Anchor
Illustration: Words of Type.
(Read More)In many languages and scripts, some glyphs are a combination of others, such as accented letters: é is the pairing of e with the diacritic “acute” on top.
When designing fonts, instead of copy-pasting the contours of both e and the acute accent into é, the designer adds an anchor on the top of e and below the acute accent, where both should be connected or anchored to each other. Thus, both elements are “called” to form the character é, which becomes its components.
Angle
Sponsored by TypeMates . Typefaces in use: Edie & Eddie Modern , designed by Lisa Fischbach, 2022.
(Read More)Also called slant.
The angle is what we can observe on italic-style letterforms. We say the vertical stems are stretched and leaning to the right at a certain angle.
In the same typeface family, the degree of the italic angle may vary from one weight to another, different sizes of use (display to caption styles), different scripts, or even from one glyph to another in the same style to optically improve the typeface’s balance.
Axis (in Type Design)
Sponsored by R-Typography . Typeface in use: Gliko Modern L , designed by Rui Abreu, 2018.
(Read More)In Latin script, we speak of a “diagonal,” “tilted” or “oblique” axis when we refer to the shapes of letters in a typeface that have some contrast.
In calligraphy (when using a broad nib pen), the axis of the stroke is defined by the angle at which the pen is held, from which a contrast between thin and thick parts is formed. The axis should be kept the same (or very similar) for a consistent construction on all glyphs.
Balance
Illustration: Catherine Potvin .
(Read More)The concept of balance is fundamental in typeface design. With many different shapes (letters, figures, symbols, etc.) that have to be combined to create a more complex group (words, sentences), a certain level of training and expertise is required to achieve a harmonious balance of the whole set.
A good balance allows a comfortable reading experience.
Bézier Curve
Illustration: Words of Type.
(Read More)In type design, Bézier curves are used to draw contours on digital applications with vectors drawn by placing points and handles. This technology allows us to rasterize digital shapes and keep their quality.
HISTORY
Bézier curve technology was developed by French mathematician and physicist Paul de Casteljau in 1959. Working at that time for the automobile brand Citroën, de Casteljau developed a mathematical formula to improve the design process of car bodies. French engineer Pierre Bézier used the same technology in 1962 for Renault (another automobile brand) to create shapes using digital tools. It wasn’t until 1985, when Citroën lifted its industrial secrecy clause, that de Casteljau could speak about his work and Pierre Bézier was able to publicly mention the origins of his own.
In 1982, Bézier curves were used by the American computer scientist John Warnock to develop a technology for describing and positioning digital shapes and contours for the company that he co-founded with Charles Geschke: Adobe Systems.
MORE
There are two types of Bézier curves: cubic and quadratic.
A cubic Bézier curve section requires the positioning of four points (two points and two handles), creating three sections between each point. The overall shape resembles a cubic shape, hence the name. Postscript font formats use cubic curves.
Quadratic curves are formed by three points (two points and one control point) to create a curve, with two sections cut halfway through to determine where the curve turns to the other point. TrueType font formats use quadratic curves.
Center Space
Sponsored by Mallikātype . Typeface in use: Nan Sans, designed by Tianmeng Xue. Coming soon.
(Read More)In the Chinese Hanzi script, the center space (or optical core, 中宫 in Chinese) corresponds to the central area of a character, similar in Latin to the area between the x-height and the baseline. This area can differ from style to style, but it has to be visually constant for all characters in a typeface.
A text typeface with a bigger center space has its legibility improved for small sizes.
Coherence
Illustration: Chloe Kendall .
(Read More)It is important to manage the coherence (or consistency) of the shapes of all glyphs in a typeface to create a unified set. This includes the shape of the serifs, thickness of the strokes, proportions with one another, spacing, etc.
Compatibility
Sponsored by NM type . Typeface in use: Movement Direct , designed by Noel Pretorius & María Ramos, 2019.
(Read More)Variable Fonts technology allows users to navigate between two or more specific styles (called masters or sources) with high precision and much smaller font file sizes than several static fonts.
Outline compatibility allows the interpolation of vector shapes, enabling the generation of intermediate instances between two source files. This is essential for Variable Fonts, but even in static font design, maintaining compatibility is beneficial: it spares the designer from manually draw in-between weights or styles as separate masters, when they can be automatically created during the export.
For each glyph, compatibility means:
• same number of points, in the same order;
• same number of contours, in the same order and direction;
• same number of components, in the same order.Component
Illustration: Words of Type. Typeface in use: Knowledge Rounded, designed by Lisa Huang for Words of Type, 2024.
(Read More)Many shapes in a digital font are repeated identically across glyphs. These repeated elements can be turned into components. Components are reusable parts stored as separate glyphs which can be borrowed to form another glyph. For example, the letter é is made of the combination of two components; the base letter e and the acute accent.
