Draw Your Alphabets

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princeton architecural press new york


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Published by

Princeton Architectural Press

37 East Seventh Street

New York, New York 10003

Vis it our w ebs i te a t w ww .papress .com

2013 The Ivy Press Limit ed

All r ights reserved

P r inted a nd bound in C hina

Color origina tion by Ivy Press Reprographics

16 15 14 13 4 3 2 1 First ed itio n

No par t o f th i s book may be used or reproduced in any

ma nner w i thout wr i t ten permiss ion f rom the publ i sher,

except in the contex t o f reviews .

Every reasona ble a t tempt ha s been mad e to ident i fyow ners of copyright . Errors or omissions w il l be corrected

in subsequent edi t ions .

This book wa s conce ived, des igned, and produced by

Ivy Press

210 High St reet, Lewes , Eas t Sus sex, BN7 2NS, UK

Creative Director : Peter Bridgew at er

Publisher: Susan Kelly

Comm issioning Editor : Sophie Coll ins

Art Director : Wayn e Blad es

Senior Editor : Jayne Ansell

Designer: Tony Seddo n

For Princeton Architectu ral Press :

Project Mana ger: Nicola Bedna rek Brower

Cover Design: Paul Wagn er

Specia l th anks to : Sara Bader , Jane t Behning , Fann ie Bushin ,

Megan Carey, Carina Cha , Andrea Chlad , Russell Ferna nd ez,

Jan Hartm an , Jan Haux, Jennifer Lippert , Jacob Moore,

Kath arine Myers , Margaret Rogalski , Elan a Sch lenker,

Dan S imon, Sara S tem en, Andrew S tepanian , an d Joseph Wes ton

of Princeto n Architectura l PressKevin C. Lippert , publisher

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sedd on, Tony , 1965

Draw your ow n a lphabe ts : th i r ty fonts to s cr ibble , ske tch , and

ma ke your own /Tony Sed don .First edition.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-61689-126-8

1. Lette ring. 2. Alpha bets . I. Title.

NK3600.S485 2013

745.619dc23

2012032552


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CONTENTSAbout Ha nd Let ter ing 6

Developin g a Skil l Set 7

Tra cin g & Ta m pe rin g 8

Unders ta nd ing Let ter form s 9

The Alphabets 11

How to Use Your Fonts 143How Comput ers Han dle Fon ts 144

Bitm a p Versus Vecto r 146

Draw ing & Scan ning Font s 148

Draw ing w ith Vec tors 150

Digit izing Your Fon ts 152

The Ana tom y of a Font 156

Glossa ry 157

About th e Fon t Designers 159

Acknowledgments 160


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A BOUT HA N D L ETTERI N G

a m - @ d a p

ABOUT HAND LETTERING

o a PC, s n b

@s @s s ty ,


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DEVEL OPI N G A SK I L L SET

Wok a t b ( e y )

DEVELOPING A SKILL SET


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TRA CI N G & TA MPERI N G

TRACING & TAMPERING

s 148149


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UN DERSTA N DI N G L ETTERFORMS

UNDERSTANDING LETTERFORMS

(o r g, r )

( 156 @y a )


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THEALPHABETS


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THE A L PHA BETS

ANATOMY OF THE FONTEach glyph from the character set of

Butterman appears to be cut from a single

block. Character widths are proportional to

allow for conventionally spaced lettering, and

round glyphs are based on perfect circles.

KEY FONT DETAILS None of the glyphs feature counters or eyes.

Some lower case glyphs, such as the s,

echo the upper case forms, while others

contain slightly more detail.

NATURAL PARTNERS

The chunky three-dimensional charactersof this font need a strong partner, so try a

solid geometric sans serif, such as Klavika

or Scala Sans.

BUTTERMAN

All glyphs are

solid blocks

The S isconstructed from apair of semicircles

FONT FEATURES


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BUTTERMA N


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THE A L PHA BETS

BUTTERMAN


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DRAW YOUR OWN

BUTTERMA N


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FONT FEATURES

THE A L PHA BETS

ANATOMY OF THE FONTA variable alignment to the baseline helps to

give this font the impression that its hovering

in the air. The winglike embellishments vary in

size and position from glyph to glyph, creating

a charming sense of animated movement.

KEY FONT DETAILS Counters are rounded for some glyphs (D, O,

P, and Q) and squared for others (A, B, and R).

