a e yp fi Letterform Anatomy Ascender Shoulder Tittle Bowl Crossbar Stem or Main Stroke Terminal Leg Ascent Line Cap Line Mean Line Baseline

Transcription

1 Letterform Anatomy Tittle Ascender Shoulder Ascent Line Cap Line Mean Line Baseline Crossbar Bowl Stem or Main Stroke HtiQfgxR Terminal Ear Counter Leg Descent Line Crossbar Serif Tail Loop or Bowl Juncture or Joint Cap Height x-height T a e yp fi Aperture Eye Desenders Ligature

2 1 Adobe Print Publishing Technical Guides Typography basics: Anatomy of letterforms Understanding the fundamental principles and concepts of typography is the first step to being a successful typographer. The most basic component of typography is the letter, and each letter of the alphabet is distinguished by its unique shape, or letterform. This technical guide includes definitions for and illustrations of the individual parts that compose letterforms, as well as the boundaries by which letterforms are delineated. Boundaries baseline The imaginary horizontal line upon which the majority of the characters in a typeface sit. capline The imaginary horizontal line resting upon the tops of the uppercase letters. meanline The imaginary horizontal line that designates the height of lowercase letters. Adobe and the Adobe logo are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Terms of Use. Online Privacy Policy.

3 ADOBE PRINT PUBLISHING TECHNICAL GUIDES Typography basics: Anatomy of letterforms 2 x-height Traditionally, the height of the lowercase letter x. As a general rule, x-height is the height of the body of lowercase letters of a typeface, excluding the ascenders and descenders. Some lowercase letters may extend a little bit above or below the x-height as part of their design, even without ascenders and descenders. X-height can vary considerably among typefaces with the same point size, which is based on the width of certain uppercase letters. Letterform parts apex The peak of an uppercase A. arm A horizontal portion of a letterform, one or both ends of which are unattached to the vertical portion(s). ascender The portion of a lowercase letterform (e.g., k, b, or d) that ascends above the x-height of the typeface. Contrast descender.

4 ADOBE PRINT PUBLISHING TECHNICAL GUIDES Typography basics: Anatomy of letterforms 3 beak Akin to a spur, but slightly larger, the projection that extends from the end points of an uppercase L, T, or E. bowl A curved portion of the letterform that encloses a counter. The exception in the lower curved part of a lowercase g (see loop). bracket The curve that connects the serif to the stem or stroke. May also be referred to as a fillet. counter The negative space of a letterform. A counter may be either fully or partially enclosed. crossbar The horizontal part of a letterform that connects, for example, a stem to a hairline.

5 ADOBE PRINT PUBLISHING TECHNICAL GUIDES Typography basics: Anatomy of letterforms 4 cross stroke The horizontal part of a letterform that intersects the vertical part. descender The portion of a lowercase letterform (e.g., y, p, or q) that descends below the baseline in a typeface. In some typefaces, the uppercase J and Q also descend below the baseline. Contrast ascender. ear The small decorative projection from the upper right side a lowercase g. eye The enclosed portion of a lowercase e. Similar to a counter. hairline The thinnest line of a typeface made of varying line weights.

6 ADOBE PRINT PUBLISHING TECHNICAL GUIDES Typography basics: Anatomy of letterforms 5 leg The lower, angled stroke of a k. link The part of a lowercase g that connects the loop to the bowl. loop The curved part of a lowercase g that encloses the lower counter. Similar to a bowl. serif Small decorative lines added to the end of a letterforms's stem and stroke. Serifs improve readability by leading the eye along a line of type. spine The main portion of the letter S both lowercase and uppercase that curves from left to right.

7 ADOBE PRINT PUBLISHING TECHNICAL GUIDES Typography basics: Anatomy of letterforms 6 spur The projection that extends from the end point of the curved portion of a letterform (e.g., from the top or bottom of an uppercase or lowercase S or C). A spur is smaller than a serif. stem The main vertical or near vertical portion of a letterform. stroke The main diagonal portion of a letterform, though this term is often used to refer to any of the main portions vertical, near vertical, or diagonal of a letterform. tail The stroke or loop at the end of a letterform, such as the tail of an uppercase Q or the stroke on an uppercase R. terminal The end, or termination, of a stem or stroke with no serif.

8 Letter Anatomy Definitions Typography employs a number of technical terms. These mostly describe specific parts of letterforms. Knowing a letterform s component parts makes it much easier to identify the type s classification and even the specific typeface. Baseline The imaginary line defining the visual base of letterforms (see the diagram below). Median The imaginary line defining the x-height of letterforms (see the diagram below). X-height The height in any typeface of the lowercase x (see the diagram below). ascender height cap height median baseline descender height Mphxx-height

9 Letter Anatomy Definitions ABC T l M dp Stroke Any line that defines the basic letterforms. AMV Apex/Vertex The point created by joining two diagonal stems (apex above, vertex below) Arm Short strokes off the stem of the letterform, either horizontal (E, F, T) or inclined upward (K, Y) Ascender The portion of the stem of a lowercase letterform that projects above the median. Barb The half-serif finish on some curved strokes. Beak The half-serif finish on some horizontal arms. bdpq Bowl The rounded form that describes a counter. The bowl may be either open or closed. Bracket The transition between the serif and the stem. Counter The negative space within a letterform, either fully or partially enclosed. FTY AH fa Cross Bar The horizontal stroke in a letterform that joins two stems together. Cross Stroke The horizontal stroke in a letterform that intersects the stem. Crotch The interior space where two strokes meet. Descender That portion of the stem of a lowercase letterform that projects below the baseline. Ear The stoke extending out from the main stem or body of the letterform. Em/En Originally referring to the width of an uppercase M, an em is now the distance equal to the size of the typeface (an em in 48pt type is 48 points, for example). An en is half the size of an em. Most often used to describe em/en spaces and em/en dashes. Finial The rounded non-serif terminal to a stroke. bdhk ft LKR CGS ETL adpc KV pqy gr Leg Short stroke off the stem of the letterform, either at the bottom of the stroke (L) or inclined downward (K, R). fi fl Ligature The character formed by the combination of two or more letterforms. g Link The stroke that connects the bowl and the loop of a lowercase G. (continued on next page)

10 Letter Anatomy Definitions g Loop In some typefaces, the bowl created in the descender of the lowercase G. ATM Serif The right-angled or oblique foot at the end of the stroke. hn Shoulder The curved stroke that is not part of a bowl. Ss Spine The curved stem of the S. bqg Spur The extension that articulates the junction of a curved and rectilinear stroke. TVbp Stem The significant vertical or oblique stroke. O O e e Stress The orientation of the letterform, indicated by the thin stroke in rounded forms. AT W Swash The flourish that extends the stroke of a letterform. Q j Tail The curved or diagonal stroke at the finish of certain letterforms. T t Terminal The self-contained finish of a stroke without a serif. This is something of a catch-all term. Terminals may be flat ( T, above), flared, acute ( t, above), concave, convex or rounded as well as a ball or a teardrop (see finial).

11

12

13

14

15

16

17