The field of Typography employs a number of technical terms when describing letterforms.
If you take the time to learn these, you will find it much easier to identify specific faces, and will quite possibly amaze all your friends with your knowledge of type.*
Throughout this post, the examples sit on a collection of lines.
- Ascender Height
- Cap Height is the extent of a capital letter.
- The Median is the line defining the X-height of the letterforms.
- Baseline refers to the line that all characters ‘sit’ on.
- Descender Depth.
Stroke
Any line that defines the letterform.
Apex and Vertex
The point created at the junction of two diagonal stems.
Arm
Short strokes off the stem of the letterform, either horizontal (E, F, T) or inclined (K, Y)
Ascender
The portion of the stem of a lower case character that rises above the median.
Barb
The half-serif finish on some curved letterforms.
Beak
The half-serif finish on some horizontal arms.
Bowl
The rounded form that describes a counter. The bowl may be either open or closed.
Bracket
The transition between the serif and the stem.
Counter
The negative space within a letterform, either fully or partially enclosed.
Cross Bar
The horizontal stroke that joins two stems together.
Cross Stroke
The horizontal stroke in a letterform that intersects the stem.
Crotch
The interior space where two strokes meet.
Descender
The portion of the stem of a lowercase letterform that projects below the baseline.
Ear
The stroke that extends out from the main stem or body of the letterform.
Finial
The rounded non-serif terminal to a stroke.
Leg
Short stroke off the stem of the letterform, either at the bottom of the stroke (L) or inclined downward (K, R)
Ligature
The character formed by the combination of two or more letterforms. Opentype fonts allow flexible access to ligatures.
Link
The stroke that connects the bowl and the loop of a lowercase G.
Loop
In some typefaces, the bowl created in the descender of the lowercase G.
Shoulder
The curved stroke that is not part of a bowl.
Spine
The curved stem of the S.
Spur
The extension that articulates the junction of a curved and vertical stroke.
Stem
The significant vertical or oblique stroke.
Tail
The curved or diagonal stroke at the finish of certain letterforms.
Further Reading
This post was created with heavy reference to A Type Primer by John Kane (Laurence King Publishing / ISBN 1-85669-291-4). If you’re interested in typography and grids, I can’t recommend it enough.
*NStudio can accept no responsibility for any loss of friendship resulting from discussion of this blog content.
—
Header Image: Raphael Schaller on Unsplash.
