Type Rules, Enhanced Edition by Ilene Strizver

Author:Ilene Strizver
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781118758663
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2013-11-11T16:00:00+00:00

Most of us have seen copy with two hyphens instead of an em dash. This typographically incorrect and downright ugly practice is a holdover from typewriter days when there were no dashes of any kind on the keyboard, just hyphens. It unfortunately still pops up here and there, especially when set by those who used a typewriter before a computer or were taught to type with typewriter conventions, as many still are.

The lengths of these characters are not standard; they vary from typeface to typeface, as do their side bearings (the designated space to the right and left). Some en dashes are the width of the cap or lowercase n, and some em dashes are the width of the m, keeping them in proportion to the rest of the typeface; others have no relationship to the overall width of the type design at all and are 500 and 1,000 units (a measurement relative to the point size), respectively. There are different philosophies behind these design differences, but the principles of their usage remain the same.

The spacing of dashes is another factor that varies from typeface to typeface. Some dashes have a bit of space added to the right and left, allowing them to breathe and match the overall spacing of the rest of the font. Others have no added space, resulting in a very tight fit with neighboring characters.

Some room for artistic license is allowed in the use of dashes when their width or spacing seems out of proportion or inconsistent. For instance, where the em dash seems too wide for the typeface, it is the practice of some designers (including this one) to replace it with an en dash. Another stylistic preference is to add extra space before and after either dash if it appears too close to neighboring characters. The recommended method is to open the kerning between the dashes and their surrounding letters; this way you have total control over the space. Another solution is to add a word space on both ends, but this practice is more commonly used on the web, where it is recommended. (Read more about smart punctuation on the web in Chapter 11.) Just remember to be consistent throughout or the text will be an unprofessional jumble of varying styles. (Fig. 7-4, Fig. 7-5, and Fig. 7-6)

Figure 7-4 An en dash is wider than a hyphen and narrower than an em dash. It is used to indicate a continuation of time, years, and dates.

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