Basic typography terms
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 3:26 am
Understanding Layout
Web typography best practices focus on how text looks and feels on the screen. Unlike print typography, where the final product is static, web typography must adapt to a variety of screen sizes and resolutions.
This means you need to choose fonts that are both aesthetically pleasing and work well on different devices.
But before you dive into choosing fonts, you need to understand some basic terminology.
Here are some basics to know:
Typeface vs. font: A font is an overall design, like Helvetica. A typeface is a uk db center specific style within that font, like Helvetica Bold or Helvetica Light.
So when you choose Helvetica, you're choosing a font. When you choose Helvetica Bold, you're choosing a font.
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Serif vs. sans-serif fonts: Serif fonts have small strokes at the end of characters (like Times New Roman), which enhances readability in print. * Sans-serif fonts (like Helvetica) are cleaner and generally easier to read on screen, making them a popular choice for web design.
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Kerning, tracking, leading, and hierarchy: Kerning adjusts the space between individual letters, tracking adjusts the space of an entire block of text, and leading adjusts the space between lines of text. Hierarchy refers to how different sizes and styles are used to guide readers through the content.
Web typography best practices focus on how text looks and feels on the screen. Unlike print typography, where the final product is static, web typography must adapt to a variety of screen sizes and resolutions.
This means you need to choose fonts that are both aesthetically pleasing and work well on different devices.
But before you dive into choosing fonts, you need to understand some basic terminology.
Here are some basics to know:
Typeface vs. font: A font is an overall design, like Helvetica. A typeface is a uk db center specific style within that font, like Helvetica Bold or Helvetica Light.
So when you choose Helvetica, you're choosing a font. When you choose Helvetica Bold, you're choosing a font.
source
Serif vs. sans-serif fonts: Serif fonts have small strokes at the end of characters (like Times New Roman), which enhances readability in print. * Sans-serif fonts (like Helvetica) are cleaner and generally easier to read on screen, making them a popular choice for web design.
source
Kerning, tracking, leading, and hierarchy: Kerning adjusts the space between individual letters, tracking adjusts the space of an entire block of text, and leading adjusts the space between lines of text. Hierarchy refers to how different sizes and styles are used to guide readers through the content.