Before&After: What’s the Right Typeface for Text?

When evaluating the choices, the operative word is medium. The x-height of a typestyle is the height of its lowercase characters. The larger the x-height, the denser the type will appear. You want medium; unusually tall or short x-heights are better suited for specialty projects. This 8-page article from issue of Before&After Magazine shows you how the hallmarks of good text type are legibility (how readily one letter can be distinguished from all others) and readability (how well letters interact to compose words, sentences and paragraphs).

The x-height of a typestyle is the height of its lowercase characters. The larger the x-height, the denser the type will appear. You want medium; unusually tall or short x-heights are better suited for specialty projects.

© John McWade/Before&After Magazine, courtesy of Gaye Anne McWade.