2. Anatomy of Type
Historic Families of Type and Classification
Type / Typeface / Font / Families of Type
Studying a Typeface
Kerning, Leading,
Tracking, Measuring Type
3. A designer measures type as well as the spatial intervals between
typographic elements. These intervals occur between letters,
between words, and between two lines of type
The spatial interval between letters is called letterspacing
Adjusting the letterspacing is called kerning
The spatial interval between words is word spacing
The spatial interval between two lines of type is line spacing,
traditionally called leading in metal type, where strips of lead of
varying thickness (measured in points) were used to increase the
space between lines of type
4. Kerning
Kerning adjusts the distance between two letters.
Set too closely together, words are indecipherable;
set too far apart, and they're awkward to read.
5.
6.
7. How to Adjust Kerning in
Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop
Open the character palette
located under Window and then Character
Change the number in the Kerning field.
The Kerning field is below the type size.
Don’t forget to highlight the text you want to change before adjusting it
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21. Leading
Leading is an essential design aspect that
determines how text is spaced vertically in lines.
Leading refers to the distance between the baselines of
successive lines of type
You'll want to make sure the distance from the bottom of the
words above to the top of the words below has appropriate
spacing to make them legible.
22.
23. How to Adjust Leading in
Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop
Open the character palette
located under Window and then Character
Change the number in the leading field.
The leading field is next to the type size.
Don’t forget to highlight the text you want to change before adjusting it
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29. Tracking
Tracking is often confused for kerning,
but the concept is a little different.
Tracking involves adjusting the spacing
throughout the entire word.
30. Tracking
Once you've determined the right spacing between
each letter, tracking can be used, with great restraint,
to change the spacing equally between every letter at once.
You should be very careful when changing the
tracking, as it can quickly lead to difficulty in reading.
31. How to Adjust Tracking in
Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop
Open the character palette
located under Window and then Character
Change the number in the Tracking field.
The Tracking field is below the kerning field.
Don’t forget to highlight the text you want to change before adjusting it
32.
33.
34.
35. Measuring Type
The traditional system of typographic measurement
utilizes two basic units: the point and the pica.
The height of type is measured in points
The width of a letter or a line of type is measured in picas
36. Measuring Type
Most type is available in sizes ranging from 5 points to 72 points
Type that is 14 points and less is used for setting text
and is called text type or body copy.
Sizes above 14 points are used for display type.
38. Measuring Type
In metal type, letterspacing and word spacing are
produced by the insertion of
quads
-a metal block shorter than
the type height—between pieces of metal type.
Both traditionally and today,
an “em” is used as a unit of measure.
39.
40. Measuring Type
Originally the em was a unit of measurement roughly
equivalent to the width of the capital M in a given typeface
at a specific point size. Now the em is usually sized to be
equivalent to the point size of a given font.
For 12 point type, a 2-em indent would be 24 points — 2 x 12.
One half of an em is called an “en.”
