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I in Graffiti Letters

By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · · How we review content

Capital I
Lowercase i

Rendered in the Sedgwick Ave Display typeface, an open-source font. It is a reference shape, not a hand-drawn letter.

I is a single vertical stroke, which sounds easy and is actually a test. With no curves or bars to hide behind, every choice shows: the lean, the thickness, the top and bottom caps. In a word, I is a pause between busier letters, so it can be kept plain while its neighbours do the shouting. Or it can carry the whole piece with a huge cap, a crown and a shadow.

Outline version to colour or trace

Open in the graffiti generator →

How to draw a graffiti capital I

  1. 1Draw one vertical line leaning to match the rest of the word, from the baseline to the top line.
  2. 2Decide the weight: a slim blade for a tag, a fat column for a throw-up or a tapered shape for a piece.
  3. 3Thicken the stroke and shape the ends, with square caps, rounded caps or angled cuts, but make both ends match.
  4. 4Add a cap and a foot as small serifs or a pair of horizontal bars to turn the plain line into an I-beam.
  5. 5Outline, fill, put a highlight down the left edge and a block along the right side to give it depth.

Tip: Draw the I the same width as the thickest stroke in the neighbouring letters. If it is thinner than the rest of the word, it looks like a gap.

How to draw a graffiti lowercase i

  1. 1Draw a short vertical stem at x-height, leaning in the same direction as the other letters.
  2. 2Thicken the stem and shape the foot into a small flick that points toward the next letter.
  3. 3Add the dot above the stem as a separate shape, a bubble, a diamond, a star or a small arrow.
  4. 4Keep a clear gap between the dot and the stem, or merge them into one shape if you prefer a tag style.
  5. 5Outline both parts, fill them and add a highlight on the upper left of the dot.

Tip: The dot is the only decorative freedom in a lowercase i, so it is where most writers put their most personal mark.

What makes I awkward or easy

A single stroke has no counters, no curves and no joins to make it unique, so the thickness and the caps carry the entire design. I also changes the rhythm of a word because it is narrow, which can leave a hole in your spacing unless you widen it or let an arrow from a neighbour fill the gap. Its simplicity makes it the easiest letter to get wrong by under-designing it.

Variations

A tag I is a quick slash, sometimes with a dot or a cross. A throw-up I is a fat bar with rounded ends. A piece I might be an I-beam with serifs, a 3D block and a crown on top. Wildstyle I often disappears into the extensions of the letters beside it, so only the dot or the stem tells you it is there.

Common mistakes with graffiti I

  • The stem is much thinner than the other letters.

    Match its width to the heaviest stroke in the word so the I does not look like a gap.

  • Both ends are cut in different ways.

    Choose one cap shape and use it at the top and bottom so the stem looks deliberate.

  • The dot sits directly on the stem and merges with it.

    Leave a clear space between the dot and the stem, or join them into a single shape on purpose.

  • The I is perfectly vertical while the other letters lean.

    Tilt it at the same angle as the rest of the word so it does not stand out as a mistake.

Ideas for graffiti I

I fits names such as Ivy, Ian and Isla, and words like Ink or Icon. Try an exercise with ten versions of a lowercase i dot on one line: star, heart, drop, arrow, crown. You will quickly find the shapes that suit your own handstyle.

Printable graffiti I sheet

Trace the outlines, then fill the empty rows with your own letters.

Graffiti letter I i Name: ____________________ · coolletteringgenerator.com

Graffiti I you can copy and paste

There is no graffiti alphabet in Unicode. The nearest copy-paste styles are bold gothic 𝕴 𝖎, the black square 🅸 and bubble forms Ⓘ ⓘ. These are fixed glyphs, so you cannot change the dot into a custom shape.

Graffiti I: questions

How do you draw a graffiti letter I?
Draw a leaning vertical line, thicken it to match the strokes of the other letters and give both ends the same cap shape. Outline, add small serifs if you want an I-beam, then fill, highlight the left edge and add a block along the right side.
How do I make a simple I look interesting?
Use the cap, the foot and the dot. Add serifs or a crown, push a flick out of the bottom, or turn the dot of the lowercase i into a star or an arrow. Keep the stem itself bold and plain so the letter reads instantly.
What is the best dot for a graffiti i?
A simple bubble or diamond is the most readable. Stars, hearts and arrows add personality but should still be the same size as the stem is thick. Keep the dot separate from the stem, and avoid a dot that is larger than the head of the letter.
How should I space an I between other letters?
Because the I is narrow, it often leaves a hole in a word. Widen it with serifs, or let an extension from the previous letter reach into the gap. Check by squinting at the sketch: if the I creates a visible hole, move the neighbours closer.

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