1. Learn typeface anatomy. 2. Learn about the ways typefaces vary. Draw them. © 2004-2012, v.8, TypeCooker is a project by Erik van Blokland, LettError.comTypeMedia.org These are the parameters which you can expect from TypeCooker. Items listed in gray blocks will show up, but can be ignored if you don't know what they mean. 1 Construction This refers to how the letters are drawn, which strokes go where. Capitals and romans use separate strokes. Romanitaliccaps and small capscapitals with romancapitals with italic continuous scriptcasual brush scriptnothing 2 Ascender This is the amount of space letters take up above the x-height. Longer than normalshorter than normalmuch shorter than normalnone at alldoesn’t matter 3 Descender This is the amount of space letters take up below the baseline. 4 Width This is the amount of accumulated space letters take up in horizontal direction.
Compressedcondensednarrownormalextendedwidevery wideextremely wide 5 Contrast type broad nibpointed nibtransitionalspeedball nibbrushcan’t be determined 6 Contrast amount 7 Stems 8 Stroke endings. 3. Learn typeface classifications. 5. Learn that there is no absolute standard classification system and terms can vary. Over the course of time, different terms for the appearances and parts of typefaces have been invented in various countries and languages. And now, in the computer era, with its growing prevalence of English terms, there is complete confusion. Is it cursive, oblique or italic? Regular, normal or roman? Consensus on this front would be a good thing, but cannot be expected just yet. To at least provide clarity for the terms used by us in this book, we will here give their definitions. A typeface category is a named group of typefaces displaying similarities, for example script types.
The Linotype typeface Serifa displayed in all available variants. The 26 letters of the alphabet are only the core characters in a font. UPPERCASE and lowercase letters In handwriting and manuscripts, these letters are also known as capitals or majuscules and small letters or minuscules. The Blado typeface was revived by Stanley Morison in 1923 after a 1526 italic by Ludovico Degli Arrighi. 6. Get to know the classics. 7. Get to know the new classics. 8. Follow new releases. 9. Play The Font Game. 10. Pore through foundry sites, printed specimens, and other references. FontBook. 11. Observe type in the wild. 12. Write. Describe the typefaces you like and don't like and why. What constitutes a flawed typeface? For this article it is defined as a typeface that is perfectly fine—except for one nagging aspect, usually a single character. A flawed typeface is one that either you avoid using entirely because of this lone defect; or one that you use sparingly—and only then, after some alteration of either your design or the face itself to ameliorate the “flaw”.
Flawed typefaces are not bad or even mediocre. The whole premise here is that they are good, perhaps even classic or wildly popular. And yet there is a single character that “ruins” them or, at the very least, causes one to pause before specing them. Goudy Oldstyle (Frederic W. Goudy Oldstyle compared to Adobe Garamond Pro. Goudy Oldstyle detail from 1923 ATF type specimen. Lanston Type Company, a subsidiary of P22, has done just that with alternate long descenders available as part of its LTC Goudy Oldstyle Family Pro. Detail of De Aetna typeface by Francesco Griffo (1495).