The Designer Words Finder

★ Anything operates by or is created from information or signals represented by binary digits, such as digital recording. Is distinct from analog, in which information is represented by a physical variable (in a recording this may be via the grooves in a vinyl player).

★ An electronic device that can process data (usually binary) according to a predetermined set of variable instructions – a ‘program’.

★ A software program to enable the user to create and modify a document for a specific purpose, thus distinguishing it from operating system software and utilities (software that improves the functioning of your computer rather than enabling you to create anything). Typical application groups include those for a page layout, graphics, word processing, and spreadsheets.

★ Altering an image by modifying pixels to either increase or decrease its resolution, increasing the number of pixels is called ‘resampling up’, while reducing the number is called ‘resampling dawn’ or’ downsampling.

★ Any digital file in which a graphic image such as a photograph is stored, as distinct from data such as a text file, database file, 3D file, etc. The image file can be saved in a variety of formats, depending on which application they were created in, the most typical being TIFF, GIF, JPEG, PICT, BMP, and eps. Confusingly, the data format in which some images are stored is text, such as in an EPS graphic which is saved in ‘ASCLL’ (TEXT) format, but the file is still an image file. not to be confused with a ‘disk image’ which is the content of a volume stored in a single file.

★ A symbol attached to a letterform to indicate the pronunciation of a word usually in that language, but also used to indicate particular pronunciation, such as in dictionaries.

★ The traditional ‘curly’ quotation marks and inverted commas used in typesetting, are frequently abandoned in DTP software.

★ The size in points by which type is measured. Originally, this meant the body of the piece of metal on which the character sits, but in computer typography, it means the size of a font, without leading.

★ The process of estimating the amount of space or number of pages that will be required to accommodate copy to the typeset, traditionally, this was done either by comparing the character count to that of a printed sample of the font to be used (at the correct size, weight, leading, measure, etc.), or by using the typefounders copy-fitting tables which were produced for every font the foundry manufactured. Nowadays, page-layout and word-processing applications provide instant and accurate calculations of copy length.

★ The Keys of a keyboard that generate accents in particular typographic letters. The keys are usually used in conjunction with ‘modifier’ keys, such as shift, option, and control, or a combination of these.

★ Used to describe ‘prime’ marks when they are used, erroneously, as quotation marks or apostrophes. In some computers or applications, prime marks appear by default when the ‘quote’ key is typed, unless preferences are set to substitute true quotation marks (called) ‘smart’ or ‘curly’ quotes).

A sequence of three dots (…) used within text to indicate a pause, or that part of a phrase or sentence has been left out. An ellipsis can be generated by a single keyboard character.

★ A type character (a ‘case’ or true fraction), or assembly of type character (a ‘piece’ or ‘built’) which denotes part of a whole number, such as 1/2.

★ A figure or letter that is smaller than the text size and aligned with the height of the capitals. Superior characters is distinct from superscript which appears above capital height. ‘Also called cock-up figures ‘, ‘cock-up letters’, ‘superior figures’ or ‘superior letters.

★ Type for fractions. This comes in two parts, the upper bearing a number only, and the lower a numeral and a dividing line above it.

★ A system of marks is used to clarify text and separate sentences.

The unit of type measurement used in Continental Europe was devised by Francois-Ambroise Didot in 1775. A Didot point measures 0.343mm (0.0148in), compared with the Anglo-American point of 0.35mm (0.013837in). Twelve Didot points are referred to as a ‘cicero’ or ‘Didot pica’.

★ The basic unit of Anglo-American type measurement. In the past, no two printers could agree on a standard system of type measurement, therefore type cast in one foundry could not be mixed with that cast in another. However, in the mid-18th century, the French typographer Pierre Simon Fournier introduced a standard that he called a ‘point’. This was further developed but Francois-Ambroise Didot into a European standard (‘Didot Point’), although this was not adopted by either Britain or the US. The Anglo-American system divides one inch into 72 parts, each one a ‘point’ (mathematically, one point should equal 0.013889in but, in fact, it equals 0.013837in, with the result that 72 points equal only 0.996264in. The European Didot point equals 0.0148in and 12 of these for units measuring 0.1776in). There is no relationship between the Anglo-American point and the Didot point, and neither of them relates to metric measurement. The introduction of the computer as a design tool has established a new international system. However, on the computer, one-point measures 0.013889in, and 72 points equal exactly one inch – no coincidence, then, that computer has a standard resolution of 72dpi.

