Sunday, August 29, 2010

Typography 1... more definitions

Alphabet Variation
Weight: The width of the letter stroke.
Width: Typestyles can include character widths which can come in condensed or extended. This causes the type to look wider or skinnier.
Style: Design variations in the typeface.

Measuring Type
How is type measured in inches, mm, points or picas?
It is measured in points and picas.
Point: Measures the height of the typeface from top of the ascender to the descender.
Pica: Used to measure width. (ex. the width of a typeset column, or length of line)
How many points are in an inch?
72 points
If a letter is set in 36 pts about how many inches tall is it?
About half an inch
How many picas are in an inch?
6 picas
How many points are in a pica?
12 points
X-Height: The height of the main body of the lowercase letter (or the height of a lowercase x ). Does not include the letter's ascenders and descenders.
Cap Height: The distance from the top of the capital letter to its bottom.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Q & A from Typeography 1

Q: Define the word "grid"
A: A grid is made up of a distinct set of lines, and is used as a guide for distributing elements across a page.

Q: Why do we (designers) use a grid? What are the benefits or functions?
A: It allows a designer to lay out a large amounts of information in less time. It also allows many people to work on the same project over time without compromising visual qualities.

Q: What is a modular grid?
A: A grid made up of modules, or repeated regular intervals.

Q: Define and illustrate: margins, columns, grid modules, flowlines, gutter
A: Margins: The negative space between the content and the format edge.
Columns: Vertical alignments of type that create horizontal divisions between the margins.
Grid Modules: Individual units of space separated by regular intervals that, when repeated across the page format, create columns and rows.
Flowlines: Alignments that break the space into horizontal bands.
Gutter: The inside margin.

Q: Define hierarchy
A: Hierarchy is based on the level of importance assigned to each text. More important = larger or more noticeable.

Q: Define typographic color
A: Deals only with changes in lightness and darkness, or value, NOT hue.

Q: What are ways to achieve a clear hierarchy?
A: Elements that appear to advance forward compete for attention and therefore occupy the top level of hierarchy. Elements that recede decrease in importance because they become less active. Spatial differences also help distinguish importance of elements.