Using components instead of copying contours keeps shapes consistent and helps reduce the font file size.
• A glyph made only of components is called a composite.
• A glyph that combines both contours and components is called a mixed composite. Mixed composites are not permitted in the final binary font (exported font) files. As a result, they are usually decomposed during export.
• When a component references another component, it is said to be nested.
• A component is considered as aligned when it is reused in a glyph without transformation.For design purposes, components can be transformed — shifted (translated), scaled, rotated, skewed, flipped, or mirrored. Transformed components may need to be decomposed, especially if the transformation alters the contour direction (such as mirroring), which can affect its appearance on the pixel grid.
FONT ENGINEERING ADVICE
The component system is a compression strategy used in TrueType fonts to reduce file size by referencing repeated shapes across glyphs. In contrast, PostScript-based fonts (OpenType-CFF flavor, with the .otf extension) use a different space-saving method called subroutines—small sections of path instructions that can be reused. Because subroutines operate at the path level rather than referencing entire glyphs, components are typically decomposed during export so their outlines can be stored and reused within these subroutines.
Construction
Illustration: Yann Bastard .
(Read More)Letters, characters and other glyphs of every script are written with a specific number of strokes of a particular shape. This is the glyph construction.
This construction went through multiple evolutions over time and at different pace for each script, being influenced by various circumstances (tools in use, style preferences, needs, etc.).
Contour
Illustration: Words of Type. Typeface in use: Knowledge Rounded, designed by Lisa Huang, 2024.
(Read More)Also called Outline.
The shape of a glyph is defined by one or more contours. In digital typeface design, the contour is what the designer draws. What the user sees on screen or in print is the filled shape in between these contours.
Contours and outlines are related but not exactly the same. An outline is the full outer shape of a glyph: it defines what the glyph looks like overall. While a contour is one continuous closed path within that outline. For example, the outline of the letter O typically has two contours; one for the outer circle and one for the inner counter (the transparent “hole”).
Custom
Illustration: James Graham .
(Read More)Companies, brands, institutions and so on can find great benefits in using and/or owning a custom-made typeface with a design that fits their voice. Unlike retail typefaces, they can be used as an important and exclusive element of the visual identity and be fully suited to their needs.
A custom typeface costs more at first than a license of an existing retail one (the client can have a design for their exclusive use instead of a retail design that may be used by many others). Still, it can be financially and strategically more interesting, and profitable than licensing retail typefaces in the long run. The pros and cons between these choices are worth the effort of comparison and evaluation.
Extrapolation
(Read More)Variable Fonts technology allows users to navigate between two or more specific styles (called masters or sources) with high precision and much smaller font file sizes than several static fonts.
When we navigate between masters—in the design space—we are looking at interpolations, and extrapolations go in the opposite directions.
For example, if we design a Regular and a Bold weight, a Medium can be interpolated between them. Using the same data, it could also be possible to extrapolate a Light weight, extending beyond the original scope of that weight axis.
It is not commonly used but some type design applications (or plug-ins) can generate previews of extrapolated instances.
GOING FURTHER
In a font editor software, extrapolation can be used to create new masters, helping extend the boundaries of the existing design space.
In a Variable Font, extrapolation can theoretically be used to preview areas of the design space (usually called corners) that haven't been defined by masters. Traditionally, you need at least 4 masters to define a design space of 2 axes. For example, a Regular and Bold on the weight axis, and a Condensed and Condensed Bold on the width axis. Mathematically, it should be possible to omit the Condensed Bold corner in the source, and still be able to generate a full functional VF out of the 3 other masters—Condensed Bold being extrapolated and not defined as a master. This makes it possible to manage complex design spaces while keeping the font file size reasonable.
Extrapolated results can be unreliable and visually disappointing, so they should be used with caution.
FONT ENGINEERING ADVICE
Functional Variable font extrapolations as described above were not really possible until the addition of the avar2 font table in 2024 in the OpenType Specifications. The table is still not widely supported yet and thus still at the experimental stage (as of the current version of Words of Type).
Extrema Point
Illustration: Words of Type. Typeface in use: Knowledge Rounded, designed by Lisa Huang, 2024.
(Read More)In digital fonts, curves are defined by at least two end points (also called on-curve points or nodes) and one or more off-curve points (also called handles), which control the shape and tension of the curve.
Extrema points are the highest, lowest, leftmost, or rightmost points on a curve. These can be recognised by their associated handles, which align strictly horizontally or vertically.
Hints can only attach to extrema points. For proper rasterization (conversion of vector shapes into pixels), it is therefore essential to ensure these points are present and correctly placed.
NOTE
Since PostScript hinting doesn’t apply to diagonal stems, it is debated whether vertical extrema are necessary in italic shapes.
