Typography In Headstones

While searching around the Internet I came across a popular place for type today that people do not notice as much. The Headstone.  The modern headstone is usually a large engraved name and set of dates fallowed by a quote on some sort of stone, most commonly granite. When putting in an order for a headstone you are confronted with several typographic and stylistic choices. First you choose which typeface. Most commonly used today is Roman serif fonts, giving the headstones a solemn serious feeling. There is however many other options that companies give you including some questionable script fonts and some san serifs for smaller text. 

Some of the more common stylistic choices deal with how the stone itself is treated. These options deal with both the text on the stone and the stone behind the text. Some people prefer a frosted panel for the type to sit on or a polished surface while others have the text cut straight into the rough stone. How the letters are cut into the stone is another choice with the leading styles being a V cut, skin cut or a polished or frosted outline.  While this outlines the most standard rout to take other people have come up with more creative ways to be remembered. Brooks Wheeler for instance decided to make a unique headstone for his self where he carved doodles and friends names into the stone saying it was a “fun stone”.