All About Typography - Font Facts

Welcome to the captivating world of typography and fonts! In the realm of design and
communication, typography serves as a powerful tool that goes beyond the mere
arrangement of letters and words. Whether you're a seasoned designer or simply
curious about the letters that fill our screens and pages, join the experts at SUN as we
delve into the nuances of typography.

Typeface vs. Font

Let’s start by defining what exactly is a typeface and font, and how they differ. A

typeface describes a particular style of lettering. Typefaces are a collection of letters,

numbers, punctuation marks, and other symbols that have consistent and distinct style

characteristics. Examples of these characteristics include letter shape, height, width,

stroke thickness, and the presence or absence of serifs. Some examples of well-known

typefaces include Helvetica, Arial, Times New Roman, Georgia, etc. Typefaces can have a

family of minor style variations, known as fonts. Font versions may be bold, italic, or

condensed to help emphasize or differentiate text within a design while still conveying

an overall cohesive look and feel. For example, a bold font may be better suited for

headings while the regular version works great for body text.
Characters & Alternate Characters
As we previously noted, all typefaces are composed of characters. Characters are a
single element of a set that makes up a typeface. Each individual letter, number,
punctuation mark, and symbol is a character. In addition to the original characters,
some typefaces include non-standard versions of some or all characters. These are
called alternate characters, and they may have accents, flourishes, swashes, or serifs
that differentiate them from the standard character. Alternate characters are often used
in more decorative typefaces and can add a sense of flair and creativity to text
elements.
Leading
Leading, also known as line spacing, is the vertical distance between lines of text.
Normal leading, which most people refer to as “single-spacing” is a standard amount of
space between lines of text that is visually pleasing. Tight leading causes lines of text to
appear closer to one another, which can make long bodies of text more difficult to read.
Loose leading puts more spacing between lines of text, making copy easier to read, but
also causing it to take up more room on the page. Sometimes students increase the
leading of a document (think essays) to reach a minimum page count without having to
type more content. If this is you, don’t worry, most of us have tried this old trick at some
point or another. P.S. your teacher does notice.
Tracking & Kerning
Tracking adjusts the uniform amount of horizontal space between characters in a
section of text. Most graphics and typesetting programs use a default or “normal”
amount of tracking between characters. Designers may increase or decrease the
amount of tracking at their will for readability or stylistic reasons. Tight tracking causes
letters to appear closer to one another while loose tracking makes them look farther
apart. On the other hand, kerning adjusts the spacing between two consecutive
characters. Sometimes default spacing causes certain characters to visibly appear closer
or farther apart when placed next to one another, even though the space is
mathematically the same. Designers often adjust tracking between specific letters to
create a more visually appealing and polished appearance. This is common practice for
wordmarks, logos, and headings.
 1. SERIF
Serif means the small decorative strokes or lines added to the ends of the main strokes
of the letters in types. These embellishments are called "serifs," and they are an
important feature of serif types, sometimes known simply as "serifs."
Key Characteristics of Serif Typefaces:
Decorative Strokes: It is the small line or flourish that is attached to the end of the main
stroke of each letter. These can be subtle or pronounced, depending upon the typeface.
Traditional and Elegant Look: It is often viewed as more traditional, formal, and elegant
than sans-serif fonts. They can be commonly seen in print, like books, newspapers, and
other formal documents.
Guided Reading Flow: The serifs are believed to help guide the reader's eye along the
lines of text, improving readability, hence recommended for long passages in printed
material.
Common Serif Fonts:
Times New Roman
Georgia
Garamond
Baskerville
Palatino
Serif Fonts Uses:
Printed Materials: Traditionally, serif fonts have been used in books, newspapers, and
magazines as they are thought to increase readability when there is a large block of text.
Formal Documents: These are types of fonts used in very formal documents, such as
resumes, legal documents, and academic papers, due to their carrying an air of
professionalism and even tradition. Branding and Logos: There are brands using serif
font in their logos to drive across a classic, timeless, or prestige image.
The word "serif" itself refers to a small line or flourish that is added to the end of the
strokes in a typeface. Fonts with these features are typically known as serif fonts. Serif
fonts bring a sense of tradition and formality, and are more readable in print.
 2. SANS-SERIF
Sans-serif fonts refers to a style of typeface that does not have the small projecting
features, called "serifs," at the ends of the strokes composing the letters. The word
"sans" is French for "without," so "sans-serif" literally means "without serif."
Key Characteristics of Sans-Serif Typefaces:
No Flourishes: Sans-serif fonts don't have those little lines or embellishments at the
ends of the characters and come without flourishes in serif fonts. The letters are clean
and straight.
Modern and Clean: Sans-serif fonts lean toward creating a modern, clean style that is
minimal in form. They are also popular because of their simplicity in design, having no
ornaments.
Uniform Line Width: These fonts tend to have a roughly consistent stroke width across
the different characters, which contributes much to their clean and uniform
appearance.
Common Sans-Serif Fonts:
Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Calibri, Futura
Uses of Sans-Serif Fonts:
Digital Content: Sans-serif fonts are often used in digital contexts, such as web and
mobile applications, because they're clear and more readable on screen and, especially,
at small sizes.
Headlines and Titles: They are often used in headlines, titles, and branding because they
would turn out to be modern and bold-looking.
Minimalist Design: In graphic design, sans serif fonts are famous for a minimalistic and
modern type of design because it shows simplicity and elegance.
Benefits of Sans-Serif Fonts:
Legibility: Their design is simple and clear; hence, they are more legible on screens and
when set at small sizes.
Versatility: Sans-serif will look equally great in extremely formal documents, casual web
content, and even branding. In other words, sans-serif is a category of font that does not
have those fancy strokes at the end of characters, so that the result is clean, modern,
and simple. Thus, sans-serif fonts are popular for any kind of digital content, including
modern design, professional use, and informal use.

