Understanding Typographic Space: Beyond the Keyboard Key
By
doener
Front-window bakery material. Catches the eye, delivers the goods.
Summary
This article explores the typographic concept of space (whitespace) as a fundamental element in design and typesetting. It explains that space is not just the keyboard key but encompasses various typographic terms including sinkage (space above text blocks), indents (space before paragraphs), leading (vertical spacing), word spacing, and letter spacing. The article positions space as a crucial group of glyphs that create separation and structure in typography.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledSpace (whitespace) is a whole group of glyphs, one of the most important and frequently-used.
Any computer user knows space as the widest key on their keyboard, however the notion itself is much bigger and comprises multiple important typographic terms and ideas.
Space in general is a blank unprinted area, a counterform that separates letters, words, lines etc.
In typography, there are several types of spaces: sinkage (space on a page above a textblock), indent (space before the paragraph), leading (vertical space), word spacing, and letter spacing.
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