TYPOGRAPHY

APPLIED DESIGN GRADE 12

ANATOMY of a LETTER

BASELINEBASELINEInvisible line that the letters sit onRounded letters (like “e”) may extend slightly below the line

MEANLINEMEANLINEInvisible line that falls at the top of lowercase letters (like “e,” “g,” “y”)Top line of the curve of letters (like in “h”)

X-heightX-heightSpace/distance between the MEANLINE & BASELINEIt is the height of a lowercase “x”

Cap HeightCap HeightSpace/distance from BASELINE to top of uppercase letters (like “H,” “J”)

AscenderPart of a character that extends above the MEANLINEAlso extends above the X-HEIGHT

DescenderPart of a character that extends below the BASELINEEX) bottom stroke of “y”

SerifsFonts often divided into:SERIF fonts: extra stroke at the ends of the letterSANS SERIF fonts: no visible stroke at the end

StemVertical line of a “B”, primary diagonal line of a “V”Main “body” of a letter

BarHorizontal/diagonal lines of a letterHorizontal line of an “E”“Arms” of a letter

LegBottom stroke of a letter EX) base of an “L”/diagonal stroke of a “K”

ShoulderCurve at the beginning leg of a letter EX) in “m,” “n”

BowlOpen/closed circular lineCreates an interior spaceEx) in “e,” “b”

CounterInside of a BOWL

1. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2. _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ 3. _ _ _

4. _ _ _ _ 5. _ _ _ _ _ _ 6. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1. _baseline_ 2. _x - _height _ 3. _ bar_ _

4. bowl 5. _serif _ _ _ _ _ 6. _meanline_

TYPOGRAPHY TERMINOLOGY

Typeface: a group of characters (including letters, numbers, punctuation..) that share a common design/style

Ex) Times New Romana A b B “ ‘ . ’ ” 0 7 1 4 y Y x X @ $ *

Ariala A b B “ ‘ . ’ ” 0 7 1 4 y Y x X @ $ *Courier Newa A b B “ ‘ . ’ ” 0 7 1 4 @ $ *

Font: Made up of TYPEFACERefers to the means by which typefaces are displayed/presentedEX) Times New Roman in font file

Type Families: Different options within a FONT (Roman, bold, italic..)

Example of a TYPE FAMILY:Shows a family of a font called “Helvetica” Includes Condensed Bold, Condensed Black, UltraLight, Italic, Light, Light Italic, Regular..

Serif Fonts: Recognizable by the small lines at the ends of the strokes of a letterAdvantage: letters clearly divided up; easier to read

Sans Serif Fonts: (Without serif) refers to typefaces without these lines

Point: used to measure the size of a font1 pt = 1/72”

Typography (Times New Roman 30 pt) Typography (Courier New 30 pt)

Refers to the full height of the text block, not just the character itself; that is why two typefaces at the same point size may appear as different sizes

Based on the position of the character in the block; how much of the block the character fills

MAGAZINE

POSTER

MOVIE

GREETING CARD

TYPEFACE assignment GOAL: To design your own (1-3) typefaces or use existing ones using all

of the letters that go into writing YOUR NAME (or nickname/self descriptive phrase…) that shows your own taste/personality –you will create a personality poster with lettering (8.5 x 11)

CONSIDERATIONS: Use a photo of yourself or someone/thing close to you. (Filter the

photo in photoshop so you lose details.) Exploration of the anatomy of letters: - They can be as graphical as

some of these examples but must contain “the anatomy of lettering”-use a ruler and guide lines…consider baseline, x-line etc…

Repetition: vary size and scale (use transform tool to skew, rotate, bend letters etc…)

Use any media but must be black and white or b, w and 1 colour only Must be neat You may draw and scan your self-portrait/symbol or use a digital

photo Be prepared to present to class with a description of your work

Find 1-3 typefaces that express your personality and then... Take a portrait (digital photo) or draw yourself or an

object/animal/person that is meaningful to you (face only) Crop and edit in photoshop using OR SKETCH onto paper

(8 x 10) if drawing freehand fonts. You can also use your sketchbook If you have chosen a script font that you feel you can

reproduce accurately, you may do this assignment free hand BUT YOU MUST USE THE ANATOMY OF LETTERING (bowl, counter, etc)

Choose a style from the following slide to duplicate OR use your own interpretation

In Photoshop use the transform tool to (warp, skew, etc...) to place the letters where you want them. If free hand, use a mechanical aid (eg: ruler, compass etc..)

Your assignment: Find you own style. Which font below best reflect you? Ex#1: crazy, a bit disorganized, lots of character!; ex#2: organized, modern, controlled; Ex#3: classy, elegant, sincere, thoughtful? Maybe a different one?

In conclusion

Review the examples in this Power Point HAVE FUN!!!! Be as inventive as possible but be sure

the Letter styles reflect who you are. Write a 1-2 paragraph description explaining your

thought processMarks: creativity/inventiveness (app) /4Neatness and some evidence of topography rules (app) /4 MUST BE VERY

NEAT!Presentation to class of your ideas /description (comm) /4Process: minimum 10 thumbnails of letter styles (t/i) /4Due present to class January 6, 2014