lettering
Drawn alphabet forms
Lettering is the act of inscribing letters or the letters themselves once inscribed.
It refers to both the process and the product: The lettering on the sign took three hours, The gold lettering had faded.
The word often implies deliberate style or craftsmanship, distinguishing it from ordinary handwriting: hand lettering, brush lettering.
Written words for performance
- flourishTo grow vigorously
- swashWater flowing over ground
- brushworkPainter's stroke method
- penmanshipSkill of forming letters
nib · ink · quill · italic · cursive · ornamental · handwriting · strokes
Lettering style design
- serifLetter terminal flourish
- sans-serifType without terminal strokes
- glyphVisual form of character
- kerningLetter-pair spacing adjustment
tracking · leading · ligature · typeset · font · bold · italic · roman
Shaping by cutting away
- engravingCarving into hard surfaces
- etchingAcid-incised metal print
- chiselingCutting with edged tool
- monumentStructure honoring someone remembered
epitaph · tombstone · memorial · stela · tablet · hieroglyphics · cuneiform · runes
Applying decorative gold coating
- vinylSynthetic resin plastic
- decalsAdhesive printed designs
- storefrontRetail facade facing street
- marqueeTheater entrance canopy
neon · dimensional · hand-painted · pinstriping · window · vehicle · banner · wayfinding
script
Written words for performance
penmanship · nib · ink · quill · italic · cursive · ornamental · handwriting · strokes · copperplate
typeface
Lettering style design
- serifLetter terminal flourish
- sans-serifType without terminal strokes
- glyphVisual form of character
kerning · tracking · leading · ligature · typeset · font · bold · italic · roman · uppercase
carving
Shaping by cutting away
monument · epitaph · tombstone · memorial · stela · tablet · hieroglyphics · cuneiform · runes · lapidary
gilding
Applying decorative gold coating
- vinylSynthetic resin plastic
- decalsAdhesive printed designs
- storefrontRetail facade facing street
marquee · neon · dimensional · hand-painted · pinstriping · window · vehicle · banner · wayfinding · gold leaf
tagging
Attaching identifying markers
- spraypaintPressurized pigment in cans
- throwupsRapid graffiti lettering style
- piecesParts of something divided
tags · aerosol · mural · stencil · burner · outline · fill · drips · caps · blockbuster
- comic artcomic, comics, comic book, cartoon, manga
- calligraphyChinese calligraphy, Japanese calligraphy, Arabic calligraphy, Islamic calligraphy, blackletter
- script letteringcursive, script font, calligraphy, copperplate, Spencerian
- etched glassfrosted glass, sandblasted glass, stencil work, floral designs, geometric patterns
- sign paintinggold leaf, gilding, wooden signs, sandwich boards
- creative activitiessketching, doodling, painting, drawing, sculpting
letteringtypography
Arranging letters for display
typesetting · font selection · type · movable type · typing
letteringillustration
Picture explaining something
imagery · pictographs · iconography · photography · graphics
- hand letteringManually drawn decorative text
- Gothic letteringAngular medieval script style
- tattoo letteringText inked into skin
- raised letteringElevated printed characters
- stylized letteringDecorated written characters
- custom lettering