LETTERING BASICS

Lettering is the art of illustrating words, phrases or

letters, that is customized for a specific application.
There are endless possibilities when it comes to styling
the 26 letters of our alphabet. In this booklet, we will
learn the basics of lettering, terminology, a variety
of styles, and warm ups to get you started. There are
three driving factors that make for successful lettering;
strong concepts, a good eye and technical skills.

Strong Concepts
A strong concept doesn’t have to have a deep,
conceptual meaning. A strong concept can have a
clever reference, a smart use of style, or a different
perspective.

Good Eye
To make good lettering, it is helpful to recognize
good lettering. You can train your eye over time
to pick up on things that make lettering look
“off.” Common examples are backwards letters,
awkward spacing, or wonky curves. You’ll notice
improvements in your work after just one month of
consistent practice.

Technical Skills
Technical skill doesn’t necessarily mean being
super precise and perfect, it’s about practicing
and developing your own personal process.
The only way to get better is with practice and
experimenting with tools and techniques to find
what works for you.
DRAWING LETTERS
Let’s start with a letter’s most basic
form; the framework. Think of a letter
like a human body. The framework is
the skeleton, the weight of the letter is
the muscle, the style is the skin, and the
ornamentation is the clothing. If you
were to start a human by shaping the
skin free form, you would end up with
one odd lookin’ body.

When you start with the framework, it

takes the pressure off of drawing perfect
lettering right out of the gate. Allow
yourself to have a messy start to work in
order to work through ideas, styles and
layouts.

cap line
x-height
base line

1. S ketch guides for the baseline, x-height,
cap line and widths of letters. These
lines will indicate the proportions of
your letter and keep your letters on the
right track rather than floating away.
2. T hen, lightly sketch the framework of
your letters. Next, add weight to the
letters. The proportion and space will
determine the letter’s weight.
3. O nce the lettering is roughed in, add
more details and refine. Add serifs,
drop shadows, or other details that
work with the layout and concept.
4. It’s helpful to hold off adding extra
details until you have a clear sense
of how much space you have to work
with, and until the lettering is in a
more final state.

Arranging your guides is helpful for In the example above, the same serif style
spacing and sketching, but it also affects is applied to each letter, but they have very
different looks because of the change to both
the style of your letters. Notice how the
the x-height and the width of letter.
letter changes when the x-height is taller
or shorter.
STROKES
SPACING
All letters are made up of a
series of strokes. A stroke Proper spacing is required for good balance in lettering.
is a mark made by drawing Good letter spacing should be optically equal in size.
in one direction across the The space between each letter is never the same. You
canvas. can also play with spacing to reach another level of
concept or style. Look for nooks and pockets for letters
The direction and tool to get nestled in.
used to draw the stroke
determines the weight
of the stroke.

Monoweight: Every stroke is Optical Spacing

the same weight.

Thick/Thin: The weight

of the strokes vary.

Mechanical Spacing

Playful Spacing

UP STROKES ARE THIN
DOWN STROKES ARE THICK
AWKWARD LETTERFORMS
It’s easy to point out glaring issues in lettering, but
it takes a trained eye to see subtle mistakes. This
isn’t to say there isn’t beauty in naive lettering styles,
but considerations should still be made for legibility
and balance. The examples below are a few common
mistakes that result in awkward lettering.

Needs Better Incorrect Serif Better

Framework Placement

Inconsistent Better Misplaced Better

Weight Down stroke
 cap line ascender
body line
x-height splayed sans serif
base line
descender line
vertex
bowl open counter
apex

dropline leg stem closed counter

tittle ligature
cross bar

pointed tail
swash cross stroke
terminal shoulder
Ear

ear bracket finial

TERMINOLOGY
This booklet will mention specific lettering and letterform terms, it’s important to
familiarize yourself with some common terminology.

There is often confusion between the terms lettering, calligraphy, and typography
especially when the process behind a piece is unknown.

Lettering is the art of illustrating letters.

Calligraphy is the art of writing letters.

Typography is the art of arranging letters using fonts.

Style Hierarchy
The specific characteristics of a letterform; The arrangement of words in order
serif, script, , sans serif, etc. of importance in a design layout.

