Anotomy of Type

Individual letter forms have unique parts which have changed in visual form over the centuries. A nomenclature helps identify major elements of their construction. The evolution of lettering styles over time is a result of optical adjustments to the basic components by type designers over the ages.

Shoulder

Serif

Damaging
Loop Fillet Link Descender

Bowl Ear Jot

Capline

Meanline x-height Baseline

Damaging Damaging Damaging Damaging

Overlap Overlap to discover the remarkable range that exists between historic families of type even though they have the same point size. What does this mean for the designer? When it comes to mixing families of type what can be done and what cannot be done? What are the only 2 anatomical attributes that all families share?

Damaging Damaging Damaging Damaging Damaging

Legibility Word Which is more legible when covered, the bottom half of the word or the top half of the word? When the bottom half of the word is covered it is more legible.

Damaging Damaging

Legibility letter How much of the letterform can you remove and still read the word? What do you become aware of?

Damaging Damaging

Typographic Kinetics

Every letter has a personality you can identify. Fragmentation is not the goal in and of itself. Everything is adjustable and its a case-by case decision of how far to go. The form you seek is one that to be able to read the word. So this determines the degree of fracture. Its the part(letterform) towhole (word). Both must be juggled to value. You cant use the same element over and over just because it worked in one place. Every example should change somewhat. Because range is a persistent goal of design, you want to invent in each example. Expect some noble necessary part of any assignment.

Form/Counterform

When creating a visual hierarchy in typographic space, a designer balances the need for harmony, which unies a design, with the need for contrast, which lends vitality and emphasis. As in music, elements can have a counterpart or a counterpoint relationship. Typographic counterparts are elements with similar qualities that bring harmony to their spatial relationship. Elements have a counterpoint relationship when they have contrasting characteristics, such as size, weight, color, tone, or texture. Counterpoint relationships bring opposition and dissonance to the design.

The Structure of Letters

While upper and lower case letters are distinct in structure, they all are built by combining 4 strokes; vertical, horizontal, slanted, and curvilinear. These elementary strokes form the foundation, a visual code that is recognizable through our long experience with reading and writing regardless of style. Therefore, letter forms derive their visual character from combinations of these basic strokes and not from being light or bold, wide or narrow, Roman or italic, sans serif or serif. An entire alphabet can be categorized using only six basic underlying visual Stroke categories combinations of strokes as the example illustrates.

E,F,H,T,I,L,J

i,t,j,l,f,

K,M,N,Y X,V,W A,Z

v,w,x,y,z x,v,w,y z

B,D,J,P,R,U

a,b,d,h,m,n,p,q,r,u,g

C,O,Q,S

e,o,c,s

Typographic Pages

Using the initials of your designer, impose the letterforms in a typographic study that interprets a relationship to the form of the chair they designed. The goal is to discover relationships via form and division of space. Then using the designers name, the name of the chair and the date of its manufacture or materials used to create the chair, impose the words in a typographic study that demonstrates relationships to the chair.

J a
Size + weight

a
J
Size + case

Size + width

a a J

Weight + width

Typographic Page

Weight + slant

A
Combination

Typographic Page

Combination

J A

Combination

a J

Typographic Page

ARNE

360 degrees. A lumi ire. tf num i p .

Copenh age n. 19

. 58

Size + weight

58
ARNE
COPENHAGENINUM & LEATHER M

Jacobsen

U AL

A.J.
Size + width

New W oo

Egg Chair

ol
scose & Vi

1
Egg Cha ir.

9 5 8

Typographic Page

C Leather
Ha

OPENHAGEN

ir-on-Hide

Size + case + weight

New combinations

ne J a Ar

cobsen.

1958

n . Cope

h ag . en

u min u l A

L e at he

r.

hair

AL UR NAT

JA CO
LE AT H ER

BS

New combinations

58

EN

Typographic Page

Egg Chair

1958
New combinations

ROSA
ARNE
New combinations

58

A DENMARK
1958

JACOBSEN

New combinations

AJ
New combinations

COPENHAGEN

58

Multi-Page Typographic Layout and the Grid

Type generally falls into two primary categories; informational and or expressive. Its not uncommon to have a strategy for both present in layouts. Informational text is more common and the form responds to long traditions and conventions of size, spacing and established habits of organization on the page. In a book or website it is information design that takes the lead. On a poster or motion graphics, expression could lead. The ratio is determined by the designer and the needs of the communication. An emphasis or hierarchy must be clear and decisive so the roles each plays in the communication are clear. In design things are not equal.

LEATHER

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Spitfire Chair
Hand softness

distressed and

Features
leather vintage

for appeal.

Hair-on-Hide chairs and ottomans feature natural, undyed hides; subtle variations in shading, hair length and texture make each piece unique. Leather front and aluminum clad back accented with steal screws. 34 W x 31 D

Front

360 Swivel

1950s Copenhagen Spitfire Chair Design inspired by Arne Jacobsen 1958 Sold in Restoration Hardware