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| A Guide To Headstone Design - Letterforms |
By:
David Martin |
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When designing a headstone, it is worth remembering that the style of lettering will not only affect the legibility of the inscription, it will also set the tone or character of the headstone.
For example, an upright Roman letterform in slate will have an air of timelessness and will no doubt come across as quite formal and upright, but put a slight italic on the letter and it changes the feeling and the inscription is softened. I think letterform fashions should be avoided as the stone will long outlast the current trend, the reason we carve letters into stone is so they will last. Rather than coming from a calligraphic background, my inspiration has come mainly from the printed letterform.
I grew up next to a private press where my mother worked as a typographer, and the old typefaces have made their impression on me. The old schools and colleges in particular tend to favor the more conservative and classical approach to inscriptions - readable, not quirky. The timeless feel to many of the commemorative plaques that hang in these old institutions is of great importance - as time goes by, they are difficult to date.
I find the old typefaces such as Caslon and Baskerville require a huge amount of discipline to get right. As I say to many of my gravestone clients who want something different, just because I carve letters by hand, there is no need to be wacky and clever with the inscription. All headstones really need is good firm lettering and refined balanced spacing.
This will last the longest.
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David John Martin is a well renowned author, writing about a wide variety of topics - in this series he is writing about the design of headstones and memorial plaques |
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