TYPEFACE FAMILIES
Fonts with small lines at the ends of letters, commonly found in traditional book fonts like Times New Roman, are called this.
What is a serif typeface?
This is the invisible line upon which most letters sit.
What is the baseline?
This typographic principle uses size, weight, color, and spacing to guide the reader's eye and establish the order of importance among text elements.
What is hierarchy?
This printing technology, invented around 1440, revolutionized the spread of typography.
What is the movable type printing press (or Gutenberg's printing press)?
This type of font is best used for body text for print publications because of its high readability.
What is a serif font?
This typeface family is often used for modern, clean designs like Helvetica or Arial.
What is sans-serif?
The vertical stroke of a letter like "d" or "l" is called this.
What is the ascender?
These typographic problems occur when a single word or line breaks awkwardly—a word left alone at the end of a paragraph, a single line at the top or bottom of a page, or a short line at the start of a new column.
What are widows, orphans, and runts?
This typeface style emerged during the Renaissance and emphasized elegance and readability.
What is Roman type?
In print design, body text is typically set at 10pt type with 12pt leading, while web body text is generally set at this pixel size for optimal readability.
What is 16px?
Fonts designed to mimic handwriting or calligraphy fall into this family.
What is a script typeface?
This term refers to the enclosed or partially enclosed space within a letter, like the hole in "o" or "a."
What is the counter?
When pairing typefaces, designers often choose a serif and sans-serif with similar grid structures and anatomical features to create visual hierarchy while maintaining unity.
What is a contrasting font relationship?
This ancient writing system used pictures and symbols to represent words and sounds, laying early groundwork for written communication and visual language.
What are hieroglyphs (or pictograms)?
This technique involves adjusting the space between specific pairs of letters to improve visual appearance, especially in larger text.
What is kerning?
This typeface family includes decorative and ornamental fonts designed for display purposes rather than body text.
What is a display font?
The horizontal line that crosses through the middle of letters like "A" or "H" is called this.
What is the crossbar?
This accessibility principle ensures text is large and clear enough for all readers, including those with visual impairments.
What is legibility?
This early medieval script featured rounded capital letters and was the precursor to the development of lowercase letters in typography.
What is uncial script?
To ensure readability, the contrast between text and background should be this.
What is high (or strong)?
This typeface family, characterized by thick and thin strokes, was popular in the 19th century and is often associated with vintage posters.
What is a slab serif or Egyptian serif?
This is the distance between the baseline and the top of lowercase letters like "x" or "n."
What is the x-height?
his typographic approach uses a single font family throughout a design, varying weights and styles—sometimes even combining different classifications within a super font family—to create visual interest while maintaining cohesion.
What is a concordant font relationship?
This design movement, which emerged in Switzerland in the mid-20th century, emphasized grid-based layouts and sans-serif typefaces.
What is Swiss Style (or International Typographic Style)?
This is the recommended line length in characters for optimal readability in body text.
What is 50–75 characters per line?