0

So I checked some quote poster designs and billboard designs on Pinterest but one thing was confusing.

Some were using a full stop in the end of quote (i.e., just before the "). For example:

"This is a bla bla bla quote by someone."

-- Author Name

And some were avoiding it:

"This is a bla bla bla quote by someone"

-- Author Name

So as you can see in 1st example, there's a full stop after someone. But it's not yet part for a poster or billboard yet. It's just a text form in the details of this question.

But in case of a poster or billboard design, it would be the primary text and so I'll use it in bigger font size.

And I'm not sure whether to use that full stop or not. Personally, the dot and quotes combination ( ." ) looks a bit noisy/clutter to me (it could be only me), so I tend to remove it. But I'm not sure if it's right thing to do or not.

If we talk about English grammar, I think you should use the full stop. Somewhat similar is discussed here.

But I'm not sure when we make it part of a design. So should you use the full stop or can it be avoided?

Improve this question
4
  • 1
    There are different standards when using full stops, depending on country. In the UK, the full stop and other punctuation marks go outside the quotation marks if they're not part of the quote itself. However, if they are part of the quote, they should be inside.
    – Billy Kerr
    Commented Oct 1, 2021 at 7:59
  • @BillyKerr yeah read same maybe on English SE. But in my case, the full stop is part of the sentence as it is a full sentence. So it's clear that full stop is not needed after the quotation marks. The question is more about whether it can be avoided or must be used (inside the quotation marks).
    – Vikas
    Commented Oct 1, 2021 at 8:08
  • 1
    Editors I work with would shoot me if I placed a full stop outside of quote marks.. or left it off.. But that is US English.
    – Scott
    Commented Oct 1, 2021 at 8:21
  • 1
    @Vikas - normal punctuation rules can be bent for aesthetic/stylistic reasons especially when the quotation is not enclosed within a sentence. I've seen quotations used in posters etc, without quotation marks at all, and without a full stop.
    – Billy Kerr
    Commented Oct 1, 2021 at 8:39

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

Full stop if the quote is a complete sentence. You should use an ellipsis if it's not. Note that size of punctuation doesn't always have to match the size of the text. There is some room for "artistic freedom" when implementing punctuation on more decorative type.

Lack of punctuation is an error, unless it's for some "artsy-fartsy" reason... :)

Improve this answer
1
  • Well in my case it's not an artsy-fartsy reason. I'm using it professionally in the ending of a personal video. In an easy to read font. Noting creative. The last frame has quote and its author name. So I should consider including the full stop?
    – Vikas
    Commented Oct 1, 2021 at 19:21

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.