Sign Fonts

Fonts can be classified many different ways but the most popular distinction is by serif and sans-serif. Fonts can then be further classifieds into many subcategories and some typefaces do not fit any class at all. A serif is a small line attached to the end of the main stroke of a character and it is intended to make the letter more readable especially in a large body of text. Sans-serif letters are square, block style letters. Sign lettering fonts are usually classified as serif, sans-serif, display and script.

A serif is a small line attached to the end of the main stroke of a character and it is intended to make the letter more readable especially in a large body of text. The serif originated from inscriptional writing - Roman writing carved into stone. The stone carvers would neaten up the ends of lines carved into the stone. Serif style fonts have changed over time and can be classified as Old Style, Transitional and Modern. The Old Style serif fonts are identified with a very thin angular stroke and a thick downward stroke, as if drawn with a quill. The Transitional serif fonts are similar but with heavier differences in strokes. The Modern serif fonts with an even more extreme contrast of the thick and thin lines.

Script fonts, as the name implies, are any font that looks like cursive hand writing. A script font offers a quick personal appearance but may have difficult legibility because the letters are connected and don't provide adequate spacing. We offer Brush Script, Italicized Script and Turner Script. We do not offer Commercial Script (the wedding invitation font) because it is not very legible on signs. A display font is designed to grab attention and used for large headings. Barnum is an wxapmple of a display font.

Sign letters are made from different materials and methods. Sign letters can be printed on materials such as banners or yard signs, cut-out from materials such as plastic, metal or vinyl, and molded into 3D shapes like cast metal letters. We can only produce 3D sign letters in the fonts that molds are available. Cut-out or printed sign letters are available in any of our popular sign fonts or you can provide us the font as artwork to work from.

You should select a font based on the context of how it is being used. Signs are used for advertising, identification, information and organization. Signs are usually competing for a viewer's attention. The selection of sign letter fonts is different than other mediums such as magazines of brochures. Sign letter fonts are usually clean, easy to read with heavier strokes. The sans serif and slab serif fonts are the most popular for sign making. There have been many government studies to produce safe, legible alphabet fonts for passing motorists named the Highway Gothic font.

Sign fonts are not protected by copyright laws so there can be many creators and variations of the same named font. (However, the software algorithm that outputs the digital image of the font can be copyrighted.) Fonts can also be modified in its rendering to be stretched, kerned or condensed.

We do not design custom fonts but we may be able to output a font that you provide us in a True Type Font (TTF) format or saved as an Adobe Illustrator file with the font as an outline. You would have to provide us the original artwork for us to quote upon.

An italic font is slightly slanting the letters to the right and is used to draw emphasize to a word. Italics originated from calligraphy so have a free flowing cursive appearance. We can italicize any printed or cut out letter but need molds for any formed letter font. Italics can be difficult to read so are normally slanted at 10 - 12 degrees.

As a rule of thumb, a letter is as wide with spacing as it is tall but it depends on the character. A 'W' is wider than an 'I'. A font can be narrow or it can be wide. A narrow font is named condensed and a wide font is named expanded. We provide approximate line lengths online and can provide exact line lengths with a production proof upon request. You can fit more letters on a line with a condensed font but it may decrease its legibility.

Every font has a personality and you should choose a font personality that appeals to your viewers. Your brain looks at the characteristics of a font and associates it with previous experiences. For example, an italic font and its forward slanted character is associated with speed and fluidness. Tall, thin fonts are feminine. Short, fat or bold fonts are masculine