Thank you all for your constructive comments! They were extremely helpful. I've done some tweaking and (thanks to you) I think I know what I'm handing in.








The bottom stroke is still cutting through the word's baseline, but the top stroke is hovering over the 'l' just a little so it doesn't look like there are two separate boxes. This way, the 'E' is pretty much at its regular height, and still gives the word a little breathing room. [While at the same time, feeling pretty tightly enclosed]

Yes?                    No?

Sorry for boring you all with my schoolwork...