is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. Text is composed to create a readable, coherent, and visually satisfying whole.
30
votes
6answers
1k views
What are best practices for choosing and pairing fonts?
I've always found font selection to be a little bit of a mystery. What factors should be considered when choosing a font? How does one successfully incorporate two fonts into a design?
I realize that ...
17
votes
6answers
1k views
“Serifs improve fast, easy readability for long text” - myth or truth?
It's an old question, but an important one. Let's see if we can get a good, nuanced, ideally evidence-based answer.
So, old-school wisdom (certainly, how I was taught back in the day) says that serif ...
16
votes
6answers
14k views
What font types are good for a technical document?
What are some good fonts to use for a highly technical document? Is there any specific type that should be used/avoided?
16
votes
1answer
635 views
Why do some fonts make I, l, 1 look the same?
Why do some fonts make the I,l,1 characters look identical?
There are fonts where they don't just look similar - they are the same exact pixel locations.
Why were they ever created?
I'm guessing ...
15
votes
2answers
5k views
Difference between kerning vs letter spacing?
What is the difference between kerning vs. letter spacing?
15
votes
1answer
161 views
What's the term used when the first word of one page is repeated at the end of the previous page?
There's a common feature in old typography where the first word of a page is repeated at the end of the previous page, usually right-aligned on a line by itself. This book from 1759 shows this ...
14
votes
1answer
574 views
What are standard ratios for typography on the web?
In laying out a web design, I often try to make sure that my typography is proportional and consistent. However, I haven't been able to find any definitive articles or resources on what ratios and ...
13
votes
3answers
336 views
Does hyphenation increase legibility?
All I could find on the subject was this paper, which is pretty interesting in itself. But it only deals with preference. 57% of the test subject prefers hyphenated text.
This is kind of surprising ...
12
votes
2answers
379 views
Is ampersand allowed at the beginning of line?
In my recent project, playing with responsive web design, I've noticed that ampersand in my text landed at the beginning of a line with certain page widths. I personally find it a bit ugly...
I can ...
12
votes
4answers
535 views
Baseline Grid vs. Readability
Any designer worth their salt will talk about the importance of the grid, and rightfully so. However, as I've continued to practice my trade, I've found that the baseline grid in particular doesn't ...
12
votes
3answers
520 views
Why do we still use points as a measurement of type size?
I'm in the UK, which uses metric units for pretty much everything now except road distances and beer (obviously best kept apart).
Page sizes have been metric here and in most of the rest of the world ...
12
votes
2answers
133 views
What is the effect of ligatures in web, regarding SEO
All designers love ligatures but vanilla web typography just sucks. I heard of smartypants that solves many of thoses issues, bringing sexy quotes, gorgeous ampersands and all. It's just perfect, ...
11
votes
1answer
152 views
What considerations are there in designing pixel fonts?
I'm designing monospace pixel fonts for a game, and so far I've only been able to work with extremely small sizes (largest I've managed is 5x9) because those ones are the easiest to try and err with. ...
11
votes
2answers
972 views
Optimum line height in relation to font size
Is there an agreement on the optimum mathematical proportion of line height and the size of a text? And if there is, is it the same for print and web?
10
votes
3answers
1k views
Why do newspapers use multiple columns?
This might not be the right place to ask, but I was wondering why newspapers use multiple columns? Does it take up less space, or is there a visual reason?
10
votes
4answers
735 views
Do discretionary ligatures hold any other purpose than visual?
Discretionary ligatures are non-standard ligatures such as:
st and ct in Atlantica LF font
Are they purely visual or is there any other reasoning to back it up? Psychological? Letter-press related? ...
10
votes
5answers
694 views
What characters are good to start with when designing a typeface?
Given many characters in a typeface build on others and even just a couple of characters can reveal a lot of the features of a given typeface, what characters are good to start with when designing a ...
9
votes
2answers
667 views
Why all the hate? --Two spaces after the period
The nuns enforced it with a ruler: two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence. I, along with many others do this instinctively. Why is this considered incorrect/improper in printed materials ...
9
votes
3answers
179 views
Principles of Typography for different languages
Sometimes German students ask me how to do the typesetting of documents in English, French or Spanish. I'm not able to help them because I never learned to speak or write French or Spanish.
...
9
votes
3answers
234 views
Should underline clash with text descenders?
CSS3’s text-decoration module includes a text-underline-position property, which specifies whether the underline should be positioned below the whole text:
or just below baseline, letting ...
9
votes
1answer
105 views
Justification and hyphenation without proper time and tools?
In my computer science studies we are being forced to write a report every now and then. I have a background in web development and have worked closely with both print and web designers for many years ...
9
votes
1answer
191 views
What's the practical difference between a 'glyph' and a 'character'?
I saw this question on the Typography site proposal and it bugged me that I didn't know the answer. I'd always treated 'glyph' and 'character' as interchangable.
After reading an explanation on the ...
8
votes
5answers
5k views
Visually similar alternatives to Helvetica?
I'd like to use something similar-but-different for my poster project.
I've already ruled out:
Arial
Avant Garde/Futura - too geometric
Frutiger - too humanist
/'friendly'
I guess I'm looking for ...
8
votes
3answers
130 views
The role of the designer in content – should he have one and how big should it be?
I'm a designer, not a marketer, and not a writer (at least not professionally). A lot of the work I do involves working with material in a field that can be above my head. Because of that, I'm content ...
8
votes
2answers
395 views
Footnote typographic conventions
Are there any typographic conventions/advice relating to footnotes?
For example:
When should numbers be used and when symbols?
Should the footnote symbol be superscript in the body text and at the ...
8
votes
2answers
114 views
Making a typeface – should I check if it resembles any non-free or copyrighted typefaces?
