Architectural Lettering

The size of letter will depend upon the space, if the space is limited. Otherwise the letter should be made to correspond to the size of the drawing, a large, full-size drawing requiring a large letter, while a quarter-inch scale drawing will require a small letter. By a careful study of proportions, one can make a drawing look the best. Poor judgment in this respect will often spoil a well-drawn plan.

Titles are put on every sheet of a set of draw ings. Each drawing on the sheet must have a single-line title; and each sheet must have a title complete, giving the name of the work, the client's name, the location, the scale, and some times the date. For the convenience of the architect, he usually places in one corner his name, the number of the sheet, the job number, the initials of the different men who made the drawing, and the date. This gives him his record for filing the set of drawings.

Choose a style of letter that will be clear and simple. While the architect has more liberty in the choice and spacing of letters than the engineer, yet the fundamental principle is clear ness. Capitals are used almost entirely for titles, and small letters for notes of all kinds.

In laying out a title, there is usually a cer tain space it will have to occupy; therefore the title must be centered about a vertical center line through this space. The method of center

ing a title is shown in Fig. 89. Decide upon the wording, and write out each line as it is to be copied. Upon a piece of scratch-paper, spell out the letters in each line, numbering each letter in order, and also the spaces between the letters. The center of each line is then evident.

Lay out the center line of the space to be occupied on the drawing, and, after drawing the guide-lines, start at the center line, and com mence sketching in the letters, first to the right, as shown in the third line, Fig. 89. Thus the right half of the title is sketched first. Now take a piece of paper, and lay off to the left the same distance as the right half extends to the right. This gives us a starting point for the left half. This part may be worked either from the left to the right, or, as shown in the fifth line, the letters may be placed in the order as numbered. A little experience will enable one to lay out a title quickly and accurately in this manner.

Having the general arrangement in pencil, go over it carefully, and make the letters, properly spaced and in good outline. The title is then ready for inking. In all titles, let the composition or spacing be such that while the title as a whole shall be symmetrical, its general