The Essentials of Lettering: A Manual for Students and Designers (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Thomas Ewing French

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0265841305 ISBN 13: 9780265841303

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Discover the timeless craft of letter design, from its historical roots to practical, modern usage for draftsmen and designers.

This book presents letters as a usable design system, not just a collection of shapes. It guides readers through how styles evolved—from Old Roman to uncial and beyond—and shows how a designer can use these forms with freedom and discipline. The text emphasizes that lettering is design, based on forms and composed by hand, with attention to proportion, spacing, and legibility.

Structured for students and professionals, it discusses when to use capitals, lower-case, and mixtures, and it demonstrates techniques for constructing letters with broad pens, reed pens, and brushes. It also links historical development to practical pages of composition, titles, and display lettering for maps, architectural drawings, and other applied design tasks.

• Understand why Old Roman remains a foundational and versatile choice for many projects.
• Learn construction methods for both broad-pen and single-stroke lettering.
• Explore how to balance letter shapes, spacing, and page color for readable, elegant design.
• See how styles align with different design needs, from inscriptions to titles and signs.

Ideal for readers of architecture, engineering, and graphic design who seek a solid, historical, and practical approach to lettering.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0265841305
• ISBN 13: 9780265841303
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 110