Alternative Typography

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Typography (ty-pog-ra-phy) is the art and technique of arranging

type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, leading (space

between the lines), and kerning (space between pairs of letters).

ÅÎtërñätìvëš types

ligatures

embellished caps

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Zapfino

swash’s

FuturA biforms

logotypes

Add flair to projects with alternate lettering 40 FEATURE

By Carrie Cousins

These special characters have been around since the beginning of type. Renowned typographer Johannes Gutenberg even used them in printing early copies of the Bible.

What are Alternate Characters?

The term â&#x20AC;&#x153;alternate characterâ&#x20AC;? can refer to a range of special letters. Here

Most typefaces have more than just 52 letters â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 26 uppercase and 26 lowercase. They also contain an assortment of alternate characters that can help add flair and interest to your typography. desktop 10/13 - desktopmag.com.au

we will use the term fairly loosely to mean any character that is not the normal upper- or lower-case form of a letter from a typeface, resulting in an optional letter form.

Some refer to alternate characters as expert sets or glyphs, because of where the additional characters can be found in typesetting software. These terms, though, refer to characters that are of a broader reach than just letters.

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There are a variety of different types of

Swash

alternate characters –

Swash characters are those that are

• swash,

more decorative than the usual set.

• ligatures,

Swashes typically have an extended

• biforms,

stroke (above or below) or flourish.

• embellished caps and;

This style of character is often

• logotypes.

based on calligraphy and has an exceptionally fancier feel than the rest

Types of Alternate Characters

of the set. They are most often used as

Alternate characters are not always

a first of last letter in a word or phrase.

easy to spot because they can come in so many forms. The key to identifying

Example typefaces:

these characters is knowing and understanding the different forms they may take.

• Zapfino, • Longfellow, • ITC Bookman, • Wedding Singer and;

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• Avalon.

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wir� �

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Denoting an ornamental written or printed character, that is typically a capital letter.

ofſh

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pfft flip ofſh fit

Ligature Custom ligatures are another type of alternate character. A ligature refers to the connected stroke between two letters – most commonly ascenders. The combinations “fl” and “fi” are the most common ligatures. Some fonts, though, contain alternate characters that connect other letter combinations. Ligatures can be a fun way to add flair, but should be used sparingly so not to make words difficult to understand.

Example typefaces: • Bible Script, • Sophia and; • Aphrodite Slim Pro.

Biform Biform characters are those that are of the opposite case but are of the same size. Biforms can be used as a lowercase

A character that

letter among capitals or a capital among lowercase letters.

consists of two or

Biform alternates are the same size as the surround letters,

more joined letters

only the case is different. Biform characters are fairly common when dealing with simple typefaces, primarily sans serifs. This type of alternate character is most often used in logo design.

Example typefaces: • Press Gothic Pro, • Marat Sans, and; • Futura.

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p

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Embellished Cap

Logotype

While most designers create drop

Logotypes are the most interesting

and embellished caps as needed for

of the alternate characters. They are

different projects, some typefaces

actually alternate words. Logoforms

contain alternate letters of this style.

are groupings of letters that are

They are almost always capitals and

predesigned in a different way to have

may have added flair (such as a

a different look that matches the rest

swash), blocking or reverse coloring.

of the typeface. The most common

Embellished caps can be sophisticated

logotype groupings are “and,” “the,”

and fun but are best used only for

and “of.” Ampersands can also appear

special items.

as logotype characters. Logotypes are

Example typefaces:

best reserved for display type and are

• ITC Highlander, • Buccardi and; • Buccaneer.

BOn

not are good option for large blocks of type.

Example typefaces: • Montel Gothic, • Epicure Regular and; • Comic Strip.

twOcE

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A single piece of type that prints a word or group of separate letters.

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Find Alternate Characters Adobe’s line of software – including InDesign and Illustrator – makes it easy to switch between different characters using the glyphs panel.

The glyph panel in Illustrator CS6

Highlight a specific character before you open the panel to access the alternate characters for that specific letter if any exist (there is a drop down menu that lets you select “Alternates for Selection” or “Entire Font” among other options).

Simply double-click the letter you want to insert it into text.

(Note that if any characters are selected, a double-click will replace those letters.)

For Open Type fonts, access alternate characters with the Open Type panel. Options will vary by typeface. Controlling ligatures can be a little different. Ligatures can be turned off and on in the character panel. Check or un-check the desktop 10/13 - desktopmag.com.au

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Ligatures option for standard ligatures. Additional and alternate ligatures can be found in the Glyphs panel with other alternate letters.

When purchasing a new typeface, be sure to look at the character map to see what alternate characters are included.

Many basic typefaces include somewhere around 250 characters; if there are more, you likely will find some alternate characters. Many free fonts or free versions of typefaces, though, do not come with alternate characters.

Using Alternate Characters Alternate characters are a great way to add a little intrigue to type. From fancy lettering to “misplaced” caps or lower case letters, alternate characters can be found all over some of the most recognizable logos around the world.

But use them wisely. Inserting too many alternate characters can be distracting or could cause readability challenges.

Designers should also avoid creating their own alternate characters by shrinking, stretching or otherwise altering type manually. (These effects seldom look polished.)

The most commonly used alternate characters tend to come with script typefaces in the form of swashes and elaborate caps. You might want to check out ­– • Aphrodite Slim, • Affair, or; • Buffet Script. desktop 10/13 - desktopmag.com.au

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BOn ofſhand Conclusion Alternate characters are a great way to spice up your text, but use them with a purpose. Alternate characters are almost wasted in small or body copy, because at a small size it can be hard to differentiate between it and the normal character.

It is best to reserve special lettering for special uses, such as big type or logos.

Article Text Reference: Cousins, C 2013, Add flair to projects with alternative lettering ,viewed 16 October 2013, <http://designshack.net/articles/typography/ add-flair-to-projects-with-alternate-lettering/>. desktop 10/13 - desktopmag.com.au