3. Steps on How to Adjust Kerning in Microsoft Word:

Step 1: Select Your Text

❖ Begin by highlighting the text where you want to adjust the kerning. This could be
a word, a sentence, or even an entire paragraph.

Step 2: Open the Font Dialog Box Using Ctrl + D

❖ With your text selected, press Ctrl + D on your keyboard. This is a shortcut
that quickly opens the Font dialog box, where you can make various text
adjustments.

Step 3: Go to the "Advanced" Tab

❖ In the Font dialog box that appears, look for the tab labeled Advanced and click
on it. This tab contains options for fine-tuning text spacing and other advanced
settings.

Step 4: Enable Kerning

❖ Under the section titled Character Spacing, you’ll see an option labeled Kerning
for fonts. Check the box next to this option to enable kerning.

Step 5: Set the Kerning Point Size

❖ After enabling kerning, set the minimum point size at which kerning should be
applied. This is typically set around 12 points, but you can adjust it depending on
your specific needs.

Step 6: Preview and Apply Your Changes

❖ Finally, look at the preview to see how your kerning adjustments will appear.
Once satisfied, click OK to apply the changes to your selected text.

4. Steps on How to Adjust Tracking in Microsoft Word:

Step 1: Select Your Text

 ❖ Start by highlighting the text where you want to adjust the tracking. This can be a single word, a
sentence, or an entire paragraph.

Step 2: Open the Font Dialog Box Using Ctrl + D

❖ With the text selected, press Ctrl + D on your keyboard. This shortcut opens the Font dialog
box directly, allowing you to make advanced text adjustments.

Step 3: Go to the "Advanced" Tab

❖ In the Font dialog box, navigate to the Advanced tab. This is where you can find the options for
adjusting tracking (referred to as "Spacing" in Word).

Step 4: Adjust the Tracking (Spacing)

❖ Under the Character Spacing section, you’ll see a dropdown menu labeled Spacing. Choose
either Expanded to increase the space between characters or Condensed to decrease it.

Step 5: Set the Amount of Tracking

❖ After selecting Expanded or Condensed, set the amount of spacing you want in the By box. You
can increase or decrease the spacing in points (pt) to get the desired effect.

Step 6: Preview and Apply Your Changes

❖ Review the preview to see how your tracking adjustments look. Once you’re satisfied, click OK
to apply the changes to your text.

