarly affected. The styles which attained their height in carved stone, as the classic Roman, carry with them the mark of the architect, and incidentally are still preserved in their purity by architects. The carved letter, when rendered on-paper, naturally becomes a built- up letter. It suggests dignity and permanence. The Italic forms, more swiftly written, suggest grace and informality. One has only to use the different forms as head lines for a body of small letters, in order to see how strongly each manifests its character. With the Roman capitals, the whole inscription takes on an air of sober regularity, as of Roman building; with the Gothic, a richer and more decorative look, suited, by long typo graphical association, to churchly uses; and with the Italic, the whole inscription becomes more casual, perhaps even, if the Italic be flourished, fantastic and gallant. These characteristics of the various letters should of course be used to the advantage of the work to be designed. But the letters themselves may offer decorative possibilities beyond those of mere association. In type, each letter has its own field, and its own work to do. Begin drawing it, and you find that it may also fit itself into a piece of ornament. Carry this a little further, and you begin making ornamental designs, usually monograms and ciphers, out of the letter forms themselves. In designing pages one often needs a decorative spot to occupy a cer tain space or "field." One may draw a conventionalized flower form or a bit of abstract ornament, taking care that it harmonize in tone and measure with the letters. Or one may take a certain combination of letters themselves, and weave them into a monogram, equally decorative, [z/o] FIGURE 93 E. A. TURBAYNE Monograms from "Monograms and Ciphers" and at the same time significant in connection with the rest of the design. In doing this the chief consideration is of course that an interesting spot, a pleasant and effective shape, shall result. But if it is also necessary that the meaning of the constituent letters shall be clear, then their order and legibility have also to be considered. Facility in arranging monograms and ciphers is so valuable to the craftsman that some time may well be devoted to such practice. Some combinations of letters give happy results with little study ; others prove difficult and intractable. For trade purposes, the metal-chaser's method of interlacing flourished Italics is perhaps the easiest and surest, but this arrives at a conventional result, lacking in interest and variety. A legitimate monogram of Roman letters is one in which some stroke of each letter serves also as a stroke in one of the others ; and the whole is excellent as it possesses a characteristic shape and a piquant or ingenious division of spaces. In ciphers the idea of interest as ornament is carried still further, legibility without the key .to the design being abandoned. In practical work, one should begin by setting down the letters of the problem in capitals, in small letters, and perhaps in Uncials. Thus all the shapes with which one may play are evident. Take the capitals and try them superimposed, feeling for strokes which may be common to two of the letters ; then try them partially superimposed, in a triangle. Some of the most successful monograms are built at the top of a long vertical stem, and are apparently almost symmetrical. If an interesting result does not appear among the capitals, try the small letters ; then the Uncials. The monogram should not, as a rule, mix the forms, though occasional fortunate combinations of capitals and small letters, harmonized in a measure by giving the whole an informal treatment, may be found. One should examine the problem to find out how many of the letters involved are symmetrical, or readily reversible. The result, barring the accident of the very easy combinations, will serve as a test of the student's inven tion, power of design, and knowledge of the letter forms.1 Exercises of this sort, which tend to develop in the student a feeling for beauty and design in lettering, are to be highly recommended. In fact, a quickened and critical alertness in regard to all the uses of letters should be cultivated. Fine letter forms are occasionally to be discovered upon 1 Note. The subject of monograms is well illustrated in Turbayne's "Monograms and Ciphers" (Published by The Prang Company), and in French & Meiklejohn's "The Essentials of Lettering." ZlI2j TOLA/VDIN 5VKSETLW FIGURE 94. An example of combined letters and