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Graphic Design vocabulary · Typography

Glyph

Meaning in graphic design, with examples

nounCommon term

In graphic design, glyph means: A particular visual form used to represent a character or character combination.

In Turkish: glif, karakterin görsel biçimi

How it is used

Distinguish the drawn form from the abstract character it represents.

Example sentences

  1. The font offers two glyphs for the lowercase a.

    One character can have more than one visual representation.

  2. The ligature appears as one glyph although it represents two letters.

    A single drawn form can encode a combination of letters.

Common collocations

  • alternate glyph
  • glyph panel
  • typographyThe art and skill of choosing and arranging letters so that text is easy to read and looks right: the choice of typefaces, sizes, spacing and line length.
  • typefaceA particular design of letters, numbers and symbols that share the same style, such as Helvetica, Garamond or Futura, usually available in several weights and styles.

More terms: Typography

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