Gutenberg's printing press was a new medium in its time, but lettering goes back millenniums before the printing press ever arrived on the scene. Modern letters have Egyptian hieroglyphics at their roots. In written-language-development eras, the talent and tastes of individual lettering artists forged the cornerstones of lettering design. As artists began teaching letters as an art form, it was natural to teach something they knew well. Their own letter designs, evolving from earlier cultures, took on the names of the root cultures. This practice was especially predominant across Europe, where the arts rose to higher levels of reverence.
All projects represent some level of communication. For effective communication, lettering legibility is most important. Five elements determine legibility: style, size, letter spacing, word spacing and line spacing.
Words alone cannot convey a sensible message. Clarity of letter formation helps to make a document readable. Style will give feeling to your message. It is important to select a style that is consistent with the communication. To do this, a lettering artist needs to recognize styles and the message each style conveys.
A face describes the style of lettering you see as the final product. There are six standard classes of lettering faces: Roman, Gothic, Script, Text, Italic and Contemporary. Each face has its own unique characteristics.
As an example, the ancient Romans held a writing brush at a single angle, which causes thick vertical strokes and thin horizontal ones. The thin horizontal lines have an extra stroke at the end that we know as a serif. Serifs unify Roman style letters and make for easier reading.
Gothic letters are equal horizontal and vertical strokes with no serifs at the end of any stroke. It is a plain, simple block letter. Today, common use lies with the Gothic sans serif face.
Script lettering and cursive letters are similar to each other. Script bears a strong resemblance to handwriting with small connector links -- kerns - that join letters together. Cursive writing does not have these kerns.
Text was among the first styles to emerge and became famous as Old English. It is difficult to read, and any hand lettering in this style requires mechanical assistance. Its main uses are for religious prayer book letters or certificate titles, but only for a line or two of lettering.
Italics are not technically a classification but are a slanting variation of the other styles. When adding contrast or interest to a message, italics will do a fantastic job. A word in italics adds the element of emphasis to a communication.
Much like they do painting, sculpting, carving and other art forms, fads manage to creep into lettering. Graffiti, tattoo and comic are examples of lettering fads. Some "contemporary" styles are very appealing and have staying power. The others will live shorter lives and quietly fall by the wayside.