Roman Square Capitals
ローマン・キャピタル / 1st–2nd century / Style / Type Classification
Capitals cut for stone, with geometric proportions and serifs, became the skeleton of the Latin alphabet and the archetype of authority for two thousand years.
At a glance
Visual cues
- Geometric proportions
- Chiseled serifs
- All-capital setting
- Monumental letterspacing
Best used for
- Inscriptions meant to last, such as cornerstones and plaques on public buildings
- Title pages and covers where a few words must carry formal authority
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Dictionary entry
- Type
- Set capitals only, keeping classical width differences and spacing them optically
- Composition
- Stack centered lines, open the word spaces, and align each line's measure
- Material
- Cut into stone or metal so the angled section catches raking light
- Caution
- Do not explain these letters by geometry alone, and read them as traces of the brush draft and the chisel. Long passages resist reading, and default spacing breaks the proportions and the authority.
- Further study
- The Trajan Column inscription / Edward Catich, The Origin of the Serif / capitalis monumentalis
Related entries
- Old Style Serif (オールドスタイル・ローマン)Same Type Classification lineage.Compare Roman Square Capitals and Old Style Serif
- Blackletter (ブラックレター)Same Type Classification lineage.Compare Roman Square Capitals and Blackletter
More from Type Classification
Continue through styles in the same Type Classification family, prioritised by shared effects.
- Transitional Serif (トランジショナル)Shared effects: Trust / Luxury.
- Italic (イタリック)Shared effects: Luxury.
- Didone (ディドーネ)Shared effects: Luxury.
Browse all Type Classification entries
Cite this entry
The dictionary is meant to be linked to. Take whichever form fits where you are writing.
- Link
- https://indexstyle.org/styles/roman-capitals
- Markdown
- [Roman Square Capitals — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/roman-capitals)
- HTML
- <a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/roman-capitals">Roman Square Capitals — IndexStyle</a>