Anatomy of Typography

SERIF The projections extending off the main strokes of the characters of serif typefaces. Serifs come in two styles: bracketed and unbracketed. COUNTER The partially or fully enclosed space within a character. EAR The small stroke that projects from the top of the lowercase g. STEM A straight vertical stroke (or the main straight diagonal stroke in a letter which has no verticals). SHOULDER The curved stroke of the h, m, n. BOWL A curved stroke which creates an enclosed space within a character (the space is then called a counter). DESCÉNDER The part of a character (g, j, p, g, y, and sometimes j) that descends below the baseline. STROKE A straight or curved line. Other letter parts such as bars, arms, stems, and bowls are collectively referred to as the strokes that make up a letterform. LOOP The lower portion of the lowercase g. BAR The horizontal stroke in characters such as A, H, R, e, and f. DIANE NUGUID