A history of alphabets from around the world

The Alphabet and Elements of Lettering by Frederic W. Goudy Chapter 10: Some Practical Considerations, page 2 The beauty of a letter depends on the harmonious adaptation of each of its parts to every other in a well-proportioned manner, so that their exhibition as a whole shall satisfy our esthetic sense - a result gained only by blending together the fine strokes, stems, and swells in their proper relations. Above all, it should be accepted that in lettering there is very little scope for originality in form, since the fundamental shapes of letters are now fixed; nor should the artist attempt to design letters, since design implies invention, and that which already exists cannot be invented. Mere copies involve loss of vitality - every real work of art, even the humblest, is inimitable. The architect is bound by the laws of structure; the artist and craftsman are bound, too, by laws more mental than physical, yet none the less real or binding. While certain fundamental forms seem to demand certain sequences, the excellence of the final product depends entirely on the fertility of the artist's mind. FIG.44 LOMBARDIC PEN FORMS. [13TH CENTURY] As in other forms of design, the workman in drawing letters should use the technical limitations of the craft in which he works, to its own advantage. He should not endeavor by trickery to obtain results in one material or method that by right belong to others. Nor should he undertake to master that which in the nature of things is not to be overcome. He should endeavor to express all that belongs to his particular work, yet not attempt also that which can be expressed properly only by other and quite different means: he should not draw in line to imitate the technique of a woodcut, design a type that is to give the effect of a letter engraved on copper, or draw letters that are to be reproduced by process to simulate a manuscript book hand, etc. The very limitations imposed upon a craftsman free from whims, who understands fully the necessity for directness, will add beauty to all good work produced by him within those limitations. Continue to Chapter 11: Notes on the Plates

Sign up for our weekly newsletter Email: The Alphabet and Elements of Lettering by Frederic W. Goudy Introduction What Letters Are Letters in General The Development of the Roman Capital Letters Before Printing The National Hands The Development of Gothic The Beginnings of Types The Qualities of Lettering Some Practical Considerations Notes on the Plates Greek alphabet Hebrew alphabet Sign language alphabet Cherokee alphabet Russian alphabet Phonetic alphabet Braille alphabet Egyptian alphabet Cyrillic alphabet Aramaic alphabet Morse code alphabet Runic alphabet