Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/913099
14 a-e-mag.com • A&E JANUARY 2018 by Bob Hagel YOUR LASER AT WORK FONT CHOICES —DOS AND DON'TS Typically, serif fonts are used for large bodies of text as the serif guides our eyes and makes words easy to read. Sans serif fonts are best for headlines, short-reading paragraphs, reversed out text, and to high- light important items. Fonts are often grouped into five basic groups: serif, sans serif (without serif ), modern, script or hand drawn, and decorative (including grunge). Modern fonts contain very thin strokes with horizontal serifs. I almost never use modern fonts for any etching or lasering project as many of the strokes are too thin to be easily readable. The key rule for font choices is never use more than one font from the same group in the same project. The second rule is don't use more than three fonts in a project—two should suffice for most projects. Award titles and names work well in scripts or serifs with large and small caps. Sans serif fonts are great for the short para- graphs and less important information like dates or the year placed at the bottom. Other fonts that are good for highlighting important items are sub-groupings of fonts like slab serifs, block sans, bold versions of fonts, and decorative fonts often used when a design is based on a theme. One of my most frequent challenges, and I bet it's one of yours as well, is too much text—too little space. Text chal- lenges generally come in two flavors. Too many stacked lines (along with graphics), and lines that are very wide. Wide lines are often names of companies, programs, or award titles. Given enough vertical space, they can often be line-broken into two or I n part one of this article series, I covered design and layout basics as they relate to awards and recognition products. I will complete the series talking about fonts, odd-shaped awards, and the ultimate service. Design and Layout of Awards in a Fast-Paced World PART 2 Editor's note: You can find Part 1 of this series in the November 2017 issue, page. 18. ALL IMAGES COURTESY BOB HAGEL A variety of ornaments I created for clients and general use.