karl@ai.mit.edu (Karl Berry) (01/03/91)
The word is, variously, `hamburgerfonts', `hamburgefonsiv', `hamburgefonstiv', etc. It's true that a single word is not going to help the average user of a font, as Anders points out. But there is some reasoning behind this word; it's not just random. Namely, the letters in that word cover most of the elemental shapes in a font (the [ill-defined] set of letters that covers all of them is called the ``control letters''). That is not to say that a `c' is an `e' with the crossbar taken out, or that `d' is `b' flipped; of course they aren't. But nevertheless, to establish a (usually desirable) sense of unity and coherence throughout the font, the shapes of `e' and `c' must relate visually, in some way that I can't describe in words. When designing a typeface, the letters `h' (or `n'), `a', and `e' are often done first, since they contain many repeated elements. Other letters, like `f' and `g' and `t' are oddballs; there are no other letters in the modern Latin alphabet like them. Finally, I suspect the ordering of the letters in `hamburgefonstiv' tests common letter pairs; the word `ghbfsntviaeu' (or whatever) wouldn't be nearly as useful. No hard data on this, though. You certainly do need other tests. The `testfont.tex' file that Knuth wrote to help him develop Computer Modern shows some of the possibilities. karl@cs.umb.edu
ath@prosys.se (Anders Thulin) (01/05/91)
In article <12592@life.ai.mit.edu> karl@ai.mit.edu (Karl Berry) writes: >When designing a typeface, the letters `h' (or `n'), `a', and `e' are >often done first, since they contain many repeated elements. Other >letters, like `f' and `g' and `t' are oddballs; there are no other >letters in the modern Latin alphabet like them. For a practical example of this, see the letters Walter A Dwiggins wrote to Rudolph Ruzicka about font designing. I think they were published by Princeton University Press under the title _WAD to RR_. Incidentally, they are also great examples of calligraphy. -- Anders Thulin ath@prosys.se {uunet,mcsun}!sunic!prosys!ath Telesoft Europe AB, Teknikringen 2B, S-583 30 Linkoping, Sweden