Glossary of Typography Terms
The largest illustrated database of typography terms and definitions
TypeType Font Dictionary is a guide containing the definitions of typographic terminology from our articles and other font-related content. Diving a little deeper into the language of typography will give you a better understanding of specialized information sources and make you feel more comfortable with fonts.
Remember, there is no standardized type terminology in the font market. The definitions you will see here are the result of the collective expertise of TypeType specialists over many years, and we believe them to be the most accurate.
Please note that the dictionary will be updated regularly.
Antiqua
(serif typeface)—a high-contrast font with serifs.
Aperture
A degree of openness in a character. Aperture can be open or closed. The letter «C» provides the simplest example to grasp the concept of aperture: more straight/horizontal terminals indicate an open aperture and more curved/vertical terminals mark a closed aperture.
Bézier curve
Mathematically formulated curves used to describe character forms in fonts.
Calligraphy
The art of producing beautiful writing. Calligraphic text is always crafted manually and bears the imprint of the tool.
Character set
A collection of all font symbols.
Diacritical marks
Special symbols influencing (transforming or clarifying) the character’s meaning. They are placed above, below, or sometimes inside letterforms. For example, the dot in «i» is a diacritical mark.
Display fonts
Eye-catching, peculiar, and distinctive fonts often used in large point sizes (for example, for headlines).
Dynamic fonts
Fonts characterized by their origins in broad-nib pen calligraphy. They stand out for noticeable proportion dynamics, evident contrast, and open aperture.
Extreme points
The outermost points on vertical and horizontal axes of rounded elements that form an arc.
Font
A collection of symbols united by a common idea: the design of the characters (letters, numbers, punctuation marks) integrated into a cohesive system and a file carrying the complete set of characters (alphabet or non-alphabet symbols) used for typing.
Fonts with dynamic proportions
Fonts with explicit width dynamics. Their proportions are reminiscent of Roman capital scripts or fonts from the Renaissance era.
Fonts with static proportions
Fonts where characters are designed to have a uniform width, except for the narrowest ones, such as «i» and «l.»
Geometric sans serif typefaces
Fonts intentionally built upon elementary geometric forms (equilateral triangles, squares, circles). Originated in Germany in the 1930s. Their development was influenced by the ideas of constructivism and the Bauhaus design school.
Grapheme
The idea of the character, its image, and the basic form that sets it apart from other symbols. One character can have several letterforms (for example, uppercase and lowercase, roman and cursive, single-storey and double-storey).
Grotesque
(sans serif typeface)—low or no-contrast font without serifs.
Handwritten font
Soviet lettering that looks similar to title face. These fonts are often used in poster and book design.
Hinting
The TrueType format font optimization process aimed at achieving maximum readability on computer screens.
Humanist sans serif typefaces
Sans serif fonts with a more pronounced contrast of thick and thin strokes than other Grotesques. They are also characterized by an open aperture and double-storey «a» and «g.».
Instances
Font styles that weren’t designed as masters. They are interpolated or extrapolated between the anchor font styles based on specific formulas for determining font family weights.
Italics
(true italics)—historically, this term referred to cursive fonts, but today, it is used in a broader sense and unites true italics and slanted fonts. These are fonts where letterforms transform to acquire a cursive shape. Italics can be created as independent fonts, not only as an addition to roman font styles. Such fonts are typical for serif typefaces.
Kerning
Targeted increase or reduction of the interval between two characters determined by the combination of their forms. Kerning is needed to achieve a perfectly even, uniform typesetting.
Letter
1) a block usually made of type metal or wood with a typographic character protruding on one of the sides, making it possible to print the symbol onto a surface through stamping (print); 2) in general terms, any symbol in the font.
Lettering
A hand-crafted type. Unlike calligraphy, lettering doesn’t bear the imprint of an instrument. There are numerous ways of designing letters for such fonts: they can be drawn, cut out, sculpted, etc.
