Accents and Accented Characters - Have you ever needed to set an accented character in copy but couldn’t find it on your keyboard? If these characters leave you feeling naïve, you’re not alone.
Anatomy of a Character - One important step in training your eye to notice the details that set one design apart from another is to examine the anatomy of the characters that make up our alphabet.
Arabesques - You don’t have to be able to touch your toe to the back of your head to enjoy typographic arabesques. These versatile graphic ornaments can be used singly or combined in elaborate patterns to add a striking visual element to any design.
Bullets - What kind of a bullet doesn’t travel at high speeds and is completely non-violent? A typographer’s bullet, of course!
Dingbats - Typography goes much further than the alphabet. Try dingbats, an addictive pleasure that can add visual interest to your work.
Discretionary Hyphens - A line may be the shortest distance between two points, but those little horizontal lines we call hyphens can create long hours of tweaking and proofreading. Banish the misplaced hyphen for good by mastering the discretionary hyphen, a smart little dash that knows when it’s needed – and when it’s not.
End Marks - Like a rim shot after the punch line of a joke, the end mark at the close of an article, chapter, or story lets you know it’s all over. Learn what they are, where to find them, and where to put them.
Footnotes and Endnotes - Footnote: those little words at the bottom of the page, often (but not exclusively) seen in scholarly writing, that every designer should learn to set with legibility and economy. Following these basic guidelines will keep footnotes and endnotes clear in purpose and inviting to the reader.
Glyph Palettes - Sometimes a simple idea can make a big difference in your work. One recent improvement to major design applications is the addition of glyph palettes. This handy feature will help you find and use the exact character you’re looking for – even if your font has thousands to choose from!
Hyphens, En-dashes and Em-dashes - Hyphens, en-dashes and em-dashes are frequently used punctuation marks that are just as frequently misunderstood.
Initial Letters - Want to get your text off to a great start? Try using initial letters.
Ligatures Part 1 - Like peanut butter and jelly, there are some letters that just work better when you put them together. Learn what ligatures are and how to use them, in the first of a two-part series.
Ligatures Part 2 - More on ligatures, those special multi-letter characters that are designed to add visual interest to your work. In Part 2 we look at decorative ligatures, which can give ordinary text a sense of elegance, tradition, or just plain fun.
Logotypes - The, for, and, of, to – when you use logotypes, these tiny little words can add sizable flair to your work. There may even be logotypes hidden in fonts you already have, and they’re well worth looking for.
Oldstyle Figures - Oldstyle figures are a style of numeral which approximate lowercase letterforms by having an x-height and varying ascenders and descenders.
Register, Trademark and Copyright Symbols - They help establish brand identities and protect creative work from theft or plagiarism.
Small Caps - Small caps are available for a select number of typefaces and allow you to bring distinction and sophistication to your work.
Swash & Alternate Characters - For a touch of elegance and visual flair, try swash characters. These highly decorative letters can add beauty and visual focus to a design when used correctly – but don’t fall into a common type novice’s trap!