Anatomy of Type

Overlap

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.

The type displayed on this page all share the same point size, yet they do not align perfectly due to individual characteristics unique to each typeface. Designers must be careful when mixing type faces, and serif and sans-serif types are never mixed.

bowl

link

ascender

counter

Fledglings
stroke serifs loop

shoulder

spine

arm

let

eye

ear

capline meanline

baseline

Fledglings Fledglings Fledglings

Legibility (word)

Legibility (letter)

Single Letter Cropping

The top half of the word is more legible than the bottom. When the top half is covered, it is not impossible to read the word, but some letters in particular become very difcult to read.

There is only so much of a letter that an be covered before it becomes unreadable. There are certain characteristics that letters share with one another that can make them difcult to distinguish between. When covering a letterform one should try to isolate the unique characterstics of that letter so that it cannot be confused with another.

Fundamental to all typographic design is the interplay between letterofm and background. Every letterform denes a particular counter form. Form and coutnerform are reciprocal values and completely interdependent and integral to a letters completeness as a design.

The counterform is not just what is left over in the background. The counterform is a new entity that emerges through interaction with the form. Typically these coutnerforms are either geometric or organic in quality depending on the structure or style of the letter. An awareness of this inter-relationship of form and counter form is essential in typographic design.

Fledglings Fledglings Fledglings

Single Letter Cropping

Counterpart and Counterpoint

Counterform

Counterpart and Counterpoint

Typographic Kinetics

When creating a visual hierarchy in typographic space, a designer balances the need for harmony, which unies a design, with the need for contrast, which lends vitality and emphasis. As in music, elements can have 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. Fregmentation is not the goal in and of itself. Everything is adjustable and its a case by case decision of how far to go. Each individual square and its letteform is seen as an independent typographic compositon that investigates form and counterform, gure ground and relationships, asymmetry/symmetry,

static and dynamic placement. The totems present sequential order and visual ow, while emphasizing rhythmic pattern and punctuation as dynamic ow. They also should articular aurally and visually the typographic details within each composition as well as the whole.

G LE L
d

e G L e
L
d

Li n
G

i
Li

g
s
g

s G n d I

n s

s g

The Structur of Letters

The Structur of Letters

While upper and lower case letters are distinct in structure, they all are built by combining 4 strokes; vertical, horizontal, slanted, and curvilinear. These elementary strokes form the foundation, a visual code that is recognizable through our long experience with reading and writing regardless of style. Therefore, letter forms derive their visual 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.

Since the time of the Greeks, captial letterforms have consisted of simple geometric forms absed on the square, circle, and triangle. The basic shape of each capital letterform can be extracted from this Roman letterform template found on the Trojan Colums which is composed of a bisected square, a circle, a triangle, an inverted triangle, and two smaller circles.

EFHLIT

fit

KMNY

kwl

VXW

yvx

AZ

E A

BDPURJ

abdghjurpmn

GSQOC

ecso

Typographic Page with Chair

Using the initials of your designer, impose the letterforms in a typographic study thatinterprets a relationship to the form of the chair they designed. The goal is to discover relationships in forma nd 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 demonstrates relationships to the chair.

R
size + weight

gR
weight + face

G R R

D L E V T E I R T I R GER beugeell 27
sto
size + case + color

weight + width

G
size + weight + width

e B
1

ug
9

s l e
2
rit re

l e to
7

er
weight + face + color

e itv ld

er B rit e u

G R

size + color

ug

GE

R R IT

192
R I E T

be

9 1
l s t o

els t

oe

size + case

beu stoe gel l

case + size + tonality

iet

ve

T I R R E

ge

T E RI

ls

to el

D L VE

ld

d vel ld t e i e r rit t rietvtveld i ger r r it rie gee r gr

7 2
e l
size + weight + color

V E LD

Chair Hang Tag

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 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 that the roles each plays in the communication are clear. In design things are not equal.

