Type Compendium

James Magsambol
Design & Typography
Fall 2014

Table of Contents

Assignment 1

Anatomy of Type

Assignment 2

Understanding Anatomy

Assignment 3

Anatomy Cropping

Assignment 4

From all these experiences the most important thing

I have learned is that legibility and beauty stand close together

and that type design, in its restraint, should be only felt but not
perceived by the reader.

-Adrian Frutiger

Typographic Kinetics

Assignment 5

The Structure of Letters

Assignment 6

Form/Counterform

Anatomy of Type

Understanding Anatomy

Individual letter forms have unique parts

Famlies of typography can not be mixed

which have changed in visual form over the

because there is just too much subtle variety

centuries. A nomenclature helps identify

in style and form and would appear to the

major elements of their construction. The

reader as a mistake, however there is one

evolution of lettering styles over time is a

exception. It is common to mix a serif family

result of optical adjustments to these basic

and a san serif family for there is a clear visual

components by type designers over the ages.

separation in the forms of these two major

Manipulation or drafting letter forms requires

catergories making a deliberate contrast.

an application of these basic elements

All families of fonts share a base line and

successfully.

are comprised of the same four basic visual

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Stem

Terminal

Ascender

Serif

Tittle

Shoulder

strokes.

Capline

X-Height

Meanline

Decender

Spine

Counter

Fillet

Bowl

Hairline

Stroke

Finial

Baseline

Chivalrously
Chivalrously
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Anatomy Cropping

Each individual squar and its letter

form is seen as an independent
typographiccomposition that investigates form
and counterform, figure ground relationships,
asymmetry/symmetry, static and dynamic
placement

Typographic Kinetics

The Structure of Letters

Typography is unique in that it is both visual

While upper and lower case letters are distinct

This figure, composed of a bisected

and verbal. Every letter has a personality you

in structure, they all are built by combining

square, a circle, a triangle, an inverted

can identify even while part of a word. In

4 strokes; vertical, horizontal, diagonal,

triangle and two smaller circles, is the

these examples, fragmentation is not the goal

and curvilinear. These elementary strokes

basic shape of each capital letter and

in and of itself, but to demonstrate the role

form the foundation, a visual code that is

can be extracted from this character.

of legibility as it pertains to reading, the role

recognizable through our long experience

of size and optical spacing, and emphasize

with reading and writing regardless of style.

rhythmic form /counterform pattern of light

Therefore, letter forms derive their visual

and dark. Its a case-by case decision of how

character from combinations of these basic

far a designer can push formal invention

strokes and not from being light or bold, wide

before readability is lost.

or narrow, Roman or italic, sans serif or serif.

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An entire alphabet can be categorized using

only six basic underlying visual combinations
of strokes as the example illustrates.

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Form/Counterform

Fundamental to all typographic design is the

The counterform is not just whats left over

interplay between letterform and background.

in the background. The counterform is a

An awareness of this inter-relationship of form

new entity that emerges through interaction

and counterform is essential in typographic

with the form of letters. Typically these

design. Every letterform defines a particular

counterforms are either geometric or organic

counterform. Form and counterform

in quality depending on the structure or style

are reciprocal values and completely

of the letter. In the counterforms of letters

interdependent and integral to a letters

there exists a fascinating world of form

completeness as a design.

waiting to be explored by the designer.

Typographic Page

When developing a type and image

Size and Weight

relationship, you have to recognize that

type and image are fundamentally different
languages. The challenge is to develop
similarities so that two different things look
like they are one. The key is the ability to
find and exploit relationships. To make
relationships you need to relate using
proximity, alignment and form, as shown by
balancing the composition of space between
the chair and type.

Size and Width

Weight and Face

Weight and Slant

Face and Slant

Size and Weight

Size weight and face

930

Pomi no.

Multi-Page Typographic Layout and Grid

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 or motion
graphics 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 the roles each
plays in the communication are clear. In
design things are not equal.

Face Weight and Size

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