Today I Learned that letters with round tops (Q, O, S, etc.) are drawn a smidgeon higher than letters with flat tops (E,T,F, etc.). This 'overshoot' makes them appear equal to our perception
https://frerejones.com/blog/typeface-mechanics-001
53 points · 7 comments · view on lemmy.world
7 Comments
Zagorath@aussie.zone · 19 pts · 2y
FQOT
That title doesn't seem true. I zoomed in on the text above and took a screenshot, then zoomed in even more on that screenshot and edited in some marker lines:
Maybe some fonts do that, but not the default one used on Lemmy. Nor, I suspect, most common web sans serif fonts.
Worldtrident@lemm.ee · 5 pts · 2y
The smaller the font the less noticable, especially with pixelation. But look at the top red line you drew, the F & T are grey pixels and the Q & O are white in the center.
Rentlar@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 2y
The anti-aliasing there indicates the O and Q are the full pixel in height and the F, T are a half pixel in height.
::: spoiler how it looks on my Android phone on Firefox
walden@sub.wetshaving.social · 4 pts · 2y
That's neat. And pointy letters even moreso.
Volkditty@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y
My main takeaway from that article is that Nautico Crepusculo would be a good album title.
Sternhammer@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 2y
This is known as optical alignment. It’s very common in font design.
cashmaggot@piefed.social · 1 pts · 2y
Typography, and design as a whole are such enjoyable things to experience. Even sometimes, when being sold to. But on the whole, I have found I would rather a frightful design and more freedom (and less data snatching), than being up-sold some "fancy" looking thing that's some Bauhaus trash.
That was some sloppy I should be asleep trash. This is an interesting article though, I especially like the part where they show how weight can affect the design of individual characters.