Car Lettering Styles: 5 Ideas To Try

In art and design, lettering refers to the stylistic creation of typography. Car lettering designs are often specially created for individual projects — everything from business letterheads to custom signage is more versatile than standard fonts. “When you’re creating something distinct to fit a project or a person, you have more control over the lettering and can mold it to fit the space,” notes hand-lettering artist Jen Krause. “It can have more personality and uniqueness.” That’s for every letter, shape, and curve that can be custom-tweaked to fit your needs and your vision. If you’re a brand new lettering designer, finding where to start can be the toughest part. Making the first mark on a blank piece of paper can be a headache! In this post, I want to show five popular (and totally achievable) examples of car lettering styles you may try. And, if you don’t feel up for getting your hands dirty and putting pen to paper, I’ve included a few font resources you can use for each style. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="636"] Car lettering Ideas To Try[/caption]

Brush Lettering

Type in brush lettering in google and you’ll be showered with a litany of beautiful pieces from various lettering artists—watercolor, ink, marker, and so much more. Brush lettering stands out because it takes the bones of traditional calligraphy—with thick downstrokes and thin upstrokes—and combines it with flexible, more user-friendly materials (in my opinion). While this type of car lettering can feel daunting, with some guided instruction you can learn brush lettering quickly. The marks of expert brush lettering:

• Downstrokes and upstrokes are consistent in thickness
• Bowls, counters, ascenders, and descenders should feel related; don’t use extremely varying sizes between each anatomy piece
• These strokes are also consistent in slant (feel free to make your own angled calligraphy guide!)

[caption id="attachment_50456" align="aligncenter" width="611"] Brush Lettering Sample[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="541"] Brush Car Lettering Products[/caption]

Block Lettering

If you’re a doodler, you’re probably very familiar with the block lettering style. The cool thing about block lettering? Block letters feature lettering anatomy pieces that are usually uniform thickness, with varying terminal styles. It’s very easy to draw an entire alphabet after you’ve developed a style for one or two letters. Take your time and draw your letters slowly, and when you’re happy with the final result, go ahead and ink your work or digitize it! To succeed with block lettering, start with grid paper and a pencil. [caption id="attachment_50455" align="aligncenter" width="662"] Block Lettering Sample[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="580"] Block Car Lettering Products[/caption]

Modern Calligraphy

Calligraphy differs from brush lettering because it’s usually created with a pointed pen—meaning a pen that is essentially a quill, which holds liquid ink and creates thick and thin strokes based on the pressure you use on the pen. Modern calligraphy can be mastered by practicing basic drills over and over. There are several smaller niches within calligraphy, but modern trends lean towards pointed pen calligraphy (instead of square tip calligraphy pens). These drills are essential in learning how to load the pen tip properly and applying the right amount of pressure in order to get the correct ink flow. Modern calligraphy is any form of calligraphy that’s untraditional in its looser, more organic form. Script, cursive, and brush lettering are all viewed as modern calligraphy, contributing to its recent rise in popularity. While traditionally done with ink or brush pens on paper, new apps like Adobe Fresco are bringing calligraphy into the digital world. [caption id="attachment_50457" align="aligncenter" width="697"] Modern Lettering Sample[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="621"] Modern Car Lettering Products[/caption]

Monoweight

Monoweight lettering is fun and easy. Because monoweight literally means one weight, you won’t be pressured (pun intended) to make thick downstrokes and thin upstrokes. There are many popular logos being created with beautiful monoweight script. Monoweight lettering lends itself well to quirky and modern uses. With monoweight lettering, you can practice with just about anything you already own: a pencil, a sharpie marker, or a crayon. Have fun and try a bunch of different styles! [caption id="attachment_50458" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Monoweight Lettering Sample[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="558"] Monoweight Car Lettering Products[/caption]

Serif

Serifs are the small lines or marks added to the ends of letters in certain typography styles. These tapers are sometimes called “tails” or “feet” and can lend a more formal look to your lettering. Serif letters can also take on an ornate, stylistic look when flourishes are added for decorative purposes. Put serifs on block or monoweight lettering, and suddenly you have a completely different, and more traditional, look. Serifs are the decorative “feet” of a letter, and can sometimes help with the legibility of text because they help lead your eye in between letters and words. Generally, there are three types of serifs that are self-descriptive: hairline serifs, square/slab serifs, or wedge serifs. [caption id="attachment_50459" align="aligncenter" width="573"] Serif Lettering Sample[/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="530"] Serif Car Lettering Products[/caption]

What are your favorite car lettering styles?

If you’re looking for more inspirational ideas and guides on car lettering, please contact us at support@rustypod.com or Facebook Ride Or Die.