character
the symbol representing individual letters, numbers, punctuation, etc. used in setting type - note: A and a are two different characters
glyph
the specific shape and design representing a character - above: a collection of glyphs representing the character a
uppercase
capital letters
lowercase
small non-capital letters
type size
size of type is measured in points - 72 points is equal to 1 inch
baseline
the imaginary line that type sits on
meanline
an imaginary line that sits on top of the lowercase letters
capline
an imaginary line that sits on top of the uppercase letters
ascender
the portion of a lowercase letter that extends past the meanline, such as b, d, and h
descender
the portion of a lowercase letter that extends below the baseline, such as p, q, and y
x-height
the distance from the baseline to the meanline
cap height
the distance from the baseline to the capline
leading
the space between baselines of type
baseline shift
moving the baseline of one or multiple characters up or down
kerning
the space between two individual letters
tracking
the space between a selection of letters
flush left
aligning type to the left (FLRR - flush left ragged right)
flush right
aligning type to the right (FRRL - flush right ragged left)
centered
aligning text to a center point giving each line equal space on the left and right sides
justified
aligning type to both the left and the right (letter or word spacing is adjusted to create this alignment) - the last line is typically flush left, but can be centered, right or justified
superscript
a character that is set above the baseline which is typically smaller than the other characters
subscript
a character that is set below the baseline which is typically smaller than the other characters
font
a digital file containing the complete collection of characters in a specific typeface - above: six fonts in the Times family
typeface
the design of the characters contained within a font - for example: Times or Helvetica
typestyle
a modified version of the typeface, such as Roman, Italic, Bold, Bold Italic, Condensed, and Extended
type family
all the typestyles available in one typeface - this Times family consists of Times Roman, Times Italic, Times Semibold, Times Semibold Italic, Times Bold, and Times Bold Italic
CLASSIFICATION CHARACTERISTICS
In an effort to keep some kind of order to the countless typefaces available, a classification system has been defined. Each category has its own unique characteristics which are typically based on three attributes:
stress
the angle at which thin strokes on opposite sides of a character’s form connect to each other
thick & thin
stroke relationships - the level of contrast between the strokes that make up a character
angle
the slant of the serifs
CLASSIFICATIONS
While there is still debate regarding the amount of categories, and in an attempt to be thorough yet brief, nine categories are presented below that are usually agreed upon.
old style
- low thick/thin contrast
- heavily bracketed slanted serifs
- diagonal stress
- capital height is shorter than lowercase acenders
- based on ancient roman inscriptions
transitional
- moderate thick/thin contrast
- finely bracketed horizontal serifs
- vertical stress
- capitals same height as lowercase ascenders
- combines characterists of both old style and modern
modern
- extreme thick/thin contrast
- no bracketing of serifs
- thin horizontal serifs
- vertical stress
slab serif
- also called egyptian
- little or no thick/thin contrast
- square horizontal serifs
- vertical stress
sans serif
- no serifs
- little or no thick/thin contrast
- little or no vertical stress
- large x-height
display
- no specific characteristics
- used for large type, such as banners and headlines
script
- letters that represent handwriting or calligraphy
monospaced
- also called a fixed-width
- characters each occupy the same amount of horizontal space
- even spacing between letterforms
- mimics a typewriter
blackletter
- also called gothic or old english
- used in the Gutenberg Bible
- dramatic thin and thick strokes
- elaborate swirls on serifs
- based on early manuscript lettering
ANATOMY
Type anatomy describes the graphic elements that make up letters in a typeface.
aperture
the opening at the end of an open counter
apex
a point at the top of a character where two strokes meet
arm
a horizontal or upward sloping stroke that does not connect to a stroke or stem on one or both sides
axis
an imaginary line from top to bottom bisecting the upper and lower strokes
ball terminal
a circular form at the end of the arm of a letter
beak
the decorative stroke at the end of the arm of a letter, similar to a serif but more pronounced
bowl
the fully closed, rounded part of a letter
bracket
the decorative stroke at the end of the arm of a letter, similar to a serif but more pronounced
counter
the open space in a fully closed part of a letter
crossbar
the horizontal stroke of letters (also called bar)
cross stroke
a horizontal stroke that intersects the stem of a lowercase t or f
crotch
the inside angle where two strokes meet
diacritic
a mark added to a letter to specify a specific accent or pronunciation
diagonal stroke
an angled stroke
dot
a small round mark, such as the diacritic on a lowercase i or j (also known as a tittle)
ear
a small stroke extending from the upper-right side of the bowl of the lowercase g (also can appear in a lowercase r)
eye
the enclosed space in a lowercase e
finial
a tapered or curved end of a letter
flag
the horizontal stroke present on the number 5
foot
the part of a stem that rests on the baseline
hairline
the thin stroke typically of a serif typeface
hook
a curved stroke typical in a lowercase f
leg
the short, decending portion of a letter
ligature
two or more letters joined together to form one character
link
a stroke that connects the bowl and loop of a lowercase g
lobe
a rounded projecting stoke
loop
the enclosed (or partially enclosed) counter below the baseline of a double-story g
open counter
the space within a character that is open on one end
overshoot
when a round or pointed letter extends higher or lower than a flat letter to make it appear the same size visually
serif
a stroke added as a stop to the beginnings and ends of the main strokes of a character
shoulder
the curved stroke aiming downward from a stem
spine
the main curved stroke of the letter S
spur
a small projection off a main stroke
stem
the primary vertical stroke
stroke
the main straight or curved diagonal line
tail
a decending stroke which is usually decorative
teardrop terminal
the teardropped ends of strokes
terminal
the end of a stroke that does not include a serif
vertex
a downward point where two strokes meet
