Anatomy of Type

Anatomy of Type

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.

By overlaying classical type families of the same point size, we nd that the range is great and the only anatomical attributes shared are the baseline and the stroke. The designer cannot mix historic families of type, because although the point sizes are the same, the differences are great.

With Fill

Arguments
Crossbar Link Descender Counter Tail Terminal Stroke Spine

Capline Meanline x-height Baseline

Arguments Arguments Arguments

Without Fill Serifa Gill Sans Helvetica Neue Baskerville

Ascender

Shoulder

Hairline

Bowl

Serif

Apex

Fillet Leg

Spur

Arm

Eye

Ear

Anatomy of Type

Anatomy of Type | Single Letter

By covering both the upper and lower halves of letter forms, we nd that the upper halves of the letters are more legible than the bottom half.

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

The counter form is not just what is left over in the background. The counter form is a new entity that emerges through interaction with the form. Typically these counter forms 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.

Arguments Arguments Arguments

Anatomy of Type | Cropping Studies

Anatomy of Type | counterpart and counterpoint

denotes counterpart relationships

denotes counterpoint relationships

Anatomy of Type | 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 a 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.

Each individual square and its letterform is seen as an independent typographic composition that investigates form and counter form, gure ground relationships, asymmetry/ symmetry, static and dynamic placement. The totems present sequential order and visual ow, while emphasizing rhythmic patter and punctuation as dynamic ow. They also should articulate aurally and visually the typographic details within each composition as well as the whole.

g Ar u m nt
r

e e g t u A m m A r gu et g s Ar um nT
s

Anatomy of Type

The Structure of Letters

The most elementary forms of letters are a visual code of simple strokes that is recognizable through our experience with handwriting. Each of the upper and lower case letters is distinct in structure. All are built by combining vertical, horizontal, slanted, and curvilinear strokes. Letterforms derive their 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.

T B
Since the time of the Greeks, capital letterforms have consisted of simple geometric forms based on the square, circle, and triangle. The basic shape of each capital letterform

EFHILT

jlt

KMNY

VWX

vwxy

can be extracted from this Roman letterform template found on the Trojan Columns, which is composed of a bisected square, a circle, a triangle, an inverted triangle, and two smaller circles.

AZ

BDGJPRU

abdghmnpqru

COQS

ceos

Typographic Page with a Chair

Using the initials of your designer, impose the letterforms in a typographic study that interprets a relationship to the form of the chair they designed. The goal is to discover relationships in form and 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.

G
size+weight size+width

n t b e

o d o y w p l

i r h a c m a r

193 3

size+case

slant+size

1933

be

c wood nt ply

hair
r c h a i

b e n t
size+case+color size+weight

o o d p l y w

bent plywood chair

t ben
weight+slant size+slant+transparency

1 9 3 3

19
g e r a l d
n ood t plyw chair
weight+transparency

m d sum l a r e g

ers be

1933
ply w ood cha ir

33
s u m m e r s
b t en pl yw oo d ch ai r

weight+slant

SUMMERS

1 9 3 3