bterreson Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 I've slowly been getting into the world of typeface/font the past few years and there's something I always look for- and notice.There are two kinds of lowercase A's.I know this isn't breaking news or anything... I've realized you typically see the one on the left in handwriting, and the one on the right more so in type. I guess my question is.... why? and more importantly: do they have specific names to distinguish between the two? Tumblr. Twitter. Flickr. Facebook. Last.Fm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapshot Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 I've heard both described as geometric vs gothic and single-story vs double-story.As for the reason why? Pure aesthetics. Look at the lowercase letter "g"...same thing. It's all at the whim of the designer. Back-to-Back Fatal Forty Champion 2015 & 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordie_delini Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 i've heard them referred to as single-story and double story or stacked. and jim's correct it is all aesthetics, mixed with a bit of handwriting and printing history in there. A stacked lowercase a is easier to visually distinguish from an o, particularly at small sizes and when you have ink bleed such as back in the early days of printing.And for the record, I actually use the stacked lowercase "a" in my handwriting because i'm that much of a type nerd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 I too use the stacked a in my writing, end every once in a while someone notices and comments, which instantly makes that person cool in my book.I will concede that the single-story a is much easier to write (or maybe just because we've been trained that way) and it's also closer to how an a looks in "standard" cursive. "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiasco! Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 Also a stacked lowercase "a" writer. I started doing it back in the day of mixtape dubbing, because it looked better when writing titles. LinkedIn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bterreson Posted May 21, 2010 Author Share Posted May 21, 2010 Awesome! Thanks for the input.I'm also slowly trying to make myself write the stacked "a" - but as BBTV noted, it is quite hard to do when you've been using the single story method your entire life. I've been trying a few methods to make it easier- So far I've found that drawing a "2" then closing the bottom right opening is the best way to go for me. Tumblr. Twitter. Flickr. Facebook. Last.Fm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc49erfan15 Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 I hate writing the stacked version, it's much easier for me to write the single-story because my handwriting is naturally a blend of print and cursive. Writing the stacked a would just slow me down too much, so apparently I'm not part of the "cool crowd." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckymack Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 I started doing it back in middle school (along with crossing my 7s and Zs and making closed-top 4s) to make my writing a little more unique. It's habit now. Sigs are for sissies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMU Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 It must have been the schools I went to, but I was always corrected whenever I crossed a 7 (I tried borrowing that from my dad, who uses that in accounting) or went with the two-story a. Maybe a product of the integration of more computers will be more variety in writing styles, since there'll be less emphasis on standardized penmanship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tBBP Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Interesting...maybe one day I should try to write a lowercase stacked "a".Of course, first I'd actually have to get used to writing lowercase letters period...alas, I am one of those who write in all caps. *Disclaimer: I am not an authoritative expert on stuff...I just do a lot of reading and research and keep in close connect with a bunch of people who are authoritative experts on stuff. || dribbble || Behance || Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murtaugh Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Of course, first I'd actually have to get used to writing lowercase letters period...alas, I am one of those who write in all caps.Likewise, though I've been known to use mixed-case for certain situations. NO GRAND Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSUdraw Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Interesting thread. I use the single stacked "a" but I developed a unique style doing lower case "d" in my hand writing. It was after learning the the Cyrillic alphabet in high school that I changed it and its total habit now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJMorris3 Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Kind of on this, it makes me wonder.In the MS font "Calibri", we use the double-story "a". But in the italic form, it reverts to a single-story "a". What gives? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordie_delini Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Thats very common Will that typefaces will use a stacked a for the upright style and use a single story a for the oblique. Again, it's all just a matter of legibility and aesthetics and really the preferences of the type designer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapshot Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 To get a bit more technical, oblique usually refers to a font that is skewed or angled to simulate italic type. True italic type is actually redrawn, generally with more curves or terminal endings, so the letters flow into each other better. A true italic font will look more scripted than the traditional upright version. Back-to-Back Fatal Forty Champion 2015 & 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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