Home >> Hobbies >> Other Hobbies

How to Design Headstone Graphics

Headstones mark the site of a burial. They provide details of the person interred there and may include an inscription and basic imagery. The typography, images, symbols and designs used on a headstone are referred to as its graphics. These may be chosen by living relatives or, more rarely, prespecified by the deceased while still alive. Headstones can last hundreds of years, so it's important to design graphics that can be easily read and won't age badly stylistically.

Instructions

- 1
  Design a font or use a pre-existing typeface for the headstone's text. A single font is more visually cohesive than multiple fonts. The simpler the font, the more easy it is to read. Common font choices include condensed Roman, modified Roman, Old English, Arial, Bernard, commercial script, Ashley script and Helvetica bold condensed. Browse sites such as Dafont to get inspiration for designing your own font.
- 2
  Draw a border or suitable image. Headstone borders are generally floral, scrolling or simple, understated lines. Common images include angels, birds, bells, hands, anchors, knots, leaves and flowers. Restrict the amount of images used as they can distract from the force of the words.
- 3
  Combine any imagery and text into a pleasing layout on a flat surface. The easiest way to do this is to draw or print out the separate elements and cut them up. Try different sizes of each of the elements as well as different positioning.

Other Hobbies