Handle
Illustration: Words of Type.
(Read More)Handles—also called Bézier Control Point (BCP for short) or off-curve points—are toggles placed by the designer to determine the curvature of a segment. Their length and relative position have rules to be followed to ensure the quality of a contour in any situation once the file is exported and used:
- both handles on the same side of the curve;
- about 1/3 of the length of the curved segment between the handle and its closest point;
- no intersection of handles of the same segment.
Ink Trap
Sponsored by Blaze Type . Typeface in use: Area Normal Inktrap , designed by Matthieu Salvaggio, 2021.
(Read More)When printing technology was primarily based on printing inked metal types on paper, ink could easily spread into the small corners of the characters. In printing, this effect is called a bleed. Especially at small sizes, too much ink spread can weaken legibility.
One of the best examples of a typeface solving the ink-spread problem is Bell Centennial, designed by Matthew Carter in 1975 for the US telephone company AT&T. It needed a typeface for its phone books, which would be printed on thin and porous paper. The resulting typeface featured inner corners that dug into the letterforms’ usual contours. Those are called ink traps.
In digital typeface design, designers still use ink traps, especially for typefaces intended for small sizes (on printed and/or digital media), but also as design features (which can be pretty wild!).
Kerning
Sponsored by Kerns & Cairns . Typeface in use: Glissade , designed by Dyana Weissman, coming soon.
(Read More)Characters have a specific space on both sides, which can be positive, negative, or zero. Setting these values for characters in a font globally is called setting its spacing. And in some cases, when specific pairs might result with a space that is too loose, too tight, or even with parts colliding, the designer needs to work on their kerning. Kerning is about adjusting the distance between such pairs whenever they are used next to one another and in that specific order, to give a smoother texture of the text.
Once a kerning value has been set for a pair of glyphs, those values can be repeated on every other pair with identical or similar shapes (e.g., V + A, W + A). Kerning can be set even with already published fonts in most applications (useful in justified texts), but great typefaces usually have these already fixed.
Layout
Illustration: Yann Bastard .
(Read More)Layout can either be a noun or a verb. It refers to both the activity of arranging graphic elements on a surface (page, screen, wall, space, etc.) and the result of that arrangement. The different graphic elements within a layout might include blocks of text, titles, pagination, images, etc. The white space between and around elements is just as important as the elements themselves.
Ideally, a layout has a clear and consistent aesthetic, and that aesthetic is appropriate to the desired function of the layout’s contents.
Line Length
Sponsor Word of Type and feature your typeface in this card with a linked caption. Contact us for more information.
(Read More)A line of text that is too long or too short affects its readability.
Depending on the script and/or the document, there is an average number of words or characters for a comfortable reading.In English, a “good” line length average is between 10 to 15 words.
Master
Illustration: Lisa Huang. Typeface in use: Knowledge Rounded, designed by Lisa Huang, 2024.
(Read More)For a Variable Font file to work correctly, it requires a minimum of two font files called masters, in which the glyphs need to be designed with:
- the same number of nodes and anchors;
- the same number of contours;
- in the same order and the same direction; so that interpolations or instances in between the masters can be calculated and displayed properly.
Masters can set up various types of axes (or design ranges) such as weight, optical size, slant angle, etc.
When there are multiple axes in a Variable Font, it is a Multiple Masters font.Node
Illustration: Words of Type. Typeface in use: Knowledge Rounded, designed by Lisa Huang, 2024.
(Read More)When drawing characters in type design applications, contours are created by positioning a succession of nodes (or points), just like vector contours in most design applications.
The points of a straight line are nodes. Those on curved segments are on-curve points. Handles with each on-curve point are off-curve points (also control points) to control the curvature of the segment.
Optical Corrections
Illustration: Erik van Blokland .
(Read More)The shapes used to form the words and texts we read are seen by our eyes. And our eyes and brain are organs that don’t rely on geometry, rulers, and compasses to “read” the world.
Even if they are geometrically aligned, some shapes may appear uneven and require optical adjustments to appear consistent. In type design, we talk about optical corrections.
Optical Size
Sponsored by Blaze Type . Typeface in use: Joly , designed by Léon Hugues, 2021.
(Read More)When a typeface is intended to be used at some specific sizes only (large on billboards or small in printed books), some details can be optimized for each situation, resulting in optical size styles such as Text, Caption, Titling, or Display.
For text styles, aspects such as lower contrast and simpler details have been proven more efficient for reading small texts (especially if they are printed on rough surfaces), while display styles can carry elaborate details as they are seen in larger sizes.
Overlap
Illustration: Words of Type. Typeface in use: Knowledge Rounded, designed by Lisa Huang, 2024.
