12/27/2022 0 Comments Anatomy of a typeface![]() The baseline is an invisible line that the letters appear to sit on. ![]() Typographic Termsĭescenders are the strokes of the letters that extend below the baseline. It also has open apertures, discernible terminals, and slightly looser letter spacing than Helvetica. In typographical terms, it has a healthy x-height without sacrificing the ascenders and descenders. Georgia, by type designer Matthew Carter, was designed for the screen. Words and letters are more clear, allowing the eye to move quickly along the line of text. Bottom: Georgia 14/20 on a 1280×800 MacBook Air screen is a bit easier to read. Letters feel tight, and the letter e closes up into a circle. Top: Helvetica 14/20 on a 1280×800 MacBook Air screen. But text set in Georgia is a bit easier to read, even though it looks slightly smaller than Helvetica and is a more complex font. ![]() Helvetica is simpler and cleaner than Georgia. That’s a good rule of thumb, but it’s not quite enough. You’ll often hear “simple” fonts are better for the screen because of resolution issues. Thin strokes and small spaces in letterforms can start to disappear, and as in the photocopy example, the text gets harder to read. Web typographers need to pay particular attention to the strokes and spaces in a font because of screen resolution. Thinner strokes start to disappear, leaving only parts of the letters.Įither way, when strokes or spaces get lost, the legibility of the font changes, and reading becomes more difficult. The spaces in and around the letters start to disappear. Why does this happen? Sometimes, the strokes in the text thicker. ![]() If we lose either of these elements, legibility is compromised.ĭid you ever try to read a poor photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy? Experience tells you that type becomes harder to read with each generation of copying. These shapes are created primarily by two elements: the strokes of the letters and the spaces in and around the letters. When we read, we don’t see individual letters we see (and read) the shapes of the words. One factor that affects readability, and a great place to start, is choosing a legible font. If text feels hard to read, people won’t want to read it. ![]()
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