★ The width of a justified typeset line or column of text, traditionally measured in picas, points, Didot, or Ciceros but now commonly in inches and millimeters as well. Also referred to as ‘line length’.

★ A ‘blank’ (nonprinting) spacer piece used singly or in multiples, to create space in the text. Deriving from metal typesetting, which used graded units of size, a standard word space, called a ‘mid-space, measures one-quarter of an em, although in computer applications it is sometimes possible to define this to your own preference.

★ A design found in decorative fonts of curving systems, leaves, and flowers, originally deriving from the Islamic ornamental depiction of the acanthus vine.

★ Large display capitals engraved in wood are characterized by stokes formed by stalk, leaf, and flower motifs. As distinct from ‘floriated’ initials – capitals are set against a background of leaves and flowers.

★ A traditional term used to describe a typeface with characters of language not based on Roman letterforms – Hebrew or Arabic, for example.

★ A ‘running script’ – that is lettering that is formed without raising pen from the paper. This style of writing developed into a script used, up until the early 16th century, for diplomatic and administrative documents and which, in turn, inspired the first italic typefaces.

★ The generic term for a group of display typefaces with heavy slab serif contrast in the thickness of strokes.

★ A type character designed to be used only as the last letter in a word or line, usually incorporating some kind of decorative flourish (‘swash’).

★ Decorative-type elements are used to make up panels with a pattern or border.

★ Originating from the word ‘found’ – as in ‘type foundry’ – a font is traditionally a complete set of type characters of the same design, style, and size. For example, 10-point Baskerville Old Style Italic is a font. On a computer, however, although each font is a unique design and style, any size can be rendered from a single font file. These two formats: PostScript Type I, which comes in two parts – bitmapped screen fonts and outline ‘printer’ fonts; and TrueType, in which each font is a single file.

★ A term sometimes given to typefaces derived from letterforms common to Western European countries, especially those with heavy, wedge-shaped serifs.

★ Characters that are readable by a MICR machine.

★ A typeface characterized by vertical stress, strong stroke contrast, and thin, unbracketed serifs – Bodoni and Walbaum, for example.

★ A font in which the type characters all occupy the same width space (as on a typewriter), as distinct from proportionally spaced fonts, which are more common. ‘Courier’ is a monospaced font. Also called. ‘Fixed-width fonts.

★ Fonts used in some methods of optical character recognition have character shapes that are both distinguishable by computers and readable by people. The most common OCR fonts are ‘OCR-A and OCR-B’, the latter designed by Adrian Frutiger.

★ A traditional term for display sizes of typefaces, used for advertisements, catalogs, etc.

★ A typeface to designed to resemble handwriting.

★ Characters are given a 3D appearance by heavily shaded areas beside the main strokes.

★ Capital letters adapted from Roman lapidary capitals. They are thick and finished with wide, square serifs. Also known as ‘quadrata‘.

★ Traditional black or gothic letterforms.

★ Originally, it an individual text character was cast in metal (called a ‘stamp’ by compositors), but later any letter, numeral, or ornament was drawn in a wide variety of designs (each one a ‘font’).

★ A type design reflecting the rounded letterforms of the ‘majuscule’ (capital) script found in medieval manuscripts.

★ Devised by Maximilien Vox in 1954, a method of classifying all typefaces, according to their visual characteristics, into ten categories. These are: ‘Humane‘, derivatives of Roman letters of the 15th century, sometimes called ‘Venetians’, such as Centaur and Cloister; ‘Garalde‘, old-face designs such as Bembo and Garamond; ‘Rèale‘, redesigns of old-faces (called ‘transitional’), such as Baskerville and Times Roman; ‘Didone‘, so-called ‘modern’ faces such as Bodoni and Walbaum; ‘Mecane‘, faces with even strokes and slab serifs, such as Rockwell and Lubalin Graph; ‘Linèale‘ , all sans serif faces such Futura and Univers; ‘Incise‘, faces with a chiseled effect, ‘Scripte‘, calligraphic, copperplate scripts letters and also brush letters (as distinct from scripts) such as Albertus and Klang; ‘Fracture‘, black letter types such Franktur and Old English.

★ Individually carved letterforms, a precursor of metal-based type.

★ The art of writing, based on handwriting from Roman times and embracing such scripts as half-uncial, Carolingian, Chancery script, humanistic, and their derivatives. The word derives from Greek for ‘beautiful writing’.