Type Definitions (in progress)

Typographic Rules and Terms

-- Parts of the grid: what are the following:

margin- the space that surrounds the content of a page

column- a column is one or more vertical blocks of content on a page

alley- the space between columns within a page

module- The typography module sets a base text size, color and font for the page. It also sets default styling of margins, line-spacing (leading) and font size, for the headings and paragraphs.

gutter- the space, at which two pages come together in a two-page spread

folio- A sheet of paper folded in half to make two leaves in a codex

-- What are the advantages of a multiple column grid?  It brings the ability for dynamic and endless design combinations.  It also brings greater readability in many cases

-- Why is there only one space after a period?

Letters take up a proportional amount of space (the space after punctuation is already compensated for), whereas on a typewriter all letters are monospaced and, therefore need a double space after each sentence.

-- What is a character (in typography)? A letter or punctuation (anything within a font) that is used to convey information.

-- How many characters is optimal for a line length? words per line? 25-70 characters per line is appropriate.  5 words per line to 14 words is also a comfortable amount. (avg of 5 characters per word)

-- Why is the baseline grid used in design? It creates visually appealing connections between blocks of text and other elements.  It assures that all of these line up.

-- What is a typographic river? A typographic river is when text is justified and the word spacing creates empty spaces within a block of text that flow unbroken vertically.

-- What does clotheslining or flow line or hangline mean? A flow line is a design element where all text and graphics in a design line up to create a horizontal flow across the layout and thereby draw the viewer's eye across the page.

-- How can you incorporate white space into your designs? You can incorporate white space through cut-outs in columns of text and by placement of text or graphics within the grid.  White space can provide a certain rhythm to layouts as long as awkward absences and shapes are avoided.  

-- What is type color/texture mean?  The designer can use the leading and kerning of a text to his advantage to create heavier/darker areas on the page and lighter areas of the page through nothing but text.  This can add greatly to the rhythm of the layout.  

-- What is x-height, how does it effect type color? X-height is the height of lower case letters in a font (defined by the height of the lower case 'x') and as such a taller x-height results in a more full looking block of text.

-- Define Tracking.

the amount of space between a group of letters to affect density in a line or block of text

-- Define Kerning.

the process of adjusting letter spacing in a proportional font

Why do characters need to be kerned? Because not all letters take up the same amount of lateral space, it is necessary to compensate for the wider and narrower letters.  By doing this it makes them look evenly spaced, when in fact they are not.

What are the most common characters that need to be kerned (kerning pairs)? AC, FA, WA, and OA.

-- In justification or H&J terms what do the numbers: minimum, optimum, maximum mean? In justification it defines the the minimum, optimum, and maximum percentage of spacing between words to accomplish the justification.

-- What is the optimum space between words? It must be wide enough to recognize separate words, while being narrow enough to keep the sentence cohesive. 

-- What are some ways to indicate a new paragraph. Are there any rules?  Hanging indent, and indenting the first line.  Indents should always be made by setting tabs, not by spacing.

-- What are the rules associated with hyphenation? No more than three lines of text in a row ending in a hyphenation, hyphenate between syllables, don't hyphenate headings

-- What is a ligature? the combination of letters into a new form for the aide in printing 

-- What does CMYK and RGB mean?

CMYK- Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (black)

RGB- Red, Green, Blue

-- What does hanging punctuation mean? In justified text when punctuation is allowed to extend into the margin.

-- What is the difference between a foot mark and an apostrophe? 

What is the difference between
an inch mark and a quote mark (smart quote)?

-- What is a hyphen, en dash and em dashes, what are the differences and when are they used.

The em is equal to the size of the text being used.  The en is half the length of the em (or half the size of the text being used) and a hyphen is a third of the length of the em.  

-- What is a widow and an orphan?

 

Widow- the final line of a paragraph if it falls at the top of the following page [or column] of text

 

Orphan- the first line of a paragraph if it appears on its own at the bottom of a page [or column]