typography compendium

8/14/2019 Typography Compendium

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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

The overlapping of four different type

families, although in the same point size,

have differing x-heights and kerning,

showing how different type families are.

This may affect the cleanliness of a piece

that the designer is working on if certain

families are used together. When mixing

type familie s, its okay to mix type families

that are very, very similar, or ones that are

very obviously different.

Anatomy of Type| Understanding Anatomy

Grapevine

Serifs

Counter

Tittle

Descender

Hairline

Spur

Terminal

Bowl

Stem

Finial

Shoulder

Crossbar

Serifs

Baseline

X Height

Stroke

Capline

Aperture

Shoulder

Eye

Eye

Grapevine


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Fundamental to all typographic design

is the interplay between letterform and

background. An awareness of this inter-

relationship of form and counterform

is essential in typographic design.

Every letterform defines a particular

counterform. Form and counterform

are reciprocal values and completely

interdependent and integral to a letters

completeness as a design.

The counterform is not just whats left

over in the background. The counter form

is a new entity that emerges through

interaction with the form. Typically these

counterforms are either geometric or

organic in quality depending on the

structure or style of the letter. In the

counterforms of letters there exists a

fascinating world of form waiting to be

explored by the designer.

Anatomy of Type | Form/Counterform

When the bottom half of a word is covered,

its easier to read than if the top half were

covered. I was surpised at how much of a

letter could be covered and that the letter

could retain recognizability. I learned

which parts of letters were the most

important for recognizability.

Anatomy of Type| Understanding Anatomy

GrapevineGrapevine

Grapevine


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Anatomy of Type| Cropping Studies

Anatomy of Type| Cropping Studies

Anatomy of Type| Counterpart and Counterpoint

Denotes counterpart relationships

Denotes counterpoint relationships


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When creating a visual hierarchy in

typographic space, a designer balances the

need for harmony, which unifies 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.

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

thepart(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.

Anatomy of Type| Typographic Kinetics

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Anatomy of Type| Counterpart and Counterpoint


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Since the time of the Greeks, capital

letterforms have consisted of simple

geometric forms based on the square,

circle, and triangle. The basic shape of

each capital letterforms can be extracted

from this Roman letterform template found

on the Trojan Columns which is composed

of a bisected square, a circle, a triangle, an

inverted triangle, and two smaller circles.

The most elementary forms of letters are

a visual code of simple strokes that is

recogniz- able through our experience with

handwriting. Each of the upper and lower

case letters is distinct in structure. All are

built by combining vertical, horizontal,

slanted, and curvilinear strokes.

Letter forms derive their 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

combinations of strokes as the example

illustrates.

Anatomy of Type | The Structure of Letters Anatomy of Type | The Structure of Letters

Stroke Catagories Uppercase

KMNY

VWX

AZ

BDGJPRU

COQS ceos

abdghmnpqru

z

vwxy

k

EFHILT fijlt

Lowercase

T

B


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Size|Weight

Size|Width

A

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 in form and division

of space. Then, using the designers

name, the name of the chair, and the date

of its manufacture, impose the words in

a typographic study that dempnstrates

relationships to the chair.

Typographic Page with a Chair Typographic Page with a Chair


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Size|Case

Case|Width

Ba

a

Size|Weight

B

Weight|Size

B



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BEllEVUE

ANdREB

lOC

19

51

AndreBloc

belle

vue

1951

Size|Width

Face|Size

Case|Weight

Case|Size



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Typographic Page with a Chair | Layout Typographic Page with a Chair | Layout

AndreBlocbellevue

1951

Made of bent plywood and

varnished steel, theBellevuechairh oldsa lot of valuebecausenot manyweremade. The S shapedcurveof the chairwasinspiredbythe flowingformsin JeanArpssculptures. Two Vshaped legse xtend off thebackof the chairforsupport.It stands82.5inchestall,39.5 incheswide, with aseatheight of 42 cms.

Blocadapted many rolesin hislife:sculptor, painter,architect, designer, writer,editor, and exhibitionorganizer. As a man explor-inga wide varietyof artisticdisciplines, Bloc understoodtheimportance of anaudience, with my workIseek to unite man withhisenvironment in a warmer,more personal relationship.

WITHM

YWORK

ISEEKT

OUNITE

MAN

WITHHI

SENVIRO

NMENTI

NAWA

RMER,

MOREPE

RSONAL

RELATIO

NSHIP.

Andre BlocBellevue Chair1951

ndreBloc

AndreBloc

BellevueChair

1951

BEllEVUE

ANdRE

BlOC

19

51

BEllEVU

EAN

dREBlO

C

19

51

Withm

ywork

Iseekto

unitem

anwith

hisenviro

nmentin

awarm

er,more

per-

sonalrelatio

nship.

Andre Bloc was born in

1896 in Algeria and emigrated

to France two years later.

Originally trained to become

an engineer, Bloc didnt start

sculpting until 1940, much later

on in his life. His sculpture work

began to take an abstract turn

nine years later. He created

some large-scale sculptures in

Paris before launching Art dau-

jourdhui, the first periodical to

be devoted to only abstract art.

In 1951, Bloc created the

Bellevue chairand the Bellevue

house in Meudon, located

in France in 1952. Made of

bent plywood and varnished

steel, the Bellevue chairis

very limited and holds a lot of

value because not many were

made. The chairholds an S

shaped curve inspired by the

flowing forms in Jean Arps

sculptures. 39.5 inches wide,

with a seat height of 42 cms.

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.


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