Type Compendium 2014

8/10/2019 Type Compendium 2014

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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.

Anatomy of Type

When putting all these different type

families together in alignment, it presents

just the sheer amount of variety each font

has to offer. While all t ypes of font have

the same strokes and baseline, you can

see how none of these fonts will have the

same exact space between their letters,

or even be the same size despite them all

being 100 pt.

Overlap

Baseline

Capline

Meanline

x-height

Ascen

der

Descen

der

Ha

irline

Eye

Arm

Stem

Sp

ine

Stro

ke

Ear

Bow

l

Leg

Counter

Finial

Cross

bar

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Fundamental to all typographic design

is the interplay between letterform and

background. Every letterform defines

a particular counter form. Form and

counterform 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 counterforms are either

geometric or organic in qualit y depending

on the structure or style of the letter.

An awareness of this inter-relationship

of form and counterform is essential in

typographic design.

Cropping

When covering up the halves of the word

Sprinkle, we can see that the top half i s the

most readable compared to the bottom.

While humans over time have developed

the subconsious skill of reading top to

bottom, left to right, this particular words

bottom half just has a very simple base,

i.e. the bottom half of the let ter n could be

mistaken for two is. The top half presents

the most recognizeable features.

When trying to cover up the various parts

of each letter, you become more aware of

the most defining characteristics for each

letter. I found that you could pretty much

cut each letter in half in order to still find

the word readable, as long as as their most

recognizeble characteristic is presented.

Legibility of Word Legibilit y of Letter

SprinkleSprinkle

Sprinkle


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Counterpoint and CounterpartCropping Studies

Counterpoint and Counterpart


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Every letter has a personalit y 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.

Kinetics

When creating a visual hierarchy in

typographic space, a designer balances the

need for harmony, which unifies 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.

Counterpoint and Counterpart

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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. 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 al phabet can be

categorized using only six basic underlying

visual combinations of strokes as the

example illustrates.

The Structure 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. Thes

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 visua

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 stroke

as the example illustrates.

The Structure of Letters

EFHILTY fijlt

KMN k

VWX vwxy

AZ z

BDJPRU abdghmnqru

CGOQS ceos

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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.

Chair Typographic Page

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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 pl ays in the

communication are clear. In design things

are not equal.

Chair Hang Tag

Michele

DeLuc

chi

1983

Objectsspeakand,inanunderwaterworldof

things,thebackgroundnoisehasbecomesodeafen-

ingthatitstimetoaskforabitofsilenceandletthose

whotalkseriouslysomethingtosay

MicheleDeLucchi

Michele De Lucchi

was born in 1951 in

Ferrara and gradu-

ated in architecture

in Florence. During

the period of radical

and experimental

architecture he was

a prominent figure

in movements like

Cavart, Alchymia and

Memphis. De Lucchi

has designed furniture

for the most known

Italian and European

companies. For Olivetti

he has been Director

of Design from 1992 to

2002 and he developed

experimental projects

for Compaq Comput-

ers, Philips, Siemens

and Vitra. He designed

and restored buildingsin Japan, Germany,

Switzerland and in

Italy for Enel, Olivetti,

Piaggio, Poste Italiane,

Telecom Italia. In 1999

he was appointed

to renovate some of

ENELs (Italys principal

Electricity Company)

power plants. For

Michele De Lucchi wasborn in 1951 in Ferrara and

graduated in architecture in

Florence. During the period

of radical and experimental

architecture he was a prom-

inent figure in movements

like Cavart, Alchymia and

Memphis. De Lucchi has

designed furniture for the

most known Italian and

European companies. For

Olivetti he has been Director

of Design from 1992 to 2002

and he developed experi-

mental projects for Compaq

Computers, Philips, Siemens

and Vitra.

He designed and restored

buildings in Japan, Germany,

Switzerland and in Italy for

Enel, Olivetti, Piaggio, Poste

Italiane, Telecom Italia.

In 1999 he was appointed

to renovate some ofENELs

Objectsspeakand,in

anunderwater

worldofthings,theba

ckgroundnoise

hasbecomesodeafen

ingthatitstime

toaskforabitofsilenc

eandletthose

whotalkseriouslysom

ethingtosay

MicheleDeLucchi


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Documents

Type Compendium 2014