TypeTalk: DIY Accented Characters

Ilene Strizver

TypeTalk is a regular blog on typography. Post your questions and comments by clicking on the Comments icon above.
Q. If a typeface doesn’t include an accented character I need, can I create that character?
A. It is indeed possible, but only if the individual parts — that is, the character and the accent– are available in the font you are using.
Most professional-quality fonts have a range of accented characters. You can most easily see and access them with your design application’s glyph palette available in most design applications. You can also use specific keyboard combinations, such as option/u + u for a ü (u with an umlaut) on a Mac, or ALT/0220 on a PC.
Most fonts also contain a selection of “floating accents” (also called diacritical marks) you can use to build your own accented characters.
The standard floating accents and accented characters in most fonts are shown below in Clarendon.

First check the glyph palette to see if the components of the character you need (both the character and the accent) are in the font.
If they are, then follow these simple steps:
1. Type the character.
2. Type the accent.
3. Use baseline shift to raise (or lower) the accent if necessary to the desired position.
4. Use extreme reverse kerning to center the accent over the character.
Creating your own accented character is fairly simple, as illustrated below.

Love type? Want to know more? Ilene Strizver conducts her acclaimed Gourmet Typography workshops internationally. For more information on attending one or bringing it to your company, organization, or school, go to her site, call The Type Studio at 203-227-5929, or email Ilene at [email protected]. Sign up for her e-newsletter at www.thetypestudio.com.