Typography Basics

Points to teach:

• What is the baseline, meanline and capline (also, show where they are)?

• What is a descender / ascender?

• What does an x-height refer to (how is it measured)?

• Define kerning compared to tracking

• Define leading

• Compare how these units measure up to each other: points, picas, inches 

• In the phrase: Helvetica 12/14, what does 12/14 mean? What does is stand for?

 • What is a grid, what are the benefits of utilizing a grid?

• What is a gutter compared to a margin?

• List the 6 Variations of Type from our lectures and Type Book, quickly define them