(Read More)When designing glyphs in type design applications, the contours of multiple shapes can be overlapped on top of one another to form more complex shapes (the letter E can be split into several segments, for instance) or to create a counter like in letter O, with a larger contour on the outside and a smaller one inside.
These two effects are controlled by changing the contours’ relative direction.
Overshoot
Illustration: Words of Type.
(Read More)The overshoot of a glyph is the part that goes slightly beyond the height of its fellow letters to achieve an optical evenness, such as rounded letters compared to square ones.
See Optical Corrections for more details.
Reversed Contrast
(Read More)The contrast is the relationship between a glyph’s thick and thin parts.
The variation in a stroke’s thickness comes originally from handwriting and results from the writing tool’s reaction to the medium, in combination with how the toll is held and the movements the writer makes.
Nowadays, in type design for the Latin script, we refer to a vertical contrast when the vertical parts are thicker than the horizontal ones, which is its “natural” contrast. And the opposite is known as a reversed or inverted contrast.But these concepts only apply to scripts that evolved using tools and a medium that creates such contrast “naturally,” which is not universal for all. For example, the Hebrew script’s contrast would naturally be distributed the other way around.
Single or Double Storey
Sponsored by Typotheque . Typeface in use: Zed Text , designed by Peter Biľak, 2024.
(Read More)Latin letters a and g can be represented with two different constructions:
- single storey, for modern and/or geometric styles;
- double storey, for traditional and/or classical styles.
In some typefaces, both constructions are available, as designers feel that some users prefer one over the other.
The letter g can also be designed with a half storey construction, often seen in Scandinavian designs as a legacy from Danish street signs.
Spacing
Sponsored by Production Type . Typeface in use: Media Sans , designed by Jean-Baptiste Levée, 2018.
(Read More)Spacing is about managing the values of a glyph’s side bearings (or the distance between its most left and right side edge to the side of the bounding box), which influences the distance between each glyph combination.
Good spacing is just as important as the design of glyphs themselves, as the combination of both influences the quality of a typeface.
Specimen
Illustration: Jay Cover .
(Read More)A specimen is a visual sample document published by type foundries that showcases a typeface, its glyph set, text settings in different sizes, Opentype features, etc.
A collection of specimens of different typefaces bound together is called a typeface catalog.Style
Illustration: Pauline Fourest (Spaghetype ).
(Read More)In any writing system, typefaces exist in an infinite number and variety of styles. They are influenced by many factors, such as technology, tools, necessity, and trends. But some of them are (or can be) grouped into categories for their similarities, into classification systems (sans serif, serif, humanist or geometric, etc.).
In the Latin script, we also identify Roman (or upright) and Italic as two ‘companion’ styles of the same typeface style.
Template
Illustration: Raven Mo .
(Read More)A template serves as a model for typography and typesetting. Like a reference guideline, it helps with the composition of the elements in a page (images, texts, spaces, grids, etc.), printed or on screen, to create a coherent and consistent document with specific design characteristics.
Variable Font
Sponsored by Letterror . Typeface in use: (“Style”) Very Bauble , (“Weight”) Limited Grotesque , (“Width”) Principia . Designed by Erik van Blokland.
(Read More)DESCRIPTION
A Variable Font file contains data of an entire typeface family and allows an unlimited amount of style variations defined by the designer.
HISTORY
Variable Fonts started with a technology created by Apple (TrueType GX for QuickDraw GX), from which Adobe, Google, and Microsoft joined in to develop it into OpenType Variable Fonts, announced in 2016. Today, Variable fonts are the go-to font format (for typefaces available in such format) for digital media, especially when there are animated texts.
BENEFITS
Unlike static fonts (in which one font file contains the data of a single style), one Variable Font file contains as many variations as possible between two or more master files of a typeface. Rather than searching for the right file for the right style within a typeface family, the user can install one Variable Font file of a typeface, adjust the style to what is desired and have the design application automatically generate the result or have an optimized variation to the environment whenever it changes (responsive to the screen format).
Variation Axis
(Read More)Variable Fonts technology allows users to navigate between two or more specific styles (called masters or sources) with high precision and much smaller font file sizes than several static fonts.
They do so on what is called a variation axis, which allows a continuous interpolation of outlines between compatible sources. It is a trajectory between different states of a given shape.
For example, the weight axis would shift points to adjust the stem thickness, allowing a transition from Thin to Bold.FONT ENGINEERING ADVICE
The OpenType Specification defines 5 standard axes: weight, width, optical size, italic, and slant — italic being a link between two styles rather than an actual variation axis. These guidelines serve as reference for how these axes should be implemented.
The variations axes are defined in several font tables: the avar, the fvar and the STAT tables.
Vector
(Read More)Vectors are digital contours drawn using vector graphics based on Bézier curve technology.
Type design applications rely on the same technology to create the shapes of glyphs.