Typographic Rules and Terms

-- Parts of the grid: what are the following: margin, column, alley, module, gutter, folio.
margin-the area around the layout where the text doesn't pass;  to keep the text from bleeding off the page.

column-the area or field into which text is flowed so that it is presented in an organized manner

alley-

module-

gutter-the middle of two pages (as in a two-page spread the center)

folio-folios, or page numbers, are traditionally placed at the outer edge of the bottom margin, where they are easy to see and aid navigation

-- What are the advantages of a multiple column grid.?

allows for the text to be organized more freely around the page rather than in just one place; it also keeps the text from being too “text heavy”

-- Why is there only one space after a period?
We learned two spaces after a period because characters on a typewriter are monospaced, but on a Mac they are proportional, which is they take up their proportional amount of space...so it is already figured into the spacing.

-- What is a character (in typography)?
An individual element of type such as a letter or punctuation mark.

-- How many characters is optimal for a line length? words per line?
40

-- Why is the baseline grid used in design?
Helps the words to look like they aren't floating.  The little curved parts of the letters dip a tiny bit below the baseline to help this.  Also, intro text and sub texts align and columns line up as well.

-- What is a typographic river?

In justified text, a typographic river is the white space created between words that flows through the text giving it the look of a river.

-- What does clotheslining or flow line or hangline mean?
the horizontal line that appears on a layout within the text; so your eye goes through the page

-- How can you incorporate white space into your designs?
by not filling the entire page with text or images and utilizing the white space

-- What is type color/texture mean?

is the non-white space in a layout

-- What is x-height, how does it effect type color?
The height of a lowercase x of a given typeface; 

-- Define Tracking.
The adjustable amount of space between letters.

-- Define Kerning. Why do characters need to be kerned? What are the most common characters that need to be kerned (kerning pairs)?

Kerning is the process of removing small units of space between letters in order to create visually-consistent letterspacing.  The most common characters that need to be kerned are:

HL   Two characters with verticals next to each other need the most amount of space between

HO  A vertical next to a curve needs less space

OC  Curve next to a curve needs very little space

OT   A curve can actually overlap into the white space under or above the bar or stem of a character, and vice versa

AT   The closest kerning is done where both letters have a great deal of white space around them

-- In justification or H&J terms what do the numbers: minimum, optimum, maximum mean?
The specific amount of space between words, the minimum being at the least possible, the optimum just right.

-- What is the optimum space between words?

enough for readability to be just right.  Not too clumped together and not too spread out;  easy to flow through.

-- What are some ways to indicate a new paragraph. Are there any rules?
Indentation.  Don't indent the first paragraph.  Can do a first-line indent, running indent, hanging indent, or on-a-point indent.

-- What are the rules associated with hyphenation?
Hyphens are used strictly for hyphenating words or line breaks.  En dashes are for amounts of time such as hourly, days or years.  Em dashes are abrupt changes in thought or where a period is too strong and a comma too weak.

-- What is a ligurature?
Ligatures prevent the collision or interference of characters, particularly the extended finial of the ‘f’. and the dot of the ‘i’

-- What does CMYK and RGB mean?

-- What does hanging punctuation mean?

-- What is the difference between a foot mark and an apostrophe? What is the difference between an inch mark and a quote mark (smart quote)?

Foot marks and inch marks are generic symbols that look like this ' (inch) " (foot).  An apostrophe and quote mark have a small circle and curve that make it present the quote or word, such as  “” ‘’.  The default for a foot mark and inch mark is that on the computer keyboard.  To make the apostrophes and smart quotes you hit option+[ (left bracket is quote, right bracket is apostrophe).  To make them go the other direction add shift.

-- What is a hyphen, en dash and em dashes, what are the differences and when are they used.

A hyphen (-) is used for hyphenating words or line breaks. It is found next to the equal sign on the keyboard. An en dash is used between words indicating a duration such as hourly time or months or years.  It is used with a thin space before and after, but not a full space.  It is made with option+hyphen. An em dash is twice as long as the en dash.  It is used in a manner similar to colon or parentheses, or indicates an abrupt change in thought.  It is made with option+shift+hyphen.

-- What is a widow and an orphan?

A widow is when a paragraph leaves fewer than seven characters on the last line.  An orphan is when the last line of a paragraph won't fit at the bottom of a column and must end itself at the top of the next column.