Type Compendium

Jessica Garcia
Fall 2014
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Overlapping classical type families of the
same point size, displays the great range in
character width, x-height and capline. The
only anatomical attributes shared across all
type families are the baseline and the strokes
used to create the characters. Mixing families
of type on a single line or in a paragraph
will create visual discord due to the many
characteristic differences between the two
families.
Anatomy 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.
Anatomy of Type
Juxtapose J se JJ pp J ta ta ta ta aaaa ssss pppppp Juxtapos Juxtapos JJuuux ux xt xt ta ta ap ap po po os os ss J JJJJJu uuuux ux ux ux xt xt xxta ta ta tap ap aaaap apo ppppo poooos os ssss
Each individual square and its letter form
is seen as an independent typographic
composition that investigates form and
counterform, gure ground relationships,
asymmerty / symmetry, static and dynamic
placement.
Anatomy of Type | Cropping
Covering the top and bottom halves of letter
forms demonstrates that, in general, the
upper half of a letter is more legible than the
bottom half. Exceptions to this tendency are
letters that extend below the baseline. Nearly
half of any word can be removed before it is
no longer legible, but some letters are more
easily identiable depending on which half of
the letterform remains.
Anatomy of Type | Legibility
Juxtapose
Juxtapose
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Typographic Kinetics
Typography is unique in that it is both visual
and verbal. Every letter has a personality you
can identify even while part of a word. In
these examples, fragmentation is not the goal
in and of itself, but to demonstrate the role
of legibility as it pertains to reading, the role
of size and optical spacing, and emphasize
Form and Counter Form | Single Letter
Fundamental to all typographic design is the
interplay between letter form and counter
form. Form and counter form are reciprocal
values and completely interdependent and
integral to a letters completeness as a design.
rhythmic form /counterform pattern of light
and dark. Its a case-by case decision of how
far a designer can push formal invention
before readability is lost.
A B
E D
G U
Counterpart / Counterpoint
Form relationships of counterparts and
counterpoints are established by frequency of
appearance. Counterparts, through repeted
use, establish the rule. Counterpoint, by
its appearance only once, functions as the
exception to the rule.
Form and Counter Form | Between Letters
The counter form is not just whats left over
in the background. The counter form shapes
the void and helps dene rhythmic intervals
to ease reading. Typically these counter forms
are either geometric or organic in quality
depending on the structure or style of the
letter. An awareness of this interrelationship
of form and counter form is essential in
typographic design.
= Counter Part
= Counter Point
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.
LHFETI tlijf
NMYK k
VXW vxwy
AZ z
DPBUJRG bdpqghrmnua
COQS ceos
Typographic Page
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.
relationships to the chair. 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.
Michelle De Lucchi
First
1983
Letter forms derive their visual character
from combinations of these basic strokes. An
entire alphabet can be categorized using only
six basic underlying visual combinations of
strokes as the example illustrates.
The basic shape of each capital letterforms
can be produced from this Roman Letterform
diagram which is made up of a bisected square,
a circle, a triangle, an inverted triangle and two
smaller circles.
weight+case+slant
m
weight+slant
M
L
weight+width
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weight+face
M
Typographic Page Typographic Page
weight+face
weight+slant
weight+width
width+case+weight
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Typographic Page Typographic Page
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first chair, 1983
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size+weight+face
size+width+slant
size+weight+face
Chair Hang Tag
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.
Chair Hang Tag
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
Michele De Lucchi
was born in 1951
in Ferrara and
graduated in ar-
chitecture in Flor-
ence.
During the period
of radical and ex-
perimental archi-
tecture he was a
prominent gure
in movements like
Cavart, Alchymia
and Memphis.
De Lucchi has
designed furni-
ture for the most
E
michelle
FIRST CHAIR
NINETEEN EIGHTY THREE
ENAMELEDWOOD
ALUMINUM
known Italian and
European compa-
nies.
For Olivetti he has
been Director of
Design from 1992
to 2002 and he
developed experi-
mental projects for
Compaq Comput-
ers, Philips, Sie-
mens and Vitra.
He designed and
restored buildings
in Japan, Ger-
many, Switzer-
land and in Italy
for Enel, Olivetti,
Piaggio, Poste
Italiane, Telecom
Italia.
M
FIRST CHAIR
1983
L
M
r s t c h a i r , 1 9 8 3
a l u m i n u m
e n a m e l e d w o o d
Michele De Lucchi
was born in 1951 in
Ferrara and graduated
in architecture in
Florence.
During the period of
radical and experi-
mental architecture
he was a prominent
gure in movements
like Cavart, Alchymia
Computers, Philips,
Siemens and Vitra.
He designed and
restored buildings in
Japan, Germany, Swit-
zerland and in Italy for
Enel, Olivetti, Piaggio,
Poste Italiane, Telecom
Italia.
and Memphis. De
Lucchi has designed
furniture for the most
known Italian and
European companies.
For Olivetti he has
been Director of
Design from 1992 to
2002 and he devel-
oped experimental
projects for Compaq
enameled wood
aluminum
Jessica Garcia
Type Compendium
Design & Type | Fall 2014
Instructor : Douglas Higgins
Ringling College of Art + Design
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