Type color
Encyclopedia
In typography
, type color refers to the weight or boldness of a typeface
and is used by designers and typographers to describe the visual tone of a mass of text on a page. The type color of a particular typeface affects the amount of ink on the page, also known as its blackness. "Black" faces are bold and heavy.
The term type color should not be confused with the usual meaning of color, i.e. red, yellow, blue, etc.; nor does blackness imply text set in black. In essence, both terms refer to the overall balance of type to white space, regardless of the shade of the text.
Type color is in the typesetter’s or graphic designer’s control, who affects it with a number of decisions, such as the choice of typeface itself, the weight
used (e.g. light, regular, bold), the letterspacing (e.g. normal or condensed), and the line space (leading).
The inherent blackness of a typeface is affected by factors such as the width of strokes relative to the width of a letter, the orientation of strokes when present, x-height
and set, kerning
adjustments, and others. Subtle details can have important effects on the impression of a typeface. Depending on its designer’s choices, it will be characteristically blacker or lighter, and its blackness may vary more or less across different letter shapes. Uneven blackness can imbue a typeface with character and a dynamic quality, but may also lead to a turbulent appearance for large quantities of text, which degrades readability. Consistency of blackness is therefore an important measure of the quality of a typeface and a central criterion for its suitability for various purposes.
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
, type color refers to the weight or boldness of a typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
and is used by designers and typographers to describe the visual tone of a mass of text on a page. The type color of a particular typeface affects the amount of ink on the page, also known as its blackness. "Black" faces are bold and heavy.
The term type color should not be confused with the usual meaning of color, i.e. red, yellow, blue, etc.; nor does blackness imply text set in black. In essence, both terms refer to the overall balance of type to white space, regardless of the shade of the text.
Type color is in the typesetter’s or graphic designer’s control, who affects it with a number of decisions, such as the choice of typeface itself, the weight
Emphasis (typography)
In typography, emphasis is the exaggeration of words in a text with a font in a different style from the rest of the text—to emphasize them.- Methods and use :...
used (e.g. light, regular, bold), the letterspacing (e.g. normal or condensed), and the line space (leading).
The inherent blackness of a typeface is affected by factors such as the width of strokes relative to the width of a letter, the orientation of strokes when present, x-height
X-height
In typography, the x-height or corpus size refers to the distance between the baseline and the mean line in a typeface. Typically, this is the height of the letter x in the font , as well as the u, v, w, and z...
and set, kerning
Kerning
In typography, kerning is the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a proportional font, usually to achieve a visually pleasing result. Kerning is the adjustment of the space between individual letter forms vs. tracking which is the uniform adjustment of spacing applied over a...
adjustments, and others. Subtle details can have important effects on the impression of a typeface. Depending on its designer’s choices, it will be characteristically blacker or lighter, and its blackness may vary more or less across different letter shapes. Uneven blackness can imbue a typeface with character and a dynamic quality, but may also lead to a turbulent appearance for large quantities of text, which degrades readability. Consistency of blackness is therefore an important measure of the quality of a typeface and a central criterion for its suitability for various purposes.