Parts of the letter: location and definition.
Character map
Character map of a typeface. Location in the operating system and in desktop publishing software.
Typography and desktop publishing
Text composition: manual, mechanical and digital. How to obtain the printing surface. Aspects to consider in desktop-publishing typesetting. Fonts. Characteristics of different formats and their implications in visualization and printing. Font installation.
Type size, units and measuring instruments
Definition of type size, historical origin and current situation. Type size, kp measure, and shoulder. Type size and optical size. Line spacing and leading. Units of measurement and conversion. Measuring instrument.
The classifier
System of classification through questions and answers based on the analysis of the family.
Uppercase, lowercase, numerals and symbols
Origin, relationships, and connotations of uppercase and lowercase systems. Vertical relations. Uppercase and lowercase legibility. Formal characteristics and function of numerals. Diacritic marks, punctuation and other sorts: shape and placing. Fractions.
Typographic family
Definition. Family as a system. Components of the typographic case. Typographic styles. Basis for the construction of styles: historical and contemporary. Review of aspects that are maintained or modified in the variable system.
Historical Scripts
Historical styles of calligraphy. Main characteristics – structure, stroke and terminals. Letter weight. Estimation of pen width based on size and style. Space relations and text color. Combination of uppercase and lowercase.
Visual perception and rhythm
Physiological and cultural aspects that converge in visual perception. Mechanism of vision and visual space exploration. Review of Gestalt laws and other contributions. Optical, geometrical and organic aspects that play a role in perception. Rhythm and its influence on perception an reading.
XVIIth, XVIIIth and XIXth Centuries
Broadening of subjects and audience. XVIIth century production in the Netherlands and France. XVIIIth century production in England and Italy. Diversification of the material printed in the XIXth century. Typography mechanization: pantograph, linotype and monotype. Lithography. Private printing presses.