The accidental italics of scrolling displays
Good type against all odds
Scrolling text on old displays often appears slanted—not due to italics, but because the display updates line by line, causing a skew similar to rolling shutter. The author reflects on how such typographic quirks could have gone differently, and celebrates other unexpected moments of craft in typography, from tiny pixel fonts to clever ligatures and decorative underlines.
Often, more craft will require more work. Sometimes, however, you will get it for free – but only if you choose the right fork in the road.
- weinzierl
"The first has to do with the direction of reading. I believe the second is, like many things in typography, customary; there’s nothing inherently better than right-leaning letters, except we’re used to them since those are the only ones we ever see."
Not at all. It is simply because the tip of a quill and the nib of a traditional[1] fountain pen cannot move in any direction. The way you hold it if you are right handed forbids moving in the "backslash"* direction[2] upwards. You can "draw" from top down but not "shove" upwards in that direction. Since in joined script we start letters mostly from the baseline (and have connecting strokes) this makes the "right leaning slant" much easier to write.
The anatomy of a right handed writer also plays a role. When you write fