https://hackaday.com/2025/10/12/the-subtle-art-of-letterform-design/
"Typeface (such as
Times New Roman) refers to the design that gives a set of
letters, numbers, and symbols their signature “look”. Font, on the other hand,
is a specific implementation of a typeface, for example,
Times New Roman
Italic 12 pt.
Right about this point, some of you are nodding along and perhaps thinking “oh,
that’s interesting,” while the rest of you are already hovering over your
browser’s Back button. If you’re one of the former, you may be interested in
checking out the (sort of) interactive tour of typography design elements by
the Ohno Type School, a small group that loves design.
On one hand, letters are simple and readily recognizable symbols. But at the
same time, their simplicity puts a lot of weight on seemingly minor elements.
Small changes can have a big visual impact. The tour lays bare answers to
questions such as: What is the optimal parting of the cheeks of a capital ‘B’?
At what height should the crossbar on an ‘A’ sit, and why does it look so weird
if done incorrectly? And yet, the tail of a ‘Q’ can be just about anything? How
and why does an ‘H’ define the spacing of the entire typeface? All these (and
more) are laid bare.
Font design in the hardware world is often constrained by display or memory
limitations, but artistry in typography is still something that we’ve seen
expressed in many different and wonderful ways over the years. For example, we
covered a typeface whose symbols are not letters, but scope traces. And one
enterprising fellow generated a new font (Avería) based on the average of every
other font installed on his computer. The result was surprisingly attractive."
Via Diane A.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
