Lettering: History and Origin

Study Notes

Lettering is the artistic process of creating words and alphabets in specific styles.

Alphabetic writing began in the 2nd millennium BCE with a consonantal system for Semitic languages in the Levant.
Proto-Sinaitic script evolved in Ancient Egypt for Semitic-speaking workers.
Egyptian writing, known as Hieroglyphics, incorporates pictures that can represent ideas or sounds.
Cuneiform was the writing system used in ancient Babylon.
Phoenicians and Greeks refined earlier scripts, introducing vowels into the alphabet.
Romans standardized the letters A-Z and added symmetry, leading to the modern Roman alphabet.
The first printing machine was developed in 1450 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany.
Letter forms are categorized as majuscule (uppercase) and minuscule (lowercase).

Uppercase letters (majuscule) are stored in higher cases compared to lowercase letters (minuscule).
Ascenders are parts of lowercase letters that extend above the standard height, while descenders extend below.

Letters are classified based on their construction, such as block letters and scripts.

Block letters are typeset and include various fonts.
Serifs are ornamental projections on block letters, suitable for printed materials like textbooks and newspapers.

Scripts are freehand letters made using calligraphic pens, divided into categories based on style.

Simplicity: Should be straightforward to avoid boredom and attract attention.
Suitability: Forms must align with their intended purpose, emphasizing arrangement.
Legibility: Letters must be easy to read and organized without losing aesthetic beauty.
Good spacing: Proper spacing balances letters to enhance readability; too close or too far diminishes clarity.

Letters serve a variety of communication and artistic purposes across different mediums.

Each letter has distinct proportions; for example, 'I' is the narrowest while 'W' is the widest.
Generally, letters share the same height but vary in width.

Letters can be categorized into various shapes such as wide, round, narrow, and medium.

Block letters resemble rectangular shapes, making them preferred for advertisements due to their clarity and adaptability.

Begin with two parallel horizontal lines on a sheet of paper.
Divide these lines into squares measuring 5 cm each, leaving a 0.5 cm gap between squares.