⏰ Do Now — Start Here
Without looking it up, try to label the parts of the letter 'g' on your own. We'll check your guesses in a minute.
🎯 Today's Big Question
- What are the actual parts of a letterform, and why does that vocabulary matter to a designer?
📈 By the End of Today, You Will Be Able To
- Label the parts of a letterform: baseline, x-height, cap height, ascender, descender, counter, serif.
- Measure and compare x-height and letter spacing across 3 different typefaces.
- Explain why type anatomy vocabulary helps designers give and receive precise feedback.
🧰 What You'll Need
- Large printed letterforms for labeling (poster-size)
- Rulers
- Type anatomy diagram handout
📋 Your Plan for Today
Day 1: Letterform Vocabulary
- Do Now (5 min): label the letter "g" on your own, no notes.
- Mini-lesson (18 min): introduce letterform anatomy vocabulary using large printed letters.
- Guided practice (12 min): label a diagram from memory, then correct it against the answer key.
- Quick review (10 min): quiz a partner on 3 terms.
Day 2: Measurement Lab
- Do Now (5 min): guess -- does a bigger x-height make type look bigger or smaller at the same point size? Mini-lesson/demo (10 min): how to measure x-height, letter spacing, and stroke weight.
- Measurement lab (25 min): compare x-height, letter spacing, and stroke weight across 3 different printed typefaces and record observations.
- Share (5 min).
📚 Key Words
- Baseline
- The invisible line letters "sit" on.
- X-Height
- The height of a lowercase "x" -- a key factor in how large or small a typeface appears to read.
- Cap Height / Ascender / Descender
- The height of capital letters; the part of a lowercase letter that rises above the x-height (like "h"); the part that drops below the baseline (like "g").
- Counter
- The enclosed or partially enclosed space inside a letter, like inside an "o" or "e".
✅ What Your Finished Work Should Include
Labeled diagram + measurement lab checked for accuracy.
Exit Ticket: Pick one typeface anatomy term from today and explain, in a sentence, how it affects readability.
📊 Before You Leave
Quick, anonymous class check-in -- takes less than a minute.
🎓 ACP Exam Prep
This lesson connects to the Photoshop Adobe Certified Professional exam: Domain 1: Working in the Design Industry
🔗 Want to Learn More?
🚀 The Extra Mile
Cross-Class Connection: The same precise, labeled-diagram skill Biology uses for anatomy diagrams — just applied to letterforms.
Career Connection: Typeface anatomy vocabulary is directly tested on the ACP exam and expected fluency in Illustration and Web Design.
Go further -- turn this into a portfolio piece:
- Design a labeled "anatomy of a letter" infographic poster — real study material for next semester's typography unit. Start here: pick one letter with lots of distinct parts, like a lowercase "g" or an "R," and label that one fully before building the whole poster.
- Hand-letter one word using at least five correctly-labeled anatomical features, annotated like a real specimen diagram. Start here: choose a word that actually contains five different features — bowl, counter, serif, ascender, descender — before you start lettering.