Typography has its very own language. It’s full of typographic terms that make up its basic anatomy. Just like it’s vital for your doctor to learn human anatomy to make an informed diagnosis, it’s important for you to understand the anatomy of type to use it effectively.
Let’s begin with the basics of anatomy. Designer and educator Mia Cinelli will help us understand.
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Understanding all these terms can be a bit confusing, so we’ve created a comprehensive list that will help guide you through the common anatomy of type terms.
Anatomy of Type Terms
Aperture: The partially enclosed space of a letterform.
Ascender: An upward vertical stroke that extends beyond the x-height.
Baseline: The invisible line on which all letters rest.
Bowl: The generally round or elliptical forms which are the basic body shape of letters.
Cap height: The distance from the baseline to the top of the capital letter.
Counter: The white space enclosed by a letterform.
Descender: A downward vertical stroke that extends beyond the baseline.
Dot: Also known as a tittle, is a small diacritic on a lowercase i or j.
Eye: The closed counter of a lowercase e.
Finial: A tapered or curved end on a letterform.
Ligature: Two or more letters tied into a single character.
Lowercase: A smaller form of letters in a typeface.
Shoulder: A curved stroke originating from a stem.
Spine: The main curved stroke of a lowercase or capital letter.
Stem: A main stroke that is more or less straight, not part of a bowl.
Serif: A stroke added to the beginning or end of one of the main strokes of a letter.
Small Capital: Short capital letters designed to blend with lowercase text.
Stroke: A straight or curved line that creates the principal part of a letter.
Terminal: A circular form at the end of the arm, leg or brow in letters.
Uppercase: A typecase containing capital letters.
x-height: The distance between the baseline and the height of the lowercase letter ‘x’.
Weight: The thickness of a font’s stroke.
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The Take Away
As Mia mentioned, type has anatomy. It has its very own language full of serifs, shoulders and stems. Whether you’re an aspiring designer or a typography enthusiast, learning the building blocks of typography will help you apply it effectively within your designs.
Remember, all letters rest on an invisible line known as the baseline. The distance between the baseline and the height of the lowercase letter ‘x’ is the x-height. And the distance between the baseline and the top of the capital letter is the cap height. Some letters extend beyond the baseline and x-height. These vertical strokes are known as ascenders and descenders.
The thickness of a letter's stroke determines its weight. Letters may appear in capital letters known as uppercase, in smaller forms known as lowercase, or in short capital letters designed to blend with lowercase text known as small capitals.
A stroke is a straight or curved line that creates the principal part of a letter. A curved stroke originating from a stem is a shoulder. A stroke that is more or less straight is a stem. A curved stroke is a spine. The horizontal stroke in letters is known as a cross bar.
A bowl is a rounded stroke that forms the basic body shape of letters. The white space enclosed by a letterform is known as a counter. The partially enclosed space of a letterform is known as the aperture. An eye is the closed counter of a lowercase ‘e’.
Two or more letters tied into a single character are known as ligatures. A dot, also known as a tittle, is a small diacritic on a lowercase i or j.
A stroke added to the beginning or end of a letter is a serif. Similarly, a tapered or curved end on a letterform is a finial and a circular form at the end of the arm, leg or brow in letters is known as a terminal.
Now that you understand the anatomy of type, take what you learned and handle type that much better than before.
References and Where to Learn More
Learn more about the Typography by reading this thoughtful book by Ellen Lupton: Ellen Lupton. Thinking with Type. 2010. (Link)
The anatomy of typography or type refers to the visual elements that come together to form the letterforms in a typeface. Each letterform comprises of various components like the spine, stem, and stroke.
What is the anatomy of B in typography? In typography, the anatomy of the letter “B” includes various parts such as the bowl (the rounded part), the stem (the vertical stroke), the ascender (the part that extends above the x-height), and the counter (the enclosed or negative space within the letter).
Understanding the anatomy of typography and the way letterforms are put together will help you understand characters relationships to one another. So when you're working with words/sentences you will know how to optimise readability for the viewer.
Typography design is the art and science of combining typefaces to support the meaning of text-based content and make it easier for the reader to consume. Typography hierarchy plays a vital role in this process, cueing readers into what content is most important on a page.
(uh-NA-toh-mee) The study of the structure of a plant or animal. Human anatomy includes the cells, tissues, and organs that make up the body and how they are organized in the body.
Arm: The horizontal or diagonal stroke that doesn't connect to another stroke or stem. Leg: The diagonal or vertical stroke that is connected at one end but free at the other. Tail: The decorative stroke that extends from the leg or descender in certain letters.
There are five basic classifications of typefaces: serif, sans serif, script, monospaced, and display. As a general rule, serif and sans serif typefaces are used for either body copy or headlines (including titles, logos, etc.), while script and display typefaces are only used for headlines.
The beak is a decorative stroke found at the end of an arm that looks like a more pronounced serif. It's generally shaped like a bird's beak — hence the name. You can find beaks on letters S, F, or T of most serif typefaces .
A main vertical stroke is a stem. The letter m has three, the left, middle, and right stems. The central stroke of an s is known as the spine. When the stroke is part of a lowercase and rises above the height of an x (the x height), it is known as an ascender.
In typography, a counter is the area of a letter that is entirely or partially enclosed by a letter form or a symbol (the counter-space/the hole of). The stroke that creates such a space is known as a "bowl". Latin letters containing closed counters include A, B, D, O, P, Q, R, a, b, d, e, g, o, p, and q.
Other examples of typography include: Comic Sans - This sans-serif typeface was created in 1994 by Microsoft. It was specifically meant to be easy to read, which is why it is used extensively by educators, especially for children. Helvetica - This typography was deliberately designed to impress.
Typography is everywhere we look. It's in the books we read, on the websites we visit, even in everyday life—on street signs, bumper stickers, and product packaging. But what exactly is typography? Simply put, typography is the style or appearance of text.
Consistency is a fundamental typography rule that ties your design together. Use a consistent set of fonts throughout your project. Typically, a combination of a serif and sans-serif font works well—one for headings and the other for body text. Consistent spacing and alignment also contribute to a polished look.
Letter anatomy is a set of vocabulary terms used to describe the construction of letters in graphic design. While most people who look at typography simply see letters and words, graphic designers actually have an extensive set of terms to describe the different parts and qualities of different letters.
You can use different elements to create a hierarchy of text: text size, the color of text and its surroundings, contrast, and positioning or alignment.
Typography finds its roots in ancient civilizations, where writing systems evolved from pictorial symbols to more abstract characters. The earliest known examples include cuneiform in Mesopotamia and hieroglyphics in Egypt.
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