Layout Guides
The comprehensive design showing The lines that are sketched to plan the
the arrangement of lettering. placement and scale of letters and layouts.
SKETCHING TIPS
Guides are an effective way to plan out your lettering and keep your letters on the
right track. But when it comes to adding weight, it’s hard to keep the weights of a
letter consistent throughout the stroke.

Sketch Shapes: Letters are made up of a series of strokes, each stroke is just a simple
shape! It’s helpful to sketch out the shapes of the stroke to keep the weight consistent.

Sketch With a Marker: To bypass sketching out each stroke, use a tool that is the desired
weight of the stroke. This way, the weight is consistent throughout, and you just have to
refine the edges of the stroke

Sketch Scribbles: Sketch rough scribbles or diagonal lines to form the shape of the
letters. This is a quick way to add weight and create interesting letterforms.

Sketch Blocks: Use the guides you sketched to shape your letters and only sketch out the
counterforms. This is a quick way to create bold lettering and create interesting shapes in
your letterforms. This is a common style in comic books and psychedelic lettering.
MATCH THE MOOD
The examples below illustrate lettering styles and how they change
the mood or expression of the word or phrase.

A representational style illustrates a cold look.

A tracked out and informal script style has a relaxed feeling.

A bold italic sans serif has an aggressive look.

This tightly tracked fat bottom script has a hip, retro vibe.
SANS SERIF
SERIF
TIP
Keep the serif size,
weight and shape
optically consistent
Consider how the
proportions of the
letter affect the
scale of the serif.

R’s are great for filling awkward spaces

SCRIPT

TIP
Go easy on the
loops and swirls.
It’s important to
strike a balance
between your style
and legibility. An
extra swirl can be
mistaken as another
letter, making it
harder to read.
BRUSH SCRIPT

TIP
Get inspiration from the tools that
this style is referencing. Is it an
inky brush style? Then add extra fill
around the connecting letters that
makes it look like wet ink.

CALLIGRAPHIC
VINTAGE

TIP
Do your research!
Make sure that the
style you reference
aligns with the
concept. For
example, it wouldn’t
make sense to use
a Victorian style on
an editorial piece
about Elvis.
REPRESENTATIONAL

TIP
Don’t interpret everything too literally.
Look for opportunities to add a serif
or point of interest in the letter using
reference material.

ILLUSTRATIVE

TIP
Be sure the illustration style matches
the lettering. The illustration should
match in terms of style, scale, or line
weight.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Adding details to your letters is a good way to carry
the concept and add interest.. Hold off on adding
these elements to the very end otherwise they can
detract from the lettering and disguise a bad layout.

Lettering Details - Look for opportunities to

add character or exaggerate the letterform before
adding ornamentation.

a. Ligatures
b. Drop Shadow
c. Swashes
d. Cross Bars

Stroke Details - Add character to your lettering

with details in the letter. Make sure that the
weight of the letter can hold these details.

e. Dotted inline
f. Ornaments
g. Lines

Illustrative Elements - Illustrative elements

are a good way to carry the concept into your
piece, and emphasis or attitude to punctuate the
lettering.

h. Flowers
i. Illustrative Shapes

Filigree - Add filigree to fill spaces in and around

words. Filigree should act as a binding agent
for the layout, but it shouldn’t detract from the
lettering or concept.
j. Banners
k. Stars and Sparkles
 a

e
d

f
g

j
WARM UPS
The hardest part of a project is starting it. You can’t steer a
parked car! Don’t talk yourself out of starting by putting up
imaginary roadblocks; you don’t have the right tools, you
don’t know how to do it or what to draw. Do what you can,
where you are with what you have.

Don’t be discouraged! A good way to overcome creative

block is by doing a warm up. Warm ups are mini
challenges to help you put pencil to paper.

Warm Up Benefits
1. T hey aren’t part of the project that is making you
intimidated, so the pressure is alleviated.

2. W
 orking with a clear directive takes away the
guesswork, so it’s just about execution.

3. Y
 ou might stumble upon something that works,
and now you’re jazzed up to start!

4. W
 orst case scenario, you have sketches to refer to later
when you’re ready and you need them.
STYLE MENU
This warm up is essentially creating your very own custom lettering menu. Use the
side-by-side comparison of styles to help make a selection that is right for your project.

Choose a word and letter that word in at least 4 of the styles we discussed. This warm
up is meant to get your hand and brain warmed up before starting a project.