Letterspace
(aprosh)—the distance between the letter’s edge and the em-square’s edge. Letterspace can be both positive and negative. The semi-aproshes (sidebearing) of two adjacent characters form one aprosh.
Masters
Anchor font styles designers handcraft in font editing software supporting the variability technology.
Modern serif typefaces
(Classical)—a category of fonts with static proportions exhibiting glyphic nature, with their design grounded in construction rather than handwriting. These fonts developed their appearance through the extensive use of pointed-nib pens and metal engraving techniques. Modern Antiquas stand out for their high contrast, thin and symmetrical serifs, no dynamics, and vertical oval axis.
Monospaced fonts
Fonts with the same width of em-square in all characters. Traditionally, such fonts are used for coding and filling out tables; however, modern typography also uses them for various purposes.
Neo-Grotesques
The legacy of Swiss design. Such fonts stand out for their static proportions, minimal or no contrast, squared ovals, and closed apertures.
Oblique fonts
Fonts usually designed as a pair to the original roman font style. In this case, letterforms are just slanted but don’t change. Such fonts are typical for sans serifs.
Old sans serifs
A category uniting the first sans serif typefaces that emerged in the XIX century. These fonts have noticeable contrast and simple forms, and the glyphs tend to have equal widths.
Old Style serif typefaces
(Humanist) serif typefaces—serif fonts that emerged and thrived during the Renaissance era. These are dynamic fonts with low contrast, significantly slanted axes of ovals, and asymmetrical, rounded serifs. This font category is classified as ductal, based on the logic of broad-nib pen writing.
OpenType features
(or simply features)—code integrated during font development that allows users to invoke various transformations and use functions (intended by the font designer) in font editing software. For instance, replacing glyph forms with alternates, turning on tabular or minuscule figures, adjusting the punctuation baseline based on the case, etc.
Point
A unit of measuring font size; a basic unit of typometric system. A point equals approximately 1/72 of an inch. In different metric systems, like American or French, these numerical values may differ.
Point size
Character height, their vertical size. It is measured in typographic points.
Raster
A grid of pixels (color dots) utilized to display images on output devices.
Serif
Short additional lines at the ends of the character’s main strokes, usually perpendicular. Serifs are typical for Antiqua typefaces and slab serifs.
Small caps
Character forms that feature the graphics of uppercase letters but are reduced in height and weight. These forms are often a little higher than the lowercase characters, but according to the Latin tradition, they may have the same height as the lowercase characters. Small caps are used in abbreviations or other situations requiring typing running text in uppercase letters.
Spacing
A general term for a set of all horizontal intervals around each glyph in a font: sidebearing and kerning settings. Spacing can be tight or loose.
Static fonts
Fonts characterized by their origins in pointed-nib pen writing. They feature high contrast and less dynamic proportions (all letters tend to be equal in width, with a straight oval axis). Such fonts usually have narrower glyph proportions than dynamic ones. The glyphs visually move towards uniform width, the aperture is closed.
Stem
The key dominant vertical (or diagonal) stroke.
Style
Visual characteristic of a font. Within one font style, all characters are designed with consistent weight and width or, for instance, are all slanted. So, a font family can include different font styles united by one particular trait, and a typeface unites different subfamilies.
Subfamily
A font set inside the typeface that is united stylistically by slant, weight, width, etc.
Text typefaces
Simple and neutral fonts without excessive details. They are easy to read and suitable for typing running text.
Transitional serif typefaces
Are named so because, historically and graphically, they transition from Old Style to Modern Antiquas. It is generally accepted that Transitional serifs appeared in the middle of the 18th century. Visually, the Transitional serifs have a more refined, contrasting, and hand-drawn style compared to the Old Style serifs.
Type, Font, Typeface
A font used for typing text with a printing press or computer and can be both text and display. Opposite of lettering.
Typeface
(font family)—a collection of fonts united by certain characteristics (stylistic and technical). Fonts with varying styles (roman, italic, light, bold, etc.) can form part of the same typeface.
