BROADSIDES, WALL INSCRIPTIONS, &C.
Set Inscriptions.—Ordinary inscriptions generally consist of a given number of words to be set out in [p351] a given space. Careful planning may sometimes be required to fit in the words suitably, or to adapt the lettering to the space. But setting-out (p. [258]) becomes much simpler after a little practice, and the good craftsman avoids over-planning.
The Place of the Inscription.—The actual space for a wall inscription is commonly suggested by an architectural feature—a stone, a panel, or a niche—of the wall; but in choosing a suitable space for a given inscription, or suitable lettering for a given space, we must take into account—
- 1. The office of the inscription.
- 2. How it is to be read—
- (a) “At a glance,” or
- (b) by close inspection.
- 3. The distance from the reader.
- 4. The lighting of the space.
- 5. The character of the surroundings.
- 6. Any special features.
The Size of the Letters.—The all-important question of readableness may be settled thus: the inscription having been planned suitably to fill the space, one or two words are written or painted (the exact size) on paper—smoked or otherwise coloured if necessary to resemble the background. This is stuck upon the chosen part of the wall, and then viewed from the ordinary position of a reader. When the inscription is high up, the thin parts—especially the horizontals of the letters—must be made extra thick to be seen properly from below.
Margins.—Wide margins are only required for comparatively small lettering which demands the close [p352] attention of the reader,[103] and generally a set inscription looks best if the lettering be comparatively large—covering most of the given surface, and leaving comparatively narrow margins. The frame or moulding, or the natural edge or environment of the circumscribed space, is very often sufficient “margin” (see [Plate XXIV.]).
The margins vary, however, according to circumstances; especially the foot margin, which may be very narrow if all the space is required for the lettering (see fig. [211]), or very large[104] if there is plenty of space (see fig. [210]). And, as in special pages or terminal pages of books, so in single sheets, panels, &c., the “foot margin” may show—as it really is—as the space which did not require to be filled, and was therefore “left over.”
Number of Different Types.—While in a book of many pages considerable diversity is allowed, it is essential to the strength and dignity of a single sheet or set inscription to limit the number of types employed in it. Three or four ordinary types will generally give sufficient variety, and if it be necessary—as in notices and placards—that Important Words be put in special types to catch the eye, let two—or at most three—special types suffice, and let the remainder of the text be as quiet and reserved as possible. “Display Types” commonly defeat their object by being overdone. A simple contrast is the most effective (fig. [197]). [p353]