To choose the right typeface, look at its x-height
I read with interest Ricardo Magalhães’ opinion on type selection by x-height. I started in the printing industry as hot type was on it’s way out and offset printing was on the way in. Now I find myself in the middle of the computer age with my eye on design. While there were many choice typefaces a graphic designer could choose from back in the day, nothing could match the explosion in creativity experienced by designers in typography with the advent of the computer. But, no matter how much an industry changes, there are certain basics that remain true and Ricardo Magalhåes has hit on what some designers seem to have forgotten, and the up and coming designers should learn. He points out the difference between “legibility” and “readability” and the science behind the typographic choices we should be making.
It is a well written article on the importance of how we choose a typeface for our projects, please let us know what you think in “comments”.
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