Allow Pets at Rest to take you on a journey into font styles and design...

 For so many of us, when a pet dies, it's about much more than just losing an animal we loved. It may be a cliché to say it, but our pets are friends we share decades with. They are there during our low points and our high points, and they give a love that is as pure as can be.

 It goes without saying, then, that when their time of passing comes, you want their memory to remain exactly as feels right to you. And along with finding the perfect kind of memorial to choose, that means selecting a style of font that embodies the character of the pet you'll never forget.

 So many styles, so how do you choose one?

 

Selecting one font/typeface from literally hundreds isn't easy for anyone. In fact the more you discover, the less easy it can become! That doesn't mean it has to be a headache for weeks, of course.

The first thing to decide is how ornate and elaborate you would like the font to be. Bear in mind that if the font/typeface is too elaborate, it may become unreadable, and that if it is too simple, it may not do your pet's character justice. Fortunately, there are a few popular ones which fit the bill for a great many of us. Times New Roman is one – it's the font this blog post is written in, in fact, and it works so well because it is timeless, classic and with serifs that finish the letters beautifully.

Alternatively, you could go with Tahoma. Tahoma is a nice, bright, clear font that is very readable and simple. A more contemporary font without serifs, it's probably best suited to a more modern-style pet memorial.

Next up, we have Ms Boli. A fun and lively font – as is obvious by now! – this one will work wonders for a pet who was always fun to be around, or maybe a bit mischievous! Then again,  Arial Black is also a very good option. Particularly if your dog or cat was bold and loved being the centre of attention.

For more refined pets, however, you'll want to consider fonts similar to Verdana. Light and simple, Verdana shares many of the qualities of Tahoma and allows for a little more space between words and characters.

Font size is also an important issue, as is a font's ability to print well in numerical form. As numbers will form an important part of your pet memorial, it's vital to make sure that the font you have chosen does numbers or symbols well (not all do!).

And now for one last note on combining fonts: providing you're careful and selective, there's no reason why a memorial can't combine several fonts together. For practical reasons, though, we'd suggest not using more than 2 fonts. If you are going to use several on the same piece, it's probably best they are reasonably similar, too. If there is too much contrast between the styles, you may end up taking away from the memory and creating something which is more of a spectacle.

 

If you would like to have more than one font used simply let us know either when placing your order online or by emailing us or giving us a call.

About our Granite Photo Pet Memorials

Here is a few pics of our very popular XL Supreme Black Granite Photo Pet Memorials created in the finest quality Spanish stone and have a chunky 20mm thickness. These are one of our original memorial creations we started with over 10 years ago! They have loads of room for as much wording as you desire and can include your text in the font style of your choice, motif designs such as hearts or paw prints and can also include a special uv protected photo.

Many people think that the only way to reproduce a photo onto a granite surface like this is to attach a ceramic plaque which are usually expensive to create and as they are quite thick pertrude off the stones surface. We use a state of the art sublimated 1mm thick metal plaque that we fuse your photos onto and after adding a special UV blocking film attach it to the granites surface and finish it off with a beautiful engraved border. You can have either a circular or square crop depending how your photo is and your preference. Sometimes we are not able to create a circular crop due to not having enough room on the photo but we will advice you of this. These like all our pet memorials are all designed to be placed outside and be able to withstand the elements, ageing naturally over time and staying looking great for many years.

A New Pet Memorial Idea

We have just introduced a new product to our range which is designed to go indoors and can fit neatly on any mantle, shelf or even in a plant pot. They are solid glass hearts that we engrave with your desired wording and motifs. They come in a satin lined gift box so are ideal to give as a tolken. If you have any questions about these please contact us.

Pet memorial landscaping – design the perfect area to suit

The word landscaping immediately strikes fear into some people, but it doesn't have to! When we talk about landscaping in the context of pet memorials – or layout – we're actually talking about something very simple: creating an environment where you can make the most of remembering your pet, just the way you want to. The good news is that you don't have to be a landscape gardener, or even have any experience of gardening, to make it work. In the first blog on Pets At Rest in a while, we'll cover the fundamental things that you'll need to consider.

Should you memorial be a busy, quiet or colourful area?

As with everything permanent, the surroundings of a pet memorial – as well as the memorial of course – demand a fair bit of consideration. One way of coming up with a memorial which suits you is to sit down and make a note of all the feelings you would like to have when you see the space, as well as the things you are trying to achieve.