I want to make a typeface that I would also let others to download if they happen to like it.
But if I use it on the net, and if I also let other people using it, can I have copyright problems? It’s ...
8
votes
2answers
216 views
Ascender and descender heights: all equal?
Are all ascender and descender heights typically equal in well-designed typefaces? Does using identical ascenders and descenders increase readability, or is it not an issue at all?
8
votes
4answers
430 views
Writing text with character variations
I am looking for alternatives to hand-lettering a Comic. One attractive alternative would be building a custom font. (I'll be asking about details on that in a separate question.)
However, I would ...
8
votes
1answer
165 views
Which is easier on the eyes: dark-on-light or light-on-dark?
While working on my latest website, I started actually wondering if what I learned in grade school was true. I've been taught that programs like Word default to use a white background with black text ...
8
votes
2answers
197 views
What are the best practices and techniques to fix rags?
What would be the best practices to fix the rags on a left aligned text for print.
Besides breaking lines and hyphenations, should you use tracking, and if so how much.
Also, how would you judged a ...
8
votes
1answer
169 views
Can the end of double spacing after periods be dated?
From this Slate article:
Hundreds of years ago some typesetters would end sentences with a double space, others would use a single space, and a few renegades would use three or four spaces. ...
7
votes
3answers
342 views
Readability and appeal of justified text
If I write a document that I have to hand in to somebody (a report, summary, draft, whatever) I usually justify the text because it seems more appealing (at least to me) if it all finishes at the same ...
7
votes
1answer
191 views
Font design and typographic choices for dyslexic readers?
I recently stumbled on a font designed specifically for dyslexic readers (OpenDyslexic). It explains how it works like so:
Letters have heavy weighted bottoms to add a kind of "gravity" to each ...
7
votes
4answers
163 views
How do I deal with line spacing when a single descender is getting in the way?
I'm making a sign for my kids' school, and am having trouble with one detail. The primary text is "Walking School Bus Stop". This, the school name, and a whimsical graphic all go into a 3:4 aspect ...
7
votes
4answers
276 views
Is there a typographical term for vertically-stacked characters?
I recently discovered this type technique in the July/August edition of Little White Lies Magazine.
Here's an example of the typography:
I wish to know, is there a term for the technique of ...
7
votes
1answer
77 views
How wide should the word space after nobiliary particles be? (von, de la, …)
Is it preferable to write a thin space after nobiliary particles (von, de la, …)?
Does for example Miguel de\,Cervantes y\,Saavedra look better than the standard width spaced equivalent?
7
votes
1answer
115 views
Symbols “degrees” and “degrees centigrade”: proper spacing
For mathematical and physical units, usually there is a thin space between the number and the unit, in the LaTeX syntax for example $1008\,\mathrm{kPa}$.
However, I feel that angular degrees (e.g. ...
7
votes
2answers
983 views
Examples of good academic poster design
Do you have any good examples of academic poster design? Most posters look exactly the same (I don't want to pick on anyone in particular), and from my experience at conferences, almost nobody reads ...
7
votes
3answers
209 views
The selection and use of typefaces for the non-designer
I am looking for a short, concise resource that will help me better choose and use typefaces.
I think the ideal resource would have a thoughtfully chosen list of about a dozen of the most important ...
7
votes
3answers
139 views
How can I represent a country with a font?
I am working on a multilingual book about some European Union countries. The selected are: Poland, Greece, Spain, Italy, Romania, Czech Republic, Austria, Turkey anb Estonia.
I wish to write a ...
7
votes
3answers
128 views
How to find open source alternatives to commercial fonts?
What is the best way to find an open source alternative to a commercial font? I was thinking as some service as alternativeto.net or a whatthefont.com that would spit out fonts that are similar to the ...
7
votes
3answers
132 views
What are the best widely-distibuted typefaces when I don't have access to commercial alternatives?
I frequently find myself producing printed material without the luxury of using commercial typefaces.
What typefaces typically installed with operating systems or software applications are good ...
7
votes
2answers
365 views
How does random choice of alternate characters work in OpenType fonts?
I have a question similar to “Writing text with character variations”: I would like to create a casual hand-written-style font, that reproduces the natural variety between occurrences of the same ...
7
votes
1answer
54 views
Does ideal measure change with language?
The ideal measure for single column of text is most widely accepted as around 65 characters, but does this depend on the language of the text? Some languages like French have much longer words than ...
6
votes
3answers
181 views
Do you have a “formula” for the webfont vs graphic type threshold?
Disclaimer:
I realize there is not a perfect "formula" for this question. I'm looking for your experiential working practices. If you don't have any, I won't hold it against you.
Over the last ...
6
votes
2answers
176 views
Different font colours for accent marks in Unicode
I am working on an application which uses some Thai script. Many vowels in Thai script are written as what could best be described as accent marks above consonants.
For example, in the word: กึด
...
6
votes
2answers
102 views
Sans serif with long descenders
I am need of a typeface with descenders that match or come close to the x-height. Can you recommend some?
System fonts or free fonts would be ideal.
6
votes
3answers
174 views
Recommended column width for text reading, digital vs printed
Coming form a digital background, I have often read different kinds of suggestions (for example 35-50 ems) for how wide a column of body text should be to still maintain a good readability.
Is there ...
6
votes
2answers
3k views
Fonts for technical reports
I'm building an MS Word template for my reports. I am not sure what to use for fonts. I see lots of reports from clients and others using Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Calibri, Cambrai, ...
6
votes
1answer
294 views
How to construct “lowercase digits” (i.e. text figures)?
Is there an accepted way to adjust font glyphs in order to simulate text figures?
Background
Text figures are "lowercase" digits. You normally use lowercase digits where you also use lowercase ...