5. How to Set Leading (Line Spacing) in Microsoft Word:

Step 1: Highlight the Text
If there is text in your document, you need to select the text that you want to adjust. If
you want to apply line spacing to the entire document, hit Ctrl + A to select all text.
Step 2: Open the Line and Paragraph Spacing Menu
Click the Home tab on the Ribbon. In the Paragraph group find the Line and Paragraph
Spacing button. It is an icon that looks like lines with an up and down arrow.
Step 3: Open Line Spacing Options
Click the Line and Paragraph Spacing button to open a drop-down menu. You will notice
this menu contains some options by default, including 1.0, 1.5, 2.0; these correspond to
single, one and a half times, and double spaced respectively .
Step 4: Set Line Spacing to a Custom Amount
But for the more fine-tuning, from the bottom of the dropdown menu, click Line Spacing
Options. The Paragraph dialog box will pop up.
Step 5: Line Spacing Adjustment (Leading)
In the opened Paragraph dialog box, click the Indents and Spacing tab.
The Spacing section houses a menu entitled Line spacing. You can choose:
a. Single: If you want to have single line spacing.
b. 1.5 Lines: If you need the 1.5 line spacing.
c. Double: For double line spacing.
d. Minimum: This option sets a minimum spacing.
e. Exactly: This option sets an exact amount of spacing.
f. Multiple: Choose a multiple of the line height, for example, 1.2 for 1.2 times of
the default spacing.
Step 6: Apply and Confirm
With your choice selected or typed in the box provided for line spacing, click OK to apply
changes to your selected text.

6. How to Set Single Spacing in Microsoft Word:

Step 1: Select the Text You Want to Adjust

❖ Start by highlighting the text you want to format with single spacing. If you want
to apply single spacing to the entire document, press Ctrl + A to select all
text.

Step 2: Open the Line and Paragraph Spacing Menu

❖ Go to the Home tab on the Ribbon. In the Paragraph group, locate the Line and
Paragraph Spacing button (it looks like lines with an up and down arrow).

Step 3: Choose Single Spacing

❖ Click on the Line and Paragraph Spacing button to open a dropdown menu. From
the menu, select 1.0 (this is the option for single spacing).

Step 4: Check for Additional Spacing (Optional)

 ❖ To ensure there’s no extra space before or after paragraphs, click on Line Spacing
Options at the bottom of the dropdown menu.
❖ In the Paragraph dialog box that opens, make sure the Before and After spacing
is set to 0 pt under the "Spacing" section.

Step 5: Apply Changes

❖ Click OK in the Paragraph dialog box to apply your changes.

Step 6: Verify the Spacing

❖ Review your document to ensure that the text is now in single spacing. If
everything looks good, you’re all set!

7. How to Set Double Spacing in Microsoft Word:

Step 1: Select the Text You Want to Adjust

❖ Highlight the text that you want to format with double spacing. If you want to
apply double spacing to the entire document, press Ctrl + A to select all text.

Step 2: Open the Line and Paragraph Spacing Menu

❖ Go to the Home tab on the Ribbon. In the Paragraph group, find the Line and
Paragraph Spacing button, which looks like lines with an up and down arrow.

Step 3: Choose Double Spacing

❖ Click on the Line and Paragraph Spacing button to open a dropdown menu. From
the menu, select 2.0. This sets the selected text to double spacing.

Step 4: Adjust Spacing for Paragraphs (Optional)

❖ If you want to ensure there’s no additional space before or after paragraphs, click
on Line Spacing Options at the bottom of the dropdown menu.
❖ In the Paragraph dialog box that opens, make sure the Before and After spacing
is set to 0 pt in the "Spacing" section.

Step 5: Apply and Confirm

 ❖ Click OK in the Paragraph dialog box to apply your changes.

Step 6: Review Your Document

❖ Look through your document to ensure that the text is now properly set to
double spacing.

8. How to Create a Background on Text in Microsoft Word:

Step 1: Select the Text You Want to Highlight

❖ Start by highlighting the text you want to add a background to. This could be a
word, a sentence, or even a paragraph.

Step 2: Open the "Shading" Option

❖ Go to the Home tab on the Ribbon. In the Paragraph group, look for the Shading
button, which looks like a paint bucket.

Step 3: Choose a Background Color

❖ Click the Shading button to open a dropdown menu with color options.
❖ Choose a color from the theme colors or standard colors, or click on More Colors
to select a custom color.

Step 4: Apply the Background Color

❖ Once you’ve chosen your color, click on it to apply the background color to your
selected text.

Step 5: Adjust Text Formatting (Optional)

 ❖ If needed, you can further adjust the text formatting, such as font size, boldness,
or italics, to make the text stand out against the background color.

Step 6: Review Your Document

❖ Review your document to ensure that the background color enhances the text as
intended. Make sure it is easy to read and visually appealing.