Sunday, August 30, 2009

absolute measurement - measurements of fixed values ex. points, picas, millimeters 

relative measurement - a measurement that is linked to the size of type being used ex. type size, em, en, leading 

point - the unit of measurement used to measure the type size of a font

pica - unit of measure in a layout. its typically 24 between each element

em / em dash - a linear unit of 1/6 inch used when printing; used to define basic spacing functions in typesetting such as paragraphs, indents, and spacing linked to the size of type. The dash is the same size as the type. ex. 16pt type has 16 pt em.

en / en dash - relative measurement; half the width of an em space. ex. in 16pt type it would be 8 points. 

legibility - the ease with which the eye can identify letters, and distinguish them from one another

rag - when left justified copy causes ragged ends on the right; can create gaps, overhanging text, slopes or inclines 

type alignments 

Flush - all to one side, (-) informal and asymmetrical (+) harmony and consistent word space

Justified - (+) creates even margins (-) carries space between words 

Centered - (+) good in design of one in formal context (-) harder to read, reduces legibility

word spacing - 

rivers - separations of words that leaves gaps between several lines 

indent - space used to introduce a new paragraph 

leading - space between one baseline to the next 

kerning - space between each letter (kerning pairs are made to create rhythm and enhance legibility

tracking - adjusting the overall space between letters rather than the space between the 2 characters 

weight - bold, book. medium or demi choices; different for eacah typeface

scale - increase in point size, larger has more emphasis (need to increase by 2pts to be noticeable)

typographic variation - use of different typefaces, sizes, and weights to determine hierarchy and clarity of specific words 

orphan - the last 1-2 lines of a paragraph separated from the main paragraph to form a new column 

widow - a word at the end of the paragraph left hanging alone 


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