Cloud embellishments mean letter spacing

must be kept very loose.

NATURAL PARTNERS

This is a singular font, but many sans seriftext fonts, such as Univers,could partner

it well. You could also try a slab serif, such as

Rockwell(look at the upper case I).

CUPID

Some glyphshave much largerdecorative details

There is littleor no consistency

in stem weights


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CUPI D


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Whynotturncupidsintoangelsbyembellishingwithatiltedhalo?

THE A L PHA BETS

CUPID


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DRAW YOUR OWN

CUPI D


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THE A L PHA BETS

ANATOMY OF THE FONTThe majority of glyphs in this typeface

feature additional line work running parallel

to the stems, enhancing the sketched look

associated with Ralph Steadman. A double

line at the end of the stems and cross

strokes form serifs.

KEY FONT DETAILS Counters are completely solid, meaning

some glyphs appear to be much bolder.

The tail of the Q is formed from the

same double line style as the serifs.

Lower case a has no serifs.

NATURAL PARTNERS A neat serif font, such as New

Baskervilleor Bell,will work well

with this free-form font with its own small

serif details.

STEADMAN

Counters arecompletely solidwherever they occur

Some lower case glyphslack serif details

FONT FEATURES


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STEA DMA N


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THE A L PHA BETS

STEADMAN


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DRAW YOUR OWN

STEA DMA N


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FONT FEATURESANATOMY OF THE FONTOne of the more detailed fonts in this book,

Science Lesson actually uses just a few basic

elements to construct the relatively complex

letterforms. The letters use a repeat molecule

to join each stroke formed by hand-drawn

rules. At first glance, the font appears to be

monospaced, but it is, in fact, proportional.

KEY FONT DETAILS The B is formed from diagonal, vertical,

and horizontal strokes to avoid potential

misidentification as an 8, which is formed

from only diagonal strokes.

The Q is the only glyph with strokes thatcross without a linking molecule element.

NATURAL PARTNERS The scientific theme of this illustrative

font should be carried through to accompanying

text using fonts such as DINorNeotech.

SCIENCE LESSON

The B is formedfrom diagonal, vertical,and horizontal strokes

Strokes cross withouta linking moleculeforming a joint

THE A L PHA BETS


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SCI EN CE L ESSON


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SCIENCE LESSON

THE A L PHA BETS


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SCI EN CE L ESSON

CONTROL CHAOS


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FONT FEATURES

THE A L PHA BETS

ANATOMY OF THE FONTA more conventional typeface than some of

the others featured in this book, Control Chaos

features proportional character widths with

glyphs more or less aligned to a consistent

baseline. Tight spacing of this relatively

condensed font makes it useful for headlines

or comic book speech bubbles.

KEY FONT DETAILS The leg of the R terminates slightly above

the baseline.

The lower bowl of the S is much larger

than the upper bowl.

NATURAL PARTNERS Dont be tempted to pair any typeface with

a cartoon look to this font. Try bolder sans

serifs, such as Franklin Gothicor

Lucida Sans.

CONTROL CHAOS

The leg of theR terminatesabove the baseline

The lower bowlof the S isproportionallymuch larger


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CON TROL CHA OS


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THE A L PHA BETS

CONTROL CHAOS


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DRAW YOUR OWN

CON TROL CHA OS

ORIGAMI


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FONT FEATURES

THE A L PHA BETS

ANATOMY OF THE FONTUndoubtedly, a novelty font with specific

potential usage, Origamis structure closely

follows paper-folding rules. Shading on the areas

of each glyph that are behind others enhance

the three-dimensional qualities of the font.

KEY FONT DETAILS The cross strokes are double thickness

in order to stay true to the limitations of

real origami.

All glyphs are lower case.

NATURAL PARTNERS Origami, by its very nature, is highly

structured, so a structured sans serif will

partner it well. Take a look at Eurostile,

or perhapsJeunesse Sans,if you want

to combine Origami with running text.

ORIGAMI

The e is missingits counter

Cross strokes aredouble-thickness folds


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ORI GA MI

ORIGAMI


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THE A L PHA BETS

ORIGAMI

Fold, fold, and foldagan... and maybe fold a

fe tme more,dependn on wch leryoure creatn...

Sar ih srpof paper...

Draw Your Alphabets

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