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Typography: Does your letter have an ear?

June 1, 2010

Medical students study the anatomy of the human body while graphic designers study the anatomy of letters. As designers, we must know the structure of letters, because like bones, each letter (and typeface) is unique. When the right letters/words in a typeface are put together, they have the potential to add mood and meaning to our designs.

Here’s a reference chart of some of the basic (and maybe some lesser known) typographic parts – the anatomy of a typeface:

Not a bowl of ice cream, but the curved part of letters such as b, d, p, and q.

The spine is curved like its human counterpart and connects the top and bottom parts of the letter s.

A letter’s stem is like a supportive beam to hold everything up, even serifs.

Think of cute floppy dog ears when you see the ear in the letter g.

Some letters have narrow shoulders, others more broad. They connect two stems together in a curve to make letters such as n, h, m and r.

–Jenni Mayer, Graphic Designer, Network Media Partners, Inc.

Filed under: Uncategorized, design

Tags: design, type, typography