Style Warm Up Tips

• Choose an important word used in your project.
• Experiment with different angles, curves and proportions.
• Don’t work too small!
• It doesn’t have to be perfect! It’s just a warm up.
ASSISTED SKETCHING
A quick way to bypass the tricky art of proper letterform proportions, is to call on a font
for help. Use a simple font that already has your desired proportions. Create a lock up
or layout in a design program. Print it out and use it as a guide to draw over it.

In this warm up, you will draw over the type provided and interpret it in your style. Use
the style guide for ideas. Experiment with different styles, push yourself to move away
from the original font (as much as the spacing allows).

1. S et the type at 30% opacity so the 3. D rawing over the framework you drew
details are a little fuzzy. This forces allows you to approach the lettering like
you to use your imagination to fill in any other lettering sketch, and helps
the blanks. you build confidence in your lettering.

2 . T race only the framework first, then 4. U se another sheet of paper to draw over
discard the set type. This way you work your rough framework and refine as you
from the framework you drew and not trace over the sketch.
the type as reference.

snell roundhand
baskerville

comic sans
TIP
Set your word in an ugly font and
use the tips outlined above.

You may be more inclined to “fix it”

and make it better and ultimately
create something unique.
Sour Cream

STRONG

E R
W A ND
BLOCK LETTERING
Block lettering is a graphic, bold, and fun style to use in your projects. This style makes
for a great warm up because the process of creating this style of lettering is a bit
different. The first step (after sketching guides) is sketching in the negative spaces not
the positive space.

1. S ketch out your guides to the desired

proportions for your word.

2. Sketch out the width of each letter.

3. N
 ow, sketch the counter spaces and
counter forms that make up the
negative space around a letter.

4. E xperiment with rounded shapes and 5. Now you can refine this drawing or with
angled shapes depending on your a new sheet of paper trace over the
desired look. lettering without the background fill.
DIMENSION
Adding dimension to your lettering is a great way to incorporate your concept, create
balance, and establish hierarchy in your layout.

DROP SHADOW/ BLOCK SHADE

Draw guides to determine how deep the shade will
be and draw the lines to create bold dimension.

PERSPECTIVE
Use one-point perspective and make sure all
lines meet at a vanishing point.

REPRESENTATIONAL
Use realistic or representational styles to create dimension.
You can also use texture to imply dimension.

CONVEX BEVEL
Start with an inline detail and connect the line to each corner of the letter.
Determine a light source, and add shading where appropriate.
LOCK UP
A lock up is a short phrase that fits together in a logotype or badge. A lock up needs to
be flexible in its application and exist as its own shape. A good lettering lock up can be
used for stickers, book covers, editorial headlines, advertising, etc.

A successful lock up has:

BALANCE- A balanced layout can be achieved with symmetry or an evenly weighted layout.

PROPER SPACING- The spacing of the lock up should be even throughout the lettering,
borders, or illustration.

A BORDER OR ILLUSION OF A BORDER- A border creates a containing shape that allows

the lock up to exist in any layout. You can also create the illusion of a border by using a
shape or symmetry in the lettering.

PARALLEL ANGLES
SYMMETRICAL

SHAPE CIRCULAR
Create your own lock up
1. U
 se the guides below to create your own
lock ups. Draw directly on the guides or
use tracing paper to draw.
2 . I f you’re stuck on phrase ideas:
• Don’t Fear Failure
• Afternoon Snack Attack
• Make Time for Play
• Morning Bean Juice
3. L ightly sketch guides to plan out your
lettering. Roughly draw vertical lines that
indicate the width of each letter.
4. U se another sheet of paper to draw over
your rough framework and refine as you
trace over the sketch.
LETTERING BASICS
The Lettering Pocket Companion will help you
on your lettering journey. This pocket-sized
guide to lettering is packed with:

• Sketching Tips
• Basic Terminology
• Style Guides
• Warm Up Exercises
• Chock-full of lettering examples!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Kate McDevitt is an illustrator and
letterer based in Philadelphia, PA. She
has worked on hundreds of lettering and
illustration projects with companies like
Chronicle Books, The Washington Post,
Nike, Fox, and Target.

Mary Kate is passionate about all things

lettering and this booklet is the foundation
of her process, and what she has learned
in her years of experience.

www.marykatemcdevitt.com
@marykatemcdevitt