Assess both the point size of the label text and the design of letterform elements in the typeface (see Fig. When selecting a typeface for a map, its legibility, or the ability of the reader to distinguish characters from each other, is of primary importance. Display faces are not generally suitable for cartographic applications. Display faces range from handwriting-style scripts to heavily themed or ornate designs. Text faces, which generally have a simpler design, are suitable for books, blocks of text, and map labels.

There are two major categories of typefaces: text and display. However, thousands of typefaces are available that vary widely in their design, from the simple to the embellished. Map labels are always set in a typeface (the default typeface if not explicitly changed). Your typography should be legible and support the map’s overall style and communication goals while avoiding visual ambiguity. These can have potentially serious ramifications. However, illegible or stylistically incongruent typefaces and label design can make a map difficult to read, cause uncertainty for the reader, or engender misinterpretation of the map. When designing maps, selecting a typeface may seem like an arbitrary or subjective exercise, and it may seem easy to accept the default typeface and label settings. Labels are strings of text placed on a map, and a cartographer has control over nearly every aspect of label placement and appearance. The typeface in which text appears on a map refers to the actual design of the letters themselves, which is not changeable (except by changing the entire typeface). Map typography has two major components: typefaces and labels. Typographic visual variables: Directly modifiable aspects of the appearance of a label, such as kerning and point size (Fig. Point sizes of digital type (i.e, text on a web page) do not directly correspond to physical size. American printing standards designate 72 points to one inch. In physical typesetting processes (such as cast-metal printing), point size referred to the literal measure of the size of the metal piece from which the letter was carved.

This is sometimes called “letter spacing.” Tracking: The space (kerning) between all characters. Kerning: The space between a single pair of characters (Fig. X-height: The height of the roman lowercase “x” of a typeface, as measured from the baseline (Fig. 3).Ĭap height: The height of the roman uppercase “H,” as measured from the baseline (Fig. For optimum appearance, curved strokes usually extend just below the baseline and just above the cap height (Fig. 5).īaseline: The line on which non-curved portions of typeface characters sit. Microaesthetics: The variations in style, or presence/absence, of letterform elements from typeface to typeface (Fig. Elements are highlighted in blue in Figure 3. Letterform element: Each individual “piece” of a letter, including strokes, serifs, and others. Sans serif: A style of typeface without serifs at the ends of its strokes (Fig. Serifs can appear as wedges, thin lines, or anything in between (Fig. Serif: A style of typeface that has serifs, or “feet,” at the ends of its strokes. In Figure 3, the stem, leg, and bowl of the uppercase R are all strokes. Stroke: Each line and/or curve of a letter, based on how it would be drawn by hand. The terms “typeface” and “font” are often used interchangeably. It has a posture (Italic), a weight (Light), and a compression (Condensed).

For example, Helvetica Neue Light Condensed Italic is a font within the Helvetica Neue typeface family. 2).įont: A particular posture, weight, and compression of a typeface. 2).Ĭompression: The variation in width of a set of typeface characters (Fig. Weights usually range from hairline (i.e. Weight: The thickness or heaviness of the lines in a typeface. True italics have their origin in cursive handwriting, and are usually designed as the counterpart to serif typefaces, whereas obliques are simply optically skewed letters, usually designed for sans serif typefaces. Italic and oblique are often considered to be synonymous, but they are not. Posture: The distinction between roman (upright), italic (script-like slanted) and oblique (slanted) letters (Fig. Classes are groups of typefaces with similar appearance related to their letterform structure and historical origin. Label: A string of text that is a geographic feature name or description placed on a map.Ĭlass: A group of typefaces with similar appearance related to their letterform structure and historical origin (Fig. Typeface: A set of coherently designed letters also called a “face.” Typography: The design of text, characters and/or labels as a whole.

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