![]() ![]() Of course, this is more of a general overview of some of the basic, fundamental anatomy terms. Ligature: Two or more letters are joined together to form one glyph (Typedia).Finial: A tapered or curved end (Typedia).Terminal: The end of a stroke that lacks a serif (Typedia).Shoulder: A curved stroke originating from a stem (Typedia).Bowl: A curved stroke that encloses a letter’s counter (Typedia).Counter: Fully or partially enclosed space within a letter (Typedia).Crossbar: A horizontal stroke (Typedia).Stem: Primary vertical stroke (Typedia).Serif: “Feet” or non-structural details at the ends of some strokes (Typedia).Without overhang, rounded letters would look smaller than their flat-footed compatriots (Thinking with Type). If a typeface was not positioned this way, it would appear to teeter precariously. Commas and semicolons also cross the baseline. ![]() Overhang: The curves at the bottom of letters hang slightly below the baseline.Descender Height: The length of a letter’s descenders contributes to its overall style and attitude (Thinking with Type).Ascender Height: Some elements may extend slightly above the cap height (Thinking with Type).This is the most stable axis along a line of text, and it is a crucial edge for aligning text with images or other text (Thinking with Type). X-Height: The height of the main body of the lowercase letter (or the height of a lowercase x), excluding its ascenders and descenders (Thinking with Type).Cap Height: The distance from the baseline to the top of the capital letter determines the letter’s point size (Thinking with Type).The areas of the letter that are highlighted and numbered correlate directly with the numbered list below it. These are excellent resources for getting an in-depth view of specific typefaces, as well as general typographic terms and history. Today we will be pulling a lot of the terms and definitions from a couple websites such as Typedia and Thinking with Type. Some of these terms will also come into play in future Typography 101 installments, so becoming familiar with them will definitely be helpful. ( View Part 1: Leading, Tracking, & Kerning) While some of this may be kind of on the dry side, it is still important to learn some of the basic terms behind the anatomy of letters. The height of lowercase letters, specifically the lowercase x, not including ascenders and descenders.In our second installment of Typography 101, we are going to talk about the actual anatomy and structure of individual letterforms. The end of a stroke not terminated with a serif. The descender of a Q or short diagonal stroke of an R. The direction of thickening in a curved stroke.Ī fancy flourish replacing a terminal or serif. Unbracketed serifs are attached sharply, and usually at 90 degree angles.Ī small projection off a main stroke found on many capital Gs.Ī straight vertical stroke (or the main straight diagonal stroke in a letter which has no verticals). Brackets are the supportive curves which connect the serif to the stroke. Serifs come in two styles: bracketed and unbracketed. The projections extending off the main strokes of the characters of serif typefaces. The stroke that connects the top and bottom part (bowl and loop) of a two–story lowercase g. The small stroke that projects from the top of the lowercase g. The partially or fully enclosed space within a character.ĭescender – The part of a character (g, j, p, q, y, and sometimes J) that descends below the baseline. The height of capital letters from the baseline to the top of caps, most accurately measured on a character with a flat bottom (E, H, I, etc.). The horizontal stroke in characters such as A, H, R, e, and f.Ī curved stroke which creates an enclosed space within a character (the space is then called a counter). ![]() The part of a lowercase character (b, d, f, h, k, l, t) that extends above the x-height. Once you become more aware of the subtle differences between fonts, you will be able to judge them more easily.Īn upper or lower (horizontal or diagonal) stroke that is attached on one end and free on the other. In order to tell one font from another, use the parts of the letterforms to tell you what is what. Its vocabulary has evolved over the centuries and reflects the humor and preoccupations of the people who helped forge it. ![]() The anatomy of type has a long and winding tradition. Sigh.īack to the task at hand. Anatomy! Parts of type! Maybe it’s just the editing that makes these so hard to watch. She’s nearly intolerable, but she’s informative. I apologize for the annoying host, but the information is good. ![]()
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