What are the advantages of a multiple column grid? A multiple column grid allows for a greater number of layout possibilities when designing text on a page. It also allows the reader’s eyes rest while reading.
How many characters is optimal for a line length? words per line? 45 to 75 characters is optimal for a line length.
Why is the baseline grid used in design? Baseline grids help the words to look like they aren't floating. The curved parts of the letters dip a little bit below the baseline. Intro text and sub texts align and columns line up.
What is a typographic river? A river is gaps appearing to run down a paragraph of text caused by a coincidental alignment of spaces.
From the readings what does clothesline or flow line mean? It’s the horizontal line that appears on a layout within the text.
How can you incorporate white space into your designs? Don't fill the entire page with text or images creating a place for the eye to rest.
What is type color/texture mean? How the type size, weight and line kerning affect how the text reads either as dark or light, mono or multi-chromatic.
What is x-height, how does it affect type color? The height of a lowercase x of a given typeface
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 are some ways to indicate a new paragraph. Are there any rules? Indentation, but no indenting of the first paragraph. You can do a first-line indent, running indent, hanging indent, or on-a-point indent.
What are some things to look out for when hyphenating text. Hyphens are used strictly for hyphenating words or line breaks. En dashes are for amounts of time such as spans of hours, 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 ligature? A ligature occurs where two or more characters are joined as a single glyph.
What does CMYK and RGB mean? CYMK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black while RGB stands for Red, Green, and Blue. They are both color models.
What does hanging punctuation mean? Hanging punctuation or exdentation is a way of typesetting punctuation marks and bullet points, most commonly quotation marks and hyphens, so that they do not disrupt the ‘flow’ of a body of text or ‘break’ the margin of alignment.
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. 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 are ligatures, why are they used, when are they not used, what are common ligatures? A ligature occurs where two or more characters are joined as a single glyph.
JONATHAN HARRIS:
He is a radical thinker and very focused. He religiously kept sketchbooks of mixed media and other assorted things and after being robbed at gunpoint, he realized the benefit of digital work that cannot be destroyed in a sense. I love that he digitalizes objects and combines all elements of design, including architect and other assorted things.
I enjoyed listening to Jonathan speak, as he had some interesting things to share. It did not bore me. He is fearless. He threw away two months of work to restart a concept. I felt like I was at an enhanced Hallmark symposium where I could clean my room while watching/listening... loved it. The speech, or letter that he wrote, was very touching. It hit a weird spot for me, something I had never thought about before. Computers are taking over our world, and Harris made a good point that people are very complex and when working with code a lot, you lose the sense of expression. Layers of abstraction gradually wear down your expression. Advertising companies come up with mediocre designs because someone comes up with the design, someone makes it, someone makes the code, and so on. Ideas are a way of getting to the goal, ideas are techniques. Designers must not get caught up in how conceptually appealing an object is, but rather how it can improve humans.
- J.
