Type Anatomy

Useful. Via Armin Vit.

Comments

[Jonathan]

You know, I'm going to incur the wrath of a lot of people here but when you say 'useful', in what way? I've never, ever, needed to know that stuff in my whole career as a graphic designer, and I gave up teaching it a long time ago - unless you want to design type instead of using it, I think there are more important things to know.

So having lit that particular fuse I'm going to stand well back now... ;-)

[Ben]

Good point Jonathan. Good point.

Discuss.

[Guy]

As a recent graduate I would agree that it isn't essential stuff, my tutors didn't teach this sort of thing. However it can't be a bad thing getting to grips with the details of typography or at least be aware of the terminology when you're at college. I think the craft of designing is just as important as the idea.

[Jonathan]

But what does knowing the terminology add to the craft? I know plenty of good designers who don't know this stuff, and plenty of bad/so-so designers who do.

Where it gets bad, Guy, is that it's easy for people studying design to take what we call a 'surface' approach - accumulating techniques and terminology without understanding them. A counter is more than a word, it's an important aspect of legibility. A student who knows what a counter is is not as good a designer/typographer as a student who knows the importance of legibility. For me as a teacher, I want to focus on the latter type of knowledge. But it can be difficult to do this when you can pick up hundreds of books with diagrams like the one above but not that many with discussion of really important things. I'm not surprised when a student focuses on the technical and rejects the meaningful.

(Plus a well-crafted piece of design without a good idea is just eye candy. A good idea without good execution can always be farmed out... 'Design' is the idea, not the execution.)

I recommend Richard Sennet's new book The Craftsman, by the way. He's much more eloquent than me (not difficult) about the different types of 'knowledge' when it comes to craft.

What I would say, though, is that terminology of this sort is useful in gaining social capital - saying 'descender' is a sure fire way to connect with like-minded people at a party. It's like having the right currency in a foreign country. It has its uses but it doesn't make you a better designer. IMHO.

[Mat Ranson]

I agree Jonathan.

Every industry/hobby has its trainspotters. Those who namedrop people, places and terminology in the hope of some kudos. But when it comes to the 'doing' part, they're not necessarily any better than anyone else.

However, on the other hand, I think that it can only be beneficial to teach yourself as much as possible about your interests, whatever they may be. The relevance and context of what you know can surely only be enhanced by thorough understanding. Understanding being very important, as you mentioned.

Its for individuals to decide how they tout their knowledge, and down to the rest of us to sort trainspotters from the craftsmen.

[Vikki Miller]

Interesting? Yes. Useful? Only if you want to - as Jonathan suggested - design type, or be a stencil artist.

I love it because I'm a typography geek. In the grand scheme of things no one really cares, no one really notices and it doesn't solve any of the problems that actually matter.

In fact, the only people that will notice are other typography geeks that find themselves measuring the baseline of leaflets and other printed material to make sure things align to the standards that were engrained into our minds as students or workers. The only use for such anal type rules would be if your life revolved around being recognised and noticed by awarding bodies like the ISTD or D&AD. I'm aware that a lot of graphic designers live like that, but again, in the grand scheme of things it doesn't add any more to the legibility or final message to the end user (I say end user for lack of a better term).

I am however a stickler for doing things proplery, especially when it comes to typography, so I do appreciate forgotten or unknown rules like these. Again, purely because I'm a type geek.

[alexparrott]

I do not design type, but as a graphic designer I use type everyday. Knowing the anatomy of letterforms allows me to describe my work in detail and participate in dialogue with other designers. I know it's specialist infomation, but aren't we (designers) specialists?

Young designers should be encouraged to use this sort of terminology so they can talk about thier work confidently whilst showing an understanding of the subject.

[Ben]

After reading all these comments I think I agree with Alex. I feel more confident knowing these terms.

[diptanshu]

its good if u know... u can of course get by without knowing. suppose u play the guitar damn well. no harm in knowing a bit about how a guitar is made. or knowing the difference between a L9 and a workhorse