The Letter

The f is a narrow letter that can
be exceptionally expressionistic
in calligraphy and handletter-
ing but somewhat problematic
in type design. In calligraphy
and handlettering, the top of
the f can be modified to per¬
fectly complement the charac¬
ter that immediately follows it.
If the subsequent letter is an x-
height character, the top of the f
can be a graceful, full-bodied
stroke. If it is an ascending char¬
acter, the f can be modified to
create a beautiful ligature.

Unfortunately, none of this
is possible—or practical—in a
typeface design. The f must be
designed to work well with both
x-height and ascending charac¬
ters. Ligatures in some fonts
may help to remedy several of
the awkward combinations, but
the design of the f must always
be considered carefully.

The f s crossbar is almost
always a hairline stroke that
aligns with the typeface’s x-
height. In order to counterbal¬
ance the weight of th.e_top
bowl, in some designs the
crossbar is longer on the right
than it is <

76

Letraset

Burlington

Bembo Italic

Triplex Extrabold

Helvetica Black
Condensed

Industria Inline

Bauer Bodoni

ЯШШШ

Hiroshige
Black Italic

Poetica Chancery II
Supplement

ITC Ozwald

AG Book Rounded