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Graphic Design vocabulary · Typography

Hanging punctuation

Meaning in graphic design, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In graphic design, hanging punctuation means: Placing punctuation partly outside the text edge to make that edge look even.

In Turkish: asılı noktalama

How it is used

Use when punctuation makes an otherwise aligned edge appear indented.

Example sentences

  1. Hanging punctuation lets the opening quotation mark sit outside the column.

    The letters rather than the quotation mark establish the visible edge.

  2. We turned off hanging punctuation beside the narrow decorative border.

    Protruding marks need sufficient room beyond the nominal text boundary.

Common collocations

  • hanging punctuation
  • hang quotation marks
  • alignmentThe way elements line up with each other or with an edge, for example text set flush left, centred or justified, which helps a design look neat and connected.
  • body copyThe main, longer text of a design, such as paragraphs in a brochure or article, as opposed to headlines, captions and other short text.

More terms: Typography

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