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Anatomy of Type

Anatomy of Type | Understanding Anatomy

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.

At rst glance it may seem that many historic families of type are extremely similar. However, overlapped it is discovered that there is a remarkable range between historic families of type even though they have the same point size. For the designer, mixing families of type becomes a very selective process. Some Families of type do not mix well. For example, a sans serif type and a

serif type, such as Futura and Bembo, do not mix well together at all. Picking two sans serif type families or vice versa would be more asthetically pleasing. The differences between historic families of type is large, however they all share two anatomical attributes dispite this. The baseline and the use of strokes to create letter forms remain constant.

Acender Bowl

Crossbar

Fillet Eye

Hairline Serifs

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Slathering
Spine Tail Stem Stroke Counter Loop Link

Capline Meanline X Height Baseline

Slathering Slathering Slathering

Anatomy of Type | Legibility

Anatomy of Type | Form and Counterform

Growing up most people learn to read from left to right , top to bottom. Meaning the most legible typeface would be one where the reader is allowed to see the top of a word. As in the example below; the rst cropping of the word slathering is more legible than the version with the lower half cropped off directly below it. Likewise, the last example of the cropped

word is still legible even though specic letters have been targeted. It can be seen that the letters have been cropped with the idea that most reading is done from left to right , top to bottom. This being said, the type face used, Century Schoolbook Regular, has very distinct strokes in its makeup, which lends to its continued legibility even when cropped.

Fundamental to all typographic design is the interplay between letterform and background. An awareness of this inter-relationship of form and counterform is essential in typographic design. Every letterform denes a particular counterform. Form and counterform are reciprocal values and completely interdependent and integral to a letters completeness as a design.

Slathering Slathering Slathering

Anatomy of Type | Cropping Studies

Anatomy of Type | Form and Counterform

Fundamental to all typographic design is the interplay between letterform and background. An awareness of this inter-relationship of form and counterform is essential in typographic design. Every letterform denes a particular counterform. Form and counterform are reciprocal values and completely interdependent and integral to a letters completeness as a design.

The counterform is not just what's left over in the background. The counter form is a new entity that emerges through interaction with the form. Typically these counterforms are either geometric or organic in quality depending on the structure or style of the letter. In the counterforms of letters there exists a fascinating world of form waiting to be explored by the designer.

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Denotes Counterpart Relationship Denotes Counterpoint Relationship

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Anatomy of Type | Form and Counterform

Anatomy of Type | Typographic Kinetics

Every letter has a personality you can identify. Fragmentation is not the goal in and of itself. Everything is adjustable and its a case-by case decision of how far to go. The form you seek is one that to be able to read the word. So this determines the degree of fracture. Its the part(letterform) towhole (word). Both must be

juggled to value. You cant use the same element over and over just because it worked in one place. Every example should change somewhat. Because range is a persistent goal of design, you want to invent in each example. Expect some noble necessary part of any assignment.

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Anatomy of Type | The Structure of Letters

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 linear strokes Letter forms

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.

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

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Typigraphic Page with a chair

The basic structural principles are very important for the designer to keep in mind when trying to create a successful subdivision of space using typography and image. This excersise will be using the 20th century chair designer, Michele De Lucchis First Chair, created in 1983. Relationships will be determined between the chair and the letterforms.
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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 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.
The 20th century chair designer, Michele De Lucchi studied and taught architecture at Florence University. In the 1980s he became a cofounder of Memphis in Milan. Memphis produced radical anti-style designs Focused on liberty, fantasy and humour.

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It was for the company, Memphis in Milano, that De Lucchi created First Chair in 1983. Made out of steel tube, wood, and rubber De Lucchis First Chairwas playful and colorful, while still being practical, transcending its existance as a piece of furniture to becoming sculpture; a sculpture that was available to the broad public.

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