Typography

A letter or group of letters ofthe size and form generally used tobegin sentences and proper nouns. Also known as “capital letters”

Uppercase

The smaller form of letters in a typeface.

Lowercase

A stroke added as a stop to the beginning & end of the main strokes of a character.

Serif

The height of lowercase x; does not include ascenders or descenders

x-height

The invisible line where all characters sit

Baseline

Imaginary line running along the top of non-ascending, lowercase letters

Mean Line

Typestyles

Roman Upright LetterformsItalic Letterforms slant to the rightSmall Caps Smaller versions of regular caps

Anatomy of TypeTypeface anatomy or letter anatomy

refers to the individual segments and features of a particular character.

Certain pieces are common to most characters and some are unique to only

one or two characters in a typeface

Strokes Counters Serifs

StrokesThink about the strokes you make with a pen when printing

letters and you'll have an idea what the broad meaning of stroke is for a font. Most letterforms are made up of several specific types of strokes:

Stems - In a way, it's like a flower stem.Extenders - Reach for the sky or touch your toes.

Arms - If a letter were a person, these would be like arms.Cross bars - Think of them as connecting strokes.

Cross Strokes - Cross your t's.Tail - A few letters love to wag their tails.

Leg - Most letters don't have one to stand on.Bowls - Not for soup or cereal, they hold nothing.

An upward vertical stroke found on the part of lowercase letters that extends above the typeface’s x-height.

Ascender

The part of the letters that extends below the baseline.

Descender

The invisible line marking the height of ascenders in a font.

Ascender Line

The invisible line marking the lowest point of the descenders within a font.

Descender Line

The fully closed, rounded part of a letter.

Bowl

Vertical, full-length stroke in upright characters.

Stem

The horizontal stroke in letters. Also known as a bar.

Cross Bar

A horizontal stroke that intersects the stem of a lowercase t or f.

Cross Stroke

A descending stroke, often decorative.

Tail

The lower, down sloping stroke of the K and k (excluding any serif) is called a leg.

Leg

CountersThis part of a letter is what's inside the bowl.

It's white space or negative space, not a stroke at all.There are other more specific terms for some of the

negative space that defines a letterform

Eye I spy a special counter.Aperture This space could escape.

The open space in a fully or partly closed area within a letter.

Closed counter

Much like a counter, the eye refers specifically to the enclosed space in a lowercase ‘e’

Eye

SerifsProbably the most familiar characteristic of type,

serifs come in three basic shapes and fall into one of two groups. Similar to serifs, each of these letter parts may be

understated or may form a distinctive, readily identifiable element of a typeface:

Ears - Gee, why can't I hear you?Spurs - Not just for cowboys.

Beaks - No birds here.

A small stroke extending from the upper-right side of the bowl of lowercase g; also appears in the angled or curved lowercase r.

Ears

A small projection off a main stroke

Spurs

A sharp spur, found particularlyat the top of letters in some 20th century Romans.

Beak

The main curved stroke of a lowercase or capital S

Spine

The curved stroke aiming downward from a stem

Shoulders

A small stroke extending from the upper-right side of the bowl of lowercase g; also appears in the angled or curved lowercase r

Loop

A stroke that connects the top and bottom bowls oflowercase double-story g’s.

Link

The terminal is a type of curve.The end of a stroke that does not include a serif

Terminals

The tear-dropped ends of strokes in letters of some typefaces

Tear-drop Terminal

A circular form at the end of the arm in letters

Ball Terminal

A descending stroke, often decorative.

Barbs

ApexA point at the top of a character where two strokes meet

A horizontal or upward, sloping stroke that does not connect to a stroke or stem on one or both ends

Arms

A thin stroke usually common to serif typefaces

Hairline

A line marking the height of uppercase letters within a font

Cap line

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