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Definition
| The distance between the baselines of lines of text. (Space between lines) |
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Term
| Where did the term leading originate from? (How is it pronounced?) |
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Definition
| The word leading comes from the early days of hand typesetting when strips of lead were used to space lines. It is pronounced as ledding |
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Definition
| Occurs when two or more characters combine to create one form. |
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Term
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Definition
| Also called wordmark/word mark, ____ is usually a distinct text-only typographic treatment of the name of a company, institution, or product name used for purposes of identification and branding. EX: Google |
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Term
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Definition
| The overall spacing of a word or block of text affecting its overall density and texture - Also called letter spacing |
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Term
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Definition
| The process of adjusting the space between individual (pairs of) letter forms. This process adds or subtracts space between letters to create more visually appealing and readable text. |
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Term
| What is the difference between kerning and tracking? |
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Definition
| Kerning adjusts the space between individual letter forms, while tracking (letter-spacing) adjusts spacing uniformly over a range of characters. |
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Term
| What is the difference between metric and optical kerning? |
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Definition
| Metric kerning uses the kerning tables/pairs that are built into the typeface. Optical kerning is executed automatically by the page layout program. Rather than using the pairs addressed in the font's kerning table, optical kerning assesses the shapes of all characters and adjusts the spacing wherever needed. Cheap/novelty fonts often have little to no kerning and thus requires optical kerning. |
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Term
| Why do lower case letters respond less favorably to tracking/letter spacing? |
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Definition
| Lowercase letters are designed to sit intimately on a line. Looser tracking disrupts this design. |
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Term
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Definition
| The practice of placing single letters of a word (or lines of text) above one another vertically, as opposed to writing them out horizontally. |
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Term
| Why is stacking roman characters inadvisable? |
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Definition
| Readers of the roman alphabet are used to reading from left to right, not top to bottom. Stacking disrupts the natural flow of reading and forces the reader to audience to read the type in an unaccustomed manner. Stacking can look especially awkward when letters like I and M, which have different widths, are placed above/below each other. |
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Term
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Definition
| Refers to a letter's horizontal measure. This measurement includes the body of the letter plus a sliver of space that protects it from other letters. |
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Term
| What are examples of set widths? |
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Definition
| Condensed, narrow, wide, extended, etc |
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Term
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Definition
| Type for use at large sizes, for short bursts of copy. These are "look at me" fonts. Seen in headers, advertisements, and etc. |
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Term
| Why are web readers less patient that print readers? |
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Definition
| The impatience comes from modern culture, not because of the monitor. Users have different expectations from web info as opposed to print. Users of web sites expect to feel "productive", not "contemplative". They expect to be in search mode, not processing mode. Users expect information faster. They also expect to be disappointed, distracted, and delayed by false leads. The cultural habits of the screen are driving changes in design for print. |
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Term
| What is tracking commonly used for and to what effect? |
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Definition
| It is commonly used to space capitals and small capitals (particularly in headings), which appear more regal when standing apart. By slightly expanding the space across a body of text, the designer can create a more airy field and thus, loosen up the density. This device should be used sparingly, to adjust one or more lines of justified type. |
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