In our modern culture, people identify brands and products based on their carefully chosen typography. Words and letters are in practically everything around us. Example of leading We Are Letters and Words: Type as Personality This means that when we manipulate the leading, we are changing the way a paragraph looks. When you change the tracking, it helps fit more letters in a small space or spread out letters if they are too tight. Tracking: The proportional space between all the letters in a body of text. It’s used when you need to move only one letter because it is too far or too close to its companions. Kerning: The space between individual letters. The most accurate measurement is found in flat-bottomed characters like the letter E. It’s called x-height because the letter x of each typeface is what determines the measurement.Ĭap Height: The cap height is a measurement of all capital letters in the same typeface. It measures the height of all lowercase letters that are part of the same typeface. X-Height: The x-height isn’t exactly a part, but rather a measurement. While we’re at it, we’ve put together a cheat sheet of some of the most commonly used terms surrounding the anatomy of type. Let’s break down the main pieces of typography you’ll most often hear referenced: Believe it or not, all letterforms have specific terms used to describe their individual pieces that make up the whole.įrom sans-serifs to serifs, they all have legs, arms, ears, shoulders, tails, spines, you name it! The only time you’ll hear us talking anatomy is when it comes to breaking down the body parts of letters. We have just one question: Are you a serif person or a sans-serif person? The Anatomy of Type: Terms, Classifications, and Properties Eventually, these evolved into the serif typesets popular today in Western printings. These styles have thinner curves and serifs, resulting in a cleaner, more legible page. This style of difficult-to-read-but-lovely-to-look-at-writing is now referred to as “Gothic.” A reaction to the Gothic typeface was the Garamond typeface, which was developed in the Renaissance period along with other Roman styles. At the time, most people (who could read) were used to reading this beautiful, complicated type. The first typefaces in Europe were modeled after the ornate style of writing used by scribes. But, can you read any of it? If you’re like us, the answer is: not well. If you’ve ever seen calligraphy from way back when, you’ll likely agree it’s unarguably beautiful. There are only 49 copies still in circulation, and they are subsequently known as the “Gutenberg Bibles.” Legibility Reigns This revolutionary invention launched the Printing Evolution.įun fact: the first book printed was the Bible. For the first time in history, mass production of texts was possible thanks to the Gutenberg Press. In the beginning (a.k.a in 1450), Johannes Gutenberg created the first movable type out of lead alloy that proved to be so effective, it’s still used to this day. A Brief History: Introduction to Typography We’ll cover a little history (talking to you, Gutenberg), along with the anatomy, personality, and future of typography as we know it. What’s McDonald’s without its signature logo? So, let’s talk about the essentials of typography. I mean, you’re reading and experiencing this blog post right now… through letters and words! Here at Look Listen, we like to think typography is just as important. It’s no secret that we experience the world around us through letters and words.
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