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Which font do you use for monument sandblasting
- Thread starter Ricsy84
- Start date
James Burke
Being a grandpa is more fun than working
Two words: It depends
Since there are dozens of ways to etch and carve granite, there are literally hundreds of fonts that can be used. But it comes with a catch...
Some fonts only work in certain cases, so it depends on the color of the granite, the method of engraving (deep or shallow cut, or in between), and the grain of the granite (some fonts do not work well with coarse grain granite). And a bunch of other things as well.
The main factors I consider (in this exact order) are:
1) Feasibility - will the physical characteristics of the granite (grain, grain bond, color, finish, etc...) permit the font to be used?
2) Functionality - will the font work well with the layout (lettering cut in the polish, lettering cut in a panel, deep cut outline lettering, frosted-edge lettering, polished-edge lettering, raised lettering, etc...)?
3) Form - do the fonts accentuate the shape and features of the monument, and the other design elements used? Or do they "fight" with it? It seems a lot of new funky fonts are being used on more traditional cut stones, and it shows....badly. It's sad to say, but cemeteries are beginning to resemble the display board of the "sticker guy" at swap meets and carnivals.
And beyond that, you have other important matters such as kerning, punctuation legibility (most punctuation is cut way too small) and legibility issues that stem from optical illusions such as true center vs. optical center, unintentional shadows, etc....the list could go on.
In fact, I honestly believe that the body of knowledge surrounding monument lettering is so vast that it could occupy several college level courses.
JB
Since there are dozens of ways to etch and carve granite, there are literally hundreds of fonts that can be used. But it comes with a catch...
Some fonts only work in certain cases, so it depends on the color of the granite, the method of engraving (deep or shallow cut, or in between), and the grain of the granite (some fonts do not work well with coarse grain granite). And a bunch of other things as well.
The main factors I consider (in this exact order) are:
1) Feasibility - will the physical characteristics of the granite (grain, grain bond, color, finish, etc...) permit the font to be used?
2) Functionality - will the font work well with the layout (lettering cut in the polish, lettering cut in a panel, deep cut outline lettering, frosted-edge lettering, polished-edge lettering, raised lettering, etc...)?
3) Form - do the fonts accentuate the shape and features of the monument, and the other design elements used? Or do they "fight" with it? It seems a lot of new funky fonts are being used on more traditional cut stones, and it shows....badly. It's sad to say, but cemeteries are beginning to resemble the display board of the "sticker guy" at swap meets and carnivals.
And beyond that, you have other important matters such as kerning, punctuation legibility (most punctuation is cut way too small) and legibility issues that stem from optical illusions such as true center vs. optical center, unintentional shadows, etc....the list could go on.
In fact, I honestly believe that the body of knowledge surrounding monument lettering is so vast that it could occupy several college level courses.
JB
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