My approach to lettering

My path into lettercarving was unusual; I did not start work in an established workshop and learn to cut a letterform handed down from master to apprentice. I do not use one recognisable 'hallmark' letter in my work, neither do I design much experimental lettering. When designing an inscription I prefer to develop and explore traditional forms, drawing from an understanding of letters, their history and origins. I take pleasure in designing a letterform for each new project.

The design of any inscription should be appropriate to its content; the way letters and words are spaced can affect the meaning and legibility of the text. This is an aspect of lettercarving, often overlooked, that is integral to the design of a beautiful inscription.

'If an inscription is really a work of epigraphic art, we cannot enjoy its peculiar effectiveness simply by observing its visual beauty; nor yet by taking in the meaning of its text; nor even by doing both these things together. We must appreciate another of its attributes - the relation between the special arrangement of its component words and the meaning that they carry.' John Sparrow, Line upon Line