fy{T}i - The Manual

Initial Letters: Classifying the Unclassifiable

Since initial letters have been around for such a long time, they come in more shapes and sizes than can be imagined. And while no one has attempted a systematic classification, they can be categorized into three basic groups: Big Letters, Fancy Caps and Wow! Learn more

Four Elements of Display Typography

Display typefaces have four main functions:

• Attract attention
• Create differentiation
• Set a mood
• Build hierarchy

Learn more

Captions Manual

A picture may be worth a thousand words but, most of the time, it’s likely to have a caption anyway. Not quite body text and not quite subheads, captions tend to be among the most-read portions of a textual document – on screen or in print. The thing is: not just any font will perform well for captions. Learn more

Swash Letters Manual

Typography tends to be structured. But what if you want to add some flare and verve to your typography? That’s where swash letters come in. Swash letters were born out of calligraphic lettering. Learn more

Manual End Marks

An end mark provides a visual cue to the reader, signifying the end of a topic, section or piece. End marks are commonly used in magazines, newsletters, journals, and other publications containing multiple articles whose end point is not necessarily apparent to the reader. Learn more

Manual: It’s About Ampersands

Typeface design is a relatively technical craft. It is about producing a series of interchangeable tools which always work in harmony no matter how they are combined. For the most part this puts a real damper on how creative a designer can get when it comes to drawing individual letterforms. Learn more

Manual Typeface Families

When typefaces were first invented, the notion of having a family of type hadn’t occurred to anyone. All fonts were simply roman designs. In the early 16th century, cursive – or italic (named after Italy, where the idea was popularized) – type was introduced. Learn more

Bold for Boys, Scripts for Girls – Not

It seems that we are continually trying to equate personalities, emotions, or other human traits to typeface designs. Perhaps it is a way to make sense out of the seemingly unending array of typeface designs that are available. Maybe it’s because we assume that typeface designers have “personality trait” as part of their standard design brief for developing new typefaces. Learn more

Black White & Red Manual

Black, white and red are the three most powerful colors for typographic communication:

White, that’s your background.

Black, always the best for type.

Red, the proven winner for emphasis and drama. Learn more

Numbers Guidelines Manual

Letters are the easy part. We were taught what they are, and how to use them, in our earliest experiences with learning. Even before we started school most of us had alphabet books, wooden blocks with letters on them, or magnetized letters that stuck to the refrigerator. Learn more

By The Numbers: From Gutenberg to Subscripts Manual

When Gutenberg invented the art of typography he included a set of numerals in his fonts. But, for almost 100 years, numerals were treated as “pi” characters and not created to be part of any particular typeface design. Learn more

Text Type: Small Letters – Big Decisions Manual

Until the early 19th century, virtually all type was of the text variety. Type was for books, pamphlets and newspapers. It wasn’t until the advent of the Industrial Revolution – and the accompanying need for advertising – that display type became popular. Learn more

Initial Letters Tips & Tricks Manual

Initial letters are double-edged typographic tools. They are a delight for the eye and handy road signs. They are not, however, something to be trifled with. There are a few guidelines for working with initial letters. Learn more

Introduction to Initial Letters Manual

Initial letters are the doyennes of type. Even before Gutenberg invented the craft of typography, fancy initials were used to begin chapters and decorate pages in medieval manuscripts. Learn more

Branding Symbols Manual

Copyright, register and trademark symbols are important typographic glyphs that should not be used indiscriminately. Learn more

Headlines and Sub Headings

Headlines and sub headings present two sets of issues: structural and typographic. Addressing the structural issue makes dealing with the typography much easier. Learn more

Justified & Rag Right Typography

Medieval manuscripts were meticulously constructed. They had gridlines that defined where all the various parts (initial letters, illuminations, text, etc.) were to be placed. Learn more

Making Corporate Documents Lively

Designing boring corporate documents got you down? Faced with designing yet another brochure for your company’s line of augers and pumps? Learn more

Bullets Boxes and Dingbats Manual

Sometimes letters are not enough. Perhaps you’ve tried changing “not-to-be-missed” text to bold or italic type, or even to a different face altogether, but it still doesn’t have the exact amount of emphasis you’re looking for. One simple solution to this typographic problem is to use a bullet, box, or dingbat. Learn more

Rags, Widows and Orphans

A typographic rag refers to the uneven (ragged) margin of a block of type that is not flush aligned. It’s usually the right margin that’s ragged (flush left/rag right setting), but the reverse can also occur. Flush right/rag left settings are also used in the attribution of quotes and poetry. Learn more

Italics — Where They Came From And What They Can Do.

Italics are the aristocrats of type: elegant, beautiful, and dignified. Their history can be traced back to a time before there were fonts of type, when only scribes and the most educated communicated with letters. Learn more

Text Readability

Readability is a relative gauge of how easily words, phrases and blocks of copy can be read. Many things can affect readability – everything from the number of typefaces used, to the kind of surface on which the type is imaged. Learn more

Emphasizing in Text

Once you’ve got the “discretion” thing is in mind, there are a few basic tools you can use to create typographic emphasis — Italics, Boldface, Size, Color, Typestyle Change. Learn more

Type on the Vertical

Just about every designer has an opinion about type set on the vertical. The thing is: you’d be hard pressed to find a statistical or empirical study that establishes the best way Latin type should be set when it’s flipped on its end. Learn more

Text Ligatures.

Ligatures were one of the first typographic tools. They’ve been around since Johann Gutenberg came up with the idea of automating calligraphy. He designed and used ligatures for the same reason as the scribes before him – to enable a column of text copy to align on both the right and left margins. Learn more

It’s about legibility.

Even though much of the typographic community treats legibility and readability as interchangeable terms – they are not. Different typefaces have varying degrees of legibility; while typography should be readable. Learn more