For example, Jackie is remembering a Golden Retriever by the name of Stevey. Now, Stevey was a very colourful character indeed. A fan of mucking about in rivers and getting utterly filthy, he always inspired laughter in his owner. When Stevey died, his owner decided she wanted Stevey's personality to come through with vibrant colours as the centre piece. On the list for things she wanted to achieve were the following things: a space which got plenty of light, with lots of colours, free from getting water-logged. It had to be simple enough not to cost the earth and very fun too, too. With these things in mind, the conclusion for creating the pet memorial was easy to reach: a simple granite memorial would be as classy as Stevey was, and the area would also utilise chippings to drain water easily. Finally, resilient flowers give the area that colourful, fun look she really wanted. Put the memorial in a space free of shadows – a place which gets plenty of light in the afternoon,when she likes to enjoy the space – and you have all the ingredients for the right kind of memorial. One that Stevey would have been proud of, no less.

Using flowers to enhance your memorial area

Not sure where to start with flowers? Well, it's always worth keeping in mind that Bleeding Heart, Baby's Breath and the humble Forget-me-not are firm favourites. Another intriguing idea is to plant flowers that attract wildlife such as bees, butterflies and moths. For the more spiritual of you, you might wish to select flowers which hold a special meaning too. Bellflower, for instance, means thinking of you, while Daisy means innocence (Stevey's owner selected Heliotrope, which means devotion).

It's also worth remembering that in most cases, a concrete base or weed control sheets will be required to use decorative chippings to ensure the area stays looking great. Chippings are a clever way to keep things nice and simple – they come in almost every single colour, from Iced white to black and dark green – and stones can also give a pleasing appearance.

Border Collie Trust GB

Had a lovely conversation with a member of the Border Collie Trust G.B yesterday about their online pet memorials, asking whether they can add us to their pet memorials page. The next day we received an email from the trust saying they have added our text and a link to the side of their pet memorial page! They offer a great service and all they ask is for a small donation! Click here to see their website and make a donation!

Clearing up the misconceptions about pet memorials

Being in the pet memorial business can sometimes be a tricky thing. As a company, we need to cater for so many people who are in such differing circumstances. Some of these are as follows:

1) Grieving pet owners who are, quite understandably, still very upset about the death of their pet(s).

2) Pet owners who have known their pet was unwell for a long time and who are more than happy to discuss the various options of what comes next.

3) Individuals who are looking to replace their old less-than-worthy memorial with a sparkling new one that takes advantage of all the latest techniques which are available.

4) People who, unfortunately, have a tainted view of the industry, after having a bad experience with a firm who didn’t listen to what they asked for and gave them something they did not want.

On top of all this, being a pet memorial company in the new millenium means that it’s not enough to just do the memorials. With social networking occupying such importance in the consciousness of the general public and the media, it’s essential that we also interact with our clients using Twitter, Facebook and all the other mediums that resonate with our clients (we’re on Twitter as @petsatrestuk). Additionally, we also run this blog, so that after browsing our website, pet owners can stay informed about the weekly & monthly happenings of our ever-changing business.
So…as you might have guessed, staying on-top of this isn’t always easy!

One thing we also know people struggle with is the feeling that ordering a memorial will be depressing and upset them. In so many ways, this kind of thinking is logical and fair enough — after all, we have lost pets ourselves, so we understand all too well what it is like to lose a member of the family. Here at PAR, we’re well aware that pets aren’t just animals, they’re an enormous part of our lives for years and sometimes decades, and our number one goal is to make the whole experience that much easier for you.

So, if you’re considering obtaining a memorial for your pet and don’t know where to begin, allow us to help you in any way we can. It’s also worth mentioning that you’re under no obligation to immediately buy a granite, marble, slate or photo-memorial. Here, we’ve always firmly believed in putting the customer first and showing them what we can do. After you have decided that Yes, you would like to go ahead, we’ll ensure that every stage of the process is as simple and uncomplicated as it possibly can be. We’ll show you fonts, different kinds of stone, and advise you on the placement of your memorial. If you would like a photograph on your memorial, we also have a new system capable of doing just that with stunning effect!

Have a suggestion for us or any feedback on what you like/don’t like about our new website? Then please do feel free to get in touch on our Feedback page and let us know what you think. We don’t bite! If PAR was a pet we’d be the kindest most loyal doggy going!

Losing your beloved pet

We know its hard to say goodbye to your beloved pet, we at Pets at Rest understand the grief and upset that comes with losing a pet. We offer a pain free service designing & engraving the perfect pet memorial. From candle holders to granite memorials. All the information you need for your pet memorial lies at www.petsatrest.co.uk