monograms in a title sign boards and tombstones, and dull and commonplace ones upon pre tentious buildings. The most fertile field of observation, especially in recent years, is that of typography. Some of the most skillful living craftsmen adorn with letters the advertising pages of the magazines, and even, in some cases, the advertising cards in the street cars. Many modern types are of great interest to the letterer. Some of these are not readily obtainable for study, being held as the private property of great presses or of the designers themselves. In this class one might mention the two designs made by William Morris for the Kelmscott Press; the beautiful Doves Press type of Emery Walker; the free and unusual "Humanistic" fount designed by Mr. William Dana Orcutt; Mr. Bruce Rogers' grave and dignified "Montaigne," cut for the River side Press; Mr. Ralph Fletcher Seymour's personal type; and a number of the faces designed by Mr. Frederick W. Goudy. Mr. Goudy has gone further, however, and has worked out many faces, all strongly impressed with his personality and craftsmanship, for the regular channels of the trade. These types, and the lifelong experience of authentic artists in the designing of letters which lies behind them, have exercised a deep influence upon current typography. The student will find much to admire in the common work of the day, as well as in the writing of classic and Renaissance masters. It is, in fact, the strength of present work that requires of the student resourcefulness and a high standard of execution. To be slipshod is out of the question ; to be merely correct and impersonal is likewise to fall short. The craftsman who would succeed must contribute achievements at once learned and individual. [«JJ FIGURE 95 W/£ INTERNATIONAL STVDIO An Illustrated Monthly Maga zine of FINE 63b APPLIED ART 'Edited by) Charxes Holme Published &> John Lane The BodlevHead at i4i0 Fifth eAve NewYor ks Trice j^cents «*\earJy^Sub- scription J&.$b post paid* Cover design in the Georgian style WILL BRADLEY FIGURE 96 AT THE DIRECTION /- we have entered your name up' on our list for a subscription to The Ladies Home Journal for the coming year.W^ hope that the copies we shall have the pleasure or mailing may prove to oe twelve pleasant reminders or the friend who sends this token. ^The Curtis Publishing Comfiany, Philadelphia FREDERICK W. GOUDY Lettering with border FIGURE 97 ABCDFE GHIJKLM NOP QRST U V W XYZ efgbb )nopq rsttuuu) xyz WILLIAM DANA ORCUTT ¦ Humanistic Type FIGURE 98 Caslon Oldstyle Roman No. 471 ( From the original matrices ) ABCDEFGH I JKLMNOPQ RSTUVWXY Z E CE & abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzd: seffiffflffimce i23456789o£ L Courtesy of the American Type Founders Company FIGURE 99 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE UN EQUAL SPACING OF CAPITALS OF IRREGULAR SHAPE IS OFT EN UNDERRATED < FAULT IS SOMETIMES FOUND WITH CAP ITALS AS AWKWARDLY FITTED WHEN THE COMPOSITOR IS AT FAULT- HE DOES NOT SEE THAT IT IS HIS DUTY TO RECTIFY BY SPACING THE GAPS PRODUCED BY COMBINATIONS OF TYPES OF IRREGULAR SHAPE < THE EXPERT TYPE FOUNDER DOES ALL HE CAN IN THE DE SIGN AND FITTING OF THE FACE ON ITS PROPER BODY TO PREVENT NEEDLESS GAPS 'BUT HE CANNOT MATERIALLY AL- TER THE SHAPE OF AN IR REGULAR CHARACTER' FREDERICK W. GOUDY Forum Type FIGURE 100 KENNERLEY OLD STYLE Mr. Bernard Newdigate writing on "British Types for Printing Books1' in The Art of the Book, has to say of Mr.Goudyand the Kennerley type: Intelligent study of Italian models also gives us the Kennerley type de signed by the American, Mr. Goudy. This type is not in any sense a copy of early letter, it is original. Besides being beautiful in detail his type is beautiful in the mass; and the letters when set into words seem to lock in- to one another with a closeness com mon in the letter of early printers, but rare in modern type. Since the first Caslon begail casting type about the year 1723, no such excellent let ter has been put within reach of English printers. (This is 24 pt. size. FREDERICK W. GOUDY Kennerley Old Style Type / FIGURE 101 Pabst Oldstyle ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQ RSTUVWXY ZJECE&£ abcdeTghijhlmnop qrstuvwxyzaeoen fl ffl 7Ae an d of fi ffi $1234567890 Courtesy of the American Type Founders Company FIGURE 102 Cloister Oldstyle L ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRRSTTUVWXY Z&Qu# abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz&fifl 1234567890 1234567890 Courtesy of the American Type Founders Company