Typeface anatomy

Typographic parts of a glyph: 1) x-height; 2) ascender line; 3) apex; 4) baseline; 5) ascender; 6) crossbar; 7) stem; 8) serif; 9) leg; 10) bowl; 11) counter; 12) collar/link/neck; 13) loop; 14) ear; 15) tie; 16) horizontal bar; 17) arm; 18) vertical bar; 19) cap height; 20) descender height.

Typeface anatomy describes the graphic elements that make up letters in a typeface.^[1]^[2]

Typefaces are born from the struggle between rules and results. Squeezing a square about 1% helps it look more like a square; to appear the same height as a square, a circle must be measurably taller. The two strokes in an X aren't the same thickness, nor are their parallel edges actually parallel; the vertical stems of a lowercase alphabet are thinner than those of its capitals; the ascender on a d isn't the same length as the descender on a p, and so on. For the rational mind, type design can be a maddening game of drawing things differently in order to make them appear the same.
— Hoefler & Frere-Jones^[3]

^ Studer, Anton (29 February 2016). "Is What I See What I Get? — Math & Optics in Type Design". Typographica. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
^ "Typeface Anatomy". Issuu. FontShop. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
^ "Introducing Ideal Sans". Fonts by Hoefler & Co. 4 May 2011.

[WhatISee-1] Studer, Anton (29 February 2016). "Is What I See What I Get? — Math & Optics in Type Design". Typographica. Retrieved 17 April 2016.

[FontShop_Issuu-2] "Typeface Anatomy". Issuu. FontShop. Retrieved 22 July 2020.

[3] "Introducing Ideal Sans". Fonts by Hoefler & Co. 4 May 2011.

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