9 1

UGRIT R E B R
G E

O D ST TVEL L E IE

EL

7 2

size + weight + width

L E O T S L E G U BE
b l e g u e
d

D L E V T E I R T GERRI

weight + face + color

sto el

the om l or year ed, on fr l and lstoe igned ame n e ectly euge s the s as desig ) s dir bular ste chair , air (b chair) de chitect 7 w h 2 o c 9 ll fo ar In 1 lstoel w 87-1965 h has n tu sily) This amed 8 e c utch ietveld It e Germa ter Was 5) and g -fr (1 D u e r e e b a b t epo spirR th th tu 92 sie B3 (l grea errit w er (1 orbu ery rt 27 by Le C imed, A ists a ne work fabric rcel Breu air of Ma proin 19 esigner, G e of the v r x e la e la v a h d c th u ti c e o M d s b r r s of it, it e p y er, ed nta n of tu of an a h v r tl e T e m e c s . v n ly e w a ir n r ti le o a o pr begu re exists new sp rly in canti (1926). H m are dis st is re st adopti e in its e t is e o la r li u e it. Th ived in th particu earli and uniq h wood n ure Stam ns and fo nctiona rated h e fu it b o it l, conc e met wit ction . . . porti ld, and a f his cele uch stee ination w the furn b u l s e s o b d ti e is to ial pro 9 Rietv retation n chairs com gain un les Eam a d 191 r str p e indu inter jl wood chair, an seen and Cha ti y e De S Red Blu of Ra WII. W e r th e as aft hair. armc

D L E V T E I R ITSTERDAM GERRM
A

o e value what th be ll te to ill rd It is ha g eventually w in th e m so

beugoeell st

27

be ug

This chair (beugelstoel or tube-framed chair) designed in 1927 by the Dutch architect and designer, Gerrit Rietveld is representative of the very earliest adoption of tubular steel, and unique in its early combination with wood not seen again until the furniture of Ray and Charles Eames after WWII. It follows directly on from the German tubular steel and fabric B3 (later Wassily) chair of Marcel Breuer (1925) and cantilevered chair of Mart Stam (1926). However, the proportions and form are distinctly Rietveld, and a functionalist interpretation of his celebrated De Stijl wooden chairs such as the Red Blue chair, and 1919 armchair.

In 1927, the same year the beugelstoel was designed, Le Corbusier (1887-1965) proclaimed, A great epoch has begun. There exists a new spirit. There exists a mass of work conceived in this new spirit, it is to be met with particularly in industrial production . . .

THIS CHAIR

BEUGELSTOEL OEL EL

(beugelstoel or tube-framed chair) designed in 1927 by the Dutch architect and designer, Gerrit Rietveld is representative of the very earliest adoption of tubular steel, and unique in its early combination with wood not seen again until the furniture of Ray and Charles Eames after WWII.

It follows directly on from the German tubular steel and fabric B3 (later Wassily) chair of Marcel Breuer (1925) and cantilevered chair of Mart Stam (1926). However, the proportions and form are distinctly Rietveld, and a functionalist interpretation of his celebrated De Stijl wooden chairs such as the Red Blue chair, and 1919 armchair.

In 1927, the same year the beugelstoel was designed, Le Corbusier (1887-1965) proclaimed, A great epoch has begun. There exists a new spirit. There exists a mass of work conceived in this new spirit, it is to be met with particularly in industrial production . . .

Rietvelds beugelstoel tted perfectly with the technological and aesthetic tenets of its time.

AMSTERDAM

1927

GR

D L E V T E I GERRIT R

e of the valu t a h w ll rd to te ill be It is ha eventually w g in someth

BEUGELSTOEL AMSTERDAM 1927

M S TE

RD A

E G EU

els t

L E O T LS

192

27

GERRIT RIETVELD
It is hard to tell what the value of something eventually will be

oe

27 19

l e g u be stoel

1927

l e o t s l e beug
GERRIT RI

ETVELD