gc_wood Posted September 24, 2023 Posted September 24, 2023 This text is inscribed on a gravestone from the 1970s in the UK. Unfortunately, I now need to add to the inscription, and so am trying to identify a digital version of the same lettering style. I think the most distinctive letters are the G and the K. Help greatly appreciated.
Kevin Thompson Posted September 24, 2023 Posted September 24, 2023 Some variation of Standard Gothic, but hard to pinpoint given the quality of your image.
gc_wood Posted September 24, 2023 Author Posted September 24, 2023 Thanks Kevin. Yes, unfortunately, I don't have a better quality image at the moment. I will explore Standard Gothic, though - thanks for the suggestion.
gc_wood Posted September 24, 2023 Author Posted September 24, 2023 18 minutes ago, Kevin Thompson said: Some variation of Standard Gothic, but hard to pinpoint given the quality of your image. PS: I've had a look at the website you linked to, and it does look similar... but I can't find where to access the font files themselves. Can you point me in the right direction, please?
Kevin Thompson Posted September 25, 2023 Posted September 25, 2023 Quote Unfortunately, not every typeface that existed 5o or 100+ years ago has a digital equivalent today. Gravestone type, especially before the age of the personal computer, was either hand carved or relied on stencils, and the latter used type forms specifically adapted to the process (sandblasting). No Gothic has an alternate G that matches your sample and is a revival of Gothic No. 578 (a version of Standard Gothic) , but you have to reach out to the designer to license it. Proto Grotesk is another option, but not a match for all letters. Triptych Grotesque is another modern interpretation, and again would be similar to but not a match to your sample. 1
gc_wood Posted September 25, 2023 Author Posted September 25, 2023 Thanks Kevin. I've managed to get a higher resolution image of the original inscription, which I'm attaching below. The fonts you've identified are definitely closer than any I'd found - thank you. I've discovered in the full inscription that there is actually a row of italicised type, and I don't think any of the fonts you suggested has an italic variant. If this higher resolution image inspires any further thoughts for you, please do let me know. Many thanks for your help so far - really appreciate it mate.
MissNobody Posted September 25, 2023 Posted September 25, 2023 The closest I can find is IT Encore Sans. Free for personal use. License can be supposedly bought here (but was not up when I checked). As expected it doesn't match perfectly, probably it wasn't converted to digital form as was said before. It doesn't have a true italic variant as far as I know, only way is perhaps to use a faux italic.
Kevin Thompson Posted September 26, 2023 Posted September 26, 2023 I think this is type specific to the gravestone industry, and not generally available as a digital typeface. I did find something called Larne Block on this monuments website. Doesn't seem to be very well drawn, but the forms are right—I suspect it was designed to recreate historical, hand-carved inscriptions.
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