Typography Flashcards
Any part of a character that goes below the baseline is called a what?
Descender
Any part of a character that goes above the upper baseline is called a what?
Ascender
The area between the two baselines is called a what?
The X-height
What is a tail?
The bottom tip of the descender (such as y or g)
What is a stem?
The main vertical line (such as T or P)
What is an ear?
Anything that expands out (such as the line on an old fashioned g)
What is a shoulder?
The hump of a letter (such as an h)
What is a loop?
A closed circle that isn’t the main part of the character (such as the bottom loop of an old fashioned g)
What is a closed counter?
A closed circle that is the main part of a character (such as a p or g)
What is a leg?
A line that sticks out from a letter (such as a k)
What is a crossbar?
A line that goes across the character (such as a capital A)
What is kerning?
Manually created space between characters
What is leading?
Spacing between sentences or phrasing
When is it best to use a serif font?
When using large amounts of text, in print, when using smaller text
When is it best to use a sans serif font?
When designing for digital formats, when creating headlines
When should you use a script font?
When you want to add an accent or more natural look
What happens if you use too many script elements?
You can easily overwhelm a piece
True or false: you should always pair two serif or two sans serif fonts together and why?
False. Two serif or sans serif fonts rarely go well together because they look too similar and compete with each other. The reader will notice that they look almost the same, but different enough to wonder about the consistency of the characters.
True or false: The same font family can work very well and provide balance
True
What does tight spacing indicate?
Loudness and boldness!
Which is better: Uppercase with wide spacing or lowercase with wide spacing and why?
Uppercase with wide spacing. Lowercase with wide spacing makes it hard to distinguish where the words are separated and is therefore hard to read
What is the ideal spacing for script fonts?
The default spacing is best for script fonts because the characters are formatted to connect the characters.
What is kerning?
Manual spacing between characters
What is tracking?
Computer-set spacing between characters
Name a situation where italics makes a great accent
When you have multiple headlines and want to have a focus on one word and phrase
True or false: Breaking up the monotony is a goal of graphic design
True
What is the feel of all lowercase text?
Softer, more gentle
What is the feel of all caps
Stronger, louder, great for headlines
True or false: Balance is key to help bring elements together
True!
How many fonts should you keep on-hand for projects?
20-30
What are the four serif types?
Old Style, Transitional, Didone/Modern, and Slab Serif
What are the characteristics of Old Style serifs?
Easy to read for print because there is not a lot of contrast in line thickness
What are four examples of Old Style serifs?
Garamond, Berkeley, Minion, Palatino
What are the characteristics of Transitional serifs?
More contrast in line thickness than Old Style, use of ball terminals
What is a ball terminal?
The rounded end of a stem, such as on a transitional y
What is an example of a Transitional font?
Times New Roman
What are the characteristics of Didone/Modern serifs?
Even more contrast in line thickness than Transitional serifs, highly stylized
What are two examples of Didone/Modern serifs?
Didot and Bodoni
When are Modern serifs used most?
High-end fashion brands
True or false: Modern serifs are highly stylized and because of the high contrast in lines, you should keep the kerning to a minimum.
True, modern serifs are highly stylized, but false to the latter! The high contrast in the lines allows you to put more dramatic spacing between characters to create a dramatic effect.
What are the characteristics of a Slab Serif?
Serif fonts with rounded edges that are great for grabbing attention quickly
What situations are great for using a slab serif font?
Posters or political statements
What are three examples of Slab Serif?
Rockwell, Archer, and Archer Pro
What does Sans Serif mean
It comes from French, meaning “without serifs”
True or false: Sans serif fonts have a more modern appearance, but can lack subtle elegance or charm needed in particular situations
True
What do sans serif fonts convey?
Modernism and Minimalism
Why were sans serif fonts created?
When computers had low resolution displays, small details in serif fonts were lost and an easier to read font was needed.
When is it less ideal to use sans serif fonts?
Small body copy that comes in large blocks of text, as they can sometimes get lost/hard to read, print projects that require large blocks of text
What is a sans serif great for?
Headlines, websites, and digital mediums, as this is what it was created for
What are three examples of sans serif fonts?
Helvetica, Futura, and Avant Garde Gothic
Why would companies want to change their logo from serif to sans serif?
To show adaption to the digital, modern world
When is left alignment good to use and why?
When the subject is to the left to follow the subject matters direction and flow of the design
When is center alignment good to use and why?
When the subject is in the center to commit to clear alignment throughout and strike a nice balance that is pleasing to the eye
Where should you put the main headline on a bold photo or subject matter?
Place the main headline over the subject to highlight it
True or false: Text and photos do not have to fight each other, but can begin to become one unified layout and design
True
How do you create design without images?
Use color and italics to highlight words to help type become the design itself
What types of fonts go well together?
Sans serif and serif, All caps and lowercase, script and bold sans serif, script and slab serif
What is a good rule of thumb for pairing fonts?
Make sure they have enough contrast between the two
True or false: two scripts make a great pair!
False, they are actually really hard to pair and you should use caution.
How many fonts should you use in a piece and what for?
2-3 max: one good headline font, one simple body copy font, and one complimentary font for variety
