In this article, I’ll be sharing what I have found to be the best tips and tricks in regards to beginning sign painting,Īs well as going over the similarities between lettering and Sign painting and how to use those to your advantage. It is a great skill to acquire and can be used for jobs or artwork anywhere you go. They will also provide you with a sound understanding of letter forms and how they are constructed, upgrading your letter skill set! It’s characteristic shapes and letter styles are timeless, hand-painted signs are back in fashion and in high demand, I think we can all agree on how beneficial it is to learn this craft as a lettering artist – Sign painting is such a fantastic discipline! Maintenance of your sign painting tools.Practice sheets for your future practice.The entire process of creating your own sign painted piece.Explaining the similarities between lettering and sign painting, and how to use them to your advantage.Some of the things Gaston will teach you are: We would also like to thank Jeremi Laverdiere Blouin for the awesome photos he took for this article! What will you learn in this tutorial? Gaston is a self-taught sign painter and lettering artist based in Melbourne, Australia, who managed to turn his passion into a career throughout hard work and dedication. I am so excited and grateful for the huge effort my friend Gaston the Painter invested in order to teach all of YOU the fundamentals of sign painting. As any other skill, we believe that with a great teacher and a lot of practice you will always be able to move forward. By understanding what makes a great font for signage, you’ll be sure to create the ideal design.Sign painting is a very intriguing craft with a long and rich history behind it. When it comes to determining which font to use, it’s important to take into consideration your current branding and the readability of the font.

You can see the gentle sloping of the Y is very appealing and would look great on any sign. The width of each character (stretch) is particularly narrow compared to other fonts such as Helvetica or Futura and so some view it as being rather squashed.Īnd finally, Myriad is a great sans-serif font that is simplistic and made with great design. It’s simplistic and bold and easily able to convey its message. A lighter version of Bodoni, there is just a hint of serif on this font which gives it that little bit of added flair.įranklin Gothic is a great font that has a lot of power. Especially when it comes to choosing which fonts suits your purpose as Clarendon has a lot more weight to it than other fonts. If you’re looking for something bold and chunky then Clarendon is ideal. It’s become increasingly popular with large displays which creates a divide between people whilst many will choose to use the font, others do hate it. The problem with using script fonts in signage is that some can be very hard to read, however, Monotype Corsiva is the perfect script font that is clear and legible.Ī very geometrically shaped typeface, Futura is often used when small text is required as it is clear and easy to read. This list wouldn’t be complete without a script font. The serif style of this typeface is also popular and provides a very professional looking image. The contrast between thick and thin strokes in Bodoni makes it a perfect font for signage and conveys a certain message. These types of fonts are very popular for their easy to read typeface, particularly when it comes to body text and books and so would make a perfect choice for the smaller print on your signage. Garamond is actually a group of fonts that date back to a 16th century Parisian engraver named Claude Garamond. For a bold statement, it’s an excellent choice.

Best known for its use in movie posters, this font is often associated with religion, marriage, law and history. Despite its overuse, Helvetica is still a great staple font to fall back on if all else fails but be sure to determine whether it really conveys your message. Unfortunately, its popularity often means that this font is heavily overused. Helvetica is a great sans-serif font that is simple and easy to read. In this article, we’re going to look at which fonts you should consider when it comes to designing your new sign. Whether you’ve decided to hire a graphic designer or you’re going to do it in-house, determining certain characteristics of your sign beforehand can help your signage to remain on brand and ensure its effectiveness.

Traditional sign writing fonts