As shown above in fig 1, different letters are made up of different components. In general a letter will be made of the same components, though the style of these components may change depending on the design of the typeface and its classification, as you can see from fig 2. Indeed it is this collection of definable components from letter to letter that define it as being able to be identified as the letter in question.
Within the alphabet there are various letters which have visual similarities to one another, the design of these letters often informs the design of other similar letters. How closely linked these similar letters will be in the design of their letterforms will be based on the learned eye of the type designer when they construct the typeface. A letter needs to be distinct from another similar letter whilst still being stylistically similar to the rest of the typeface.
When analysing a typeface you can find various recurring forms, with the design of one component informing another with regards to how a line terminates, how sharp a curve is and thick a stroke should be. This internal set of rules is defined by the type designer and it is what makes a letterform be recognisable as part of a typeface rather than being a disparate letterform.
Broadly typefaces can be divided into two styles, Serif and Sans Serif. In his book on the subject, typographer Bringhurst says a serif is a is simply defined as a “stroke added to the beginning or end of one of the main strokes of a letter. In the roman alphabet, serifs are usually reflexive finishing strokes, forming unilateral or bilateral stops. (They are unilateral if they project only to one side of the main stroke, like the serifs at the head of T and the foot of L, and bilateral if they project to both sides, like the serifs at the foot of T and the head of L.) Transitive serifs-smooth: entry or exit strokes – are usual in italic.”. But there is much historical and stylistic variation within each. In some cases the design of a typefaces individual component can be so distinct it is possible to name the face simply by seeing the component in question. Further expanding on the classfication of serifs, Bringhurst continues by outlining the following terms:
“Abrupt and Adnate Serifs are either abrupt – meaning they break from the stem suddenly at an angle or they are adnate, meaning that they flow smoothly into or out of the stem. In the older typographic literature, adnate serifs are generally described as bracketed.
Bilateral – serifs extending to both sides. There are many descriptive terms for serifs, especially as they have developed in roman faces. They may be not only unilateral or bilateral, but also long or short, thick or thin, pointed or blunt, abrupt or adnate, horizontal or vertical or oblique, tapered, triangular, and so on. In texturas and some frakturs, they are usually scutulate (diamond-shaped), and in some architectural scripts, such as Eaglefeather and Tekton, the serifs are virtually round.” Bringhurst (2004, p.312, p.330)
Serif and Terminal Quiz (Dan Smith 1945)
References
- RUFFA, G., 2008. The art of wood type. Plainfield, NJ: GRA Pub
- SMITH, D., 2017. Excerpt from Arts ABC Volume 1: Square-Serif [viewed May 19, 2021]. Available from: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNCndFgMPce/
- BRINGHURST, R., 2004. The elements of typographic style.
- LUPTON, E., 2010. Thinking with type. 2., rev. and expanded Ed. ed. New York: Princeton Architectural Pr