Typography Terms 2

Absolute Measurement: Absolute measurements are measurements of fixed values.  These measurements are expressed in finite terms and cannot be altered.  Point and Pica are typographic fixed measurements.

Relative Measurement: Relative Measurements define the relationship between character spacing and type size.  The relationship is relative, meaning the size is relative to the type size. Em and en are examples of relative measurements.

Point:  The point is a unit of measurement used to measure size of a type font.  The point is the measure of the height of the text.  A point is an absolute measurement in typography. 

Pica:  A pica is a unit of measurement for measuring lines of type.  One pica is equal to twelve points.   A pica is also an absolute measurement in typography.  

Em/ em dash: The em is a relative form of measurement and is linked to the size of the type and is used to define basic spacing of font.  The em equals the size of a type.  It is used for defining things such as spacings and paragraph indents.  

En/ en dash: The en is a relative form of measurement and is equal to half of one em.  It is used to denote nested clauses and can be used as the word 'to' when listing numbers or dates.  

Legibility:  Legibility can be described as a body of research, knowledge, and opinions of the appearance of text.  Legibility depends on the ease with which the eye can identify letters and words.  

Type Alignments: list advantages and/or disadvantages:  Type Alignment refers to positioning and arrangement of continuous text.  The four kinds listed below are equally as useful, and are just better used in certain situations. One is not better than the other.  

• Flush left: In a flush left alignment, the type is set to an even left margin, leaving the right margin uneven.  This creates asymmetry.  This is advantageous because spacing between words remains constant.  It can be disadvantageous because of the asymmetry.  
  
• Flush right: Flush right alignment sets the type to an even right margin, leaving an uneven left margin.    This is useful when using a short amount of text, but is not very useful with long amounts of text.  It also creates asymmetry. 
  
• centered: Centered type is type set on a central axis with even word spacing and uneven left and right margins.  This is very useful with small amounts of text and used well on formal documents such as a title page.  Centered text, however, reduces readability because of the absence of an even left margin.
  
• justified:  Justified text creates balanced formal columns of text.  This produces visual symmetry and clean margins.  
  

Word Spacing: what is the ideal: Word spacing concerns the space between each word rather than the individual characters.  Hyphenation and justification are forms of word spacing and allow for greater control in a text block.  

Rivers:  Rivers happen in justified text blocks when the separation of words leaves gaps of space in several lines.  

Indent:  There different kinds of indents, and all of them provide the reader with an easily accessible entry point to a paragraph.  Length of indents vary, and are determined by the grid.  

Leading: Leading is the space between lines of text in a text block.  Leading makes words more legible because it spaces letters and text apart to make it easier to read.  Leading is measured in point size and usually has a larger point size than the text. 

Kerning:  Kerning is the adjustment of spaces between certain characters to achieve a more consistent read and a more balanced spacing.  VA and Ta are kerning pairs, because their spacing is adjusted in order for the text to look more attractive. 

Tracking: Tracking can be used instead of kerning to adjust the overall space between letters rather than just the space between two characters.  

Weight: A typeface's weight describes the thickness of the letter.  Bold is common a weight of a font. The first letter in a line of text describes the line weight.

Scale:  Scale refers to varying size of type and the relationship between the size.

Typographic Variation:  Typographic Variation refers to the varying type families, wieght, and style of type. 

Orphan: An orphan is the final one or two lines of a paragraph separated from the main paragraph to form a new column.  This should be avoided. 

Widow: A widow is the lone word at the end of a paragraph.  

A grid is a tool used to organize information in a given space.  A grid can break up space, and organize it into an attractive and cohesive image.

Designers use grids for this reason; to display information in an appealing and organized manner. 

A modular grid is a grid that is made up of modulars; it is broken up by even horizontal and vertical spaces that make up the grid.  These spaces act as divisions in which to organize the space. 

A margin is the border around the grid that usually contains no writing or images.  It looks like a border around the page

A column is a vertical section, or spacing of text.  It is used to organize the text on the grid.

Grid modules are the squares on a grid that are defined by the gutter.  These grid modules make up eighteen small square spaces on the grid.

The gutter makes up the grid modules.  The gutter is the space between the modules.

The flowline of a grid is a horizontal line made by text that leads the viewer’s eye through the grid.

Hierarchy is the way designers express the importance of an image or text to the viewer.  Hierarchy is a way of letting the viewer know where they should look first, second, third, and so on.  Hierarchy can be shown by placement of an image or text on a page, size of image or text, and the graphic elements incorporated into the design. 

A type family is a font that can have different weights.  These weights include regular, bold, italic, light, and extra bold.  These are variations of the font that make up the type family of the specific font.  These variations can also be condensed or extended versions of the type. A typeface style is a variation within the type family.  The different types of lettering within the family are the type styles

  

One of typography’s most important contributors is German typographer Jan Tschichold.  Born in Leipzig, he was trained in calligraphy.  He was different from other typographers because of his preference to use stock fonts and commercial paper.  At the time, most typographers were aiming for beauty and were attempting lettering that was too complex. Jan chose more simple and symmetrical fonts. He adopted modernist ideas from Bauhaus, Futurism, Constructivism, and De Stijl and uses their influence in his bold sans serif typefaces.  One of the most famous typefaces he invented is called Sabon.  Other fonts invented by Tschichold include Transit, Saskia, and Zeus.  He worked as a teacher as well as wrote many books during his lifetime.  Tschichold’s most famous book called Die Neue Typographie describe modern design and typography.  He was famous for starting a movement called “new typography”, which he discusses in this book. He developed what is known today as Tschichold’s grid in which he uses a modular system.  His modular grid has consistent divisions in which text and images are to be organized.  Jan’s new form of using typography helps the viewer comprehend the image in a more organized and aesthetically pleasing manner. 

  

 Instead of text wrapping around images, and an over abundance of text as before, now the viewer has a sense of clarity instead of an overwhelming amount of text.  His texts were more symmetrical than before, allowing more clarity. He also wrote a book on principles of modernist typography.  Other books wrote by Jan include Typographische Gestaltung and Geschichte der Schrift in Bildern.  Nazi Germany found Tschichold’s beliefs and fonts to be unattractive and condemned him for them.  Jan Tschich-

old eventually escaped to Switzerland where he returned back to classical ideals within his typography and design such as classic Roman typefaces. However, he will always be remembered for his fon-

ts and influential style in typography. 

Joseph Muller-Brockmann was a famous graphic designer whom helped invent and advocate using a modular grid system within design.  A modular grid system is a grid that consists of margins, gutters, and modules in which 

text and images are organized in a visually pleasing manner.  This designer studied design and history of art at the University of Zurich.  After college he was an apprentice and eventually opened his own studio in graphics. 

He also designed a wide variety of posters for various things such as concert posters for the Tonhalle, posters for the Swiss Automobile club, and the Zurich police.  This Swiss designer was very successful throughout his life.  

He was a founding editor of New Graphic Design.  He was also a design consultant to IBM.  He wrote many books, including The Graphic Artist and his Design Problems, History of the Poster and A History of Visual Communication, and Grid Systems in Graphic Design.  Joseph is most known for his simple, clean style.  He typically used Helvetica.  His style influenced the International Typographic Style, also known as the Swiss style.  The Swiss style is categorized by its cleanliness, objectivity, and readability.  His influence and timeless style is still seen in many designs today.