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Individual letter forms have unique
parts which have changed in visual form
over the centuries. A nomenclature
helps identify major elements of their
construction. The evolution of lettering
styles over time is a result of optical
adjustments to the basic components by
type designers over the ages.
Anatomy of Type
When putting all these different type
families together in alignment, it presents
just the sheer amount of variety each font
has to offer. While all types of font have
the same strokes and baseline, you can
see how none of these fonts will have the
same exact space between their letters,
or even be the same size despite them all
being 100 pt.
Overlap
Baseline
Capline
Meanline
x-height
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Sprinkle Sprinkle Sprinkle Sprinkle
Fundamental to all typographic design
is the interplay between letterform and
background. Every letterform denes
a particular counter form. Form and
counterform are reciprocal values and
completely interdependent and integral to
a letters completeness as a design. The
counterform is not just what is left over in
the background. The counterform is a new
entity that emerges through interaction
with the form.
Typically, these counterforms are either
geometric or organic in quality depending
on the structure or style of the letter.
An awareness of this inter-relationship
of form and counterform is essential in
typographic design.
Cropping
When covering up the halves of the word
Sprinkle, we can see that the top half is the
most readable compared to the bottom.
While humans over time have developed
the subconsious skill of reading top to
bottom, left to right, this particular words
bottom half just has a very simple base,
i.e. the bottom half of the letter n could be
mistaken for two is. The top half presents
the most recognizeable features.
When trying to cover up the various parts
of each letter, you become more aware of
the most dening characteristics for each
letter. I found that you could pretty much
cut each letter in half in order to still nd
the word readable, as long as as their most
recognizeble characteristic is presented.
Legibility of Word Legibility of Letter
Sprinkle
Sprinkle
Sprinkle
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Counterpoint and Counterpart Cropping Studies
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Counterpoint and Counterpart
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Every letter has a personality you can
identify. Fragmentation is not the goal in
and of itself. Everything is adjustable and
its a case-by case decision of how far to
go.
The form you seek is one that to be able
to read the word. So this determines
the degree of fracture. Its the
part(letterform) towhole (word). Both
must be juggled to value. You cant use
the same element over and over just
because it worked in one place. Every
example should change somewhat.
Because range is a persistent goal
of design, you want to invent in each
example. Expect some noble necessary
part of any assignment.
Kinetics
When creating a visual hierarchy in
typographic space, a designer balances the
need for harmony, which unies a design,
with the need for contrast, which lends
vitality and emphasis.
As in music, elements can have a
counterpart or a counterpoint relationship.
Typographic counterparts are elements
with similar qualities that bring harmony
to their spatial relationship. Elements
have a counterpoint relationship when
they have contrasting characteristics,
such as size, weight, color, tone, or
texture. Counterpoint relationships bring
opposition and dissonance to the design.
Counterpoint and Counterpart
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The most elementary forms of letters are
a visual code of simple strokes that is
recognizable through our experience
with handwriting.
Each of the upper and lower case letters
is distinct in structure. All are built by
combining vertical, horizontal, slanted,
and curvilinear strokes. Letter forms derive
their character from combinations of these
basic strokes and not from being light or
bold, wide or narrow, Roman or italic, sans
serif or serif. An entire alphabet can be
categorized using only six basic underlying
visual combinations of strokes as the
example illustrates.
The Structure of Letters
While upper and lower case letters
are distinct in structure, they all are
built by combining 4 strokes; vertical,
horizontal, slanted, and curvilinear. These
elementary strokes form the foundation,
a visual code that is recognizable
through our long experience with
reading and writing regardless of style.
Therefore, letter forms derive their visual
character from combinations of these
basic strokes and not from being light
or bold, wide or narrow, Roman or italic,
sans serif or serif. An entire alphabet
can be categorized using only six basic
underlying visual combinations of strokes
as the example illustrates.
The Structure of Letters
EFHILTY jlt
KMN k
VWX vwxy
AZ z
BDJPRU abdghmnqru
CGOQS ceos
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Using the initials of your designer, impose
the letterforms in a typographic study
that interprets a relationship to the form
of the chair they designed. The goal is to
discover relationships in form and division
of space. Then, using the designers name,
the name of the chair, and the date of its
manufacture, impose the words in
a typographic study that demonstrates
relationships to the chair.
Chair Typographic Page
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Type generally falls into two primary
categories; informational and or
expressive. Its not uncommon to have
a strategy for both present in layouts.
Informational text is more common and
the form responds to long traditions
and conventions of size, spacing and
established habits of organization on the
page. In a book or website it is information
design that takes the lead. On a poster or
motion graphics expression could lead.
The ratio is determined by the designer
and the needs of the communication. An
emphasis or hierarchy must be clear and
decisive so the roles each plays in the
communication are clear. In design things
are not equal.
Chair Hang Tag
Mi chel e De Lucchi
1983
O
bjects speak and, in an underwater world of
things, the background noise has become so deafen-
ing that its time to ask for a bit of silence and let those
who talk seriously something to say
Michele De Lucchi
Michele De Lucchi
was born in 1951 in
Ferrara and gradu-
ated in architecture
in Florence. During
the period of radical
and experimental
architecture he was
a prominent gure
in movements like
Cavart, Alchymia and
Memphis. De Lucchi
has designed furniture
for the most known
Italian and European
companies. For Olivetti
he has been Director
of Design from 1992 to
2002 and he developed
experimental projects
for Compaq Comput-
ers, Philips, Siemens
and Vitra. He designed
and restored buildings
in Japan, Germany,
Switzerland and in
Italy for Enel, Olivetti,
Piaggio, Poste Italiane,
Telecom Italia. In 1999
he was appointed
to renovate some of
ENELs (Italys principal
Electricity Company)
power plants. For
Michele De Lucchi was
born in 1951 in Ferrara and
graduated in architecture in
Florence. During the period
of radical and experimental
architecture he was a prom-
inent gure in movements
like Cavart, Alchymia and
Memphis. De Lucchi has
designed furniture for the
most known Italian and
European companies. For
Olivetti he has been Director
of Design from1992 to 2002
and he developed experi-
mental projects for Compaq
Computers, Philips, Siemens
and Vitra.
He designed and restored
buildings in Japan, Germany,
Switzerland and in Italy for
Enel, Olivetti, Piaggio, Poste
Italiane, TelecomItalia.
In 1999 he was appointed
to renovate some of ENELs
Objects speak and, in an underwater
world of things, the background noise
has become so deafening that its time
to ask for a bit of silence and let those
who talk seriously something to say
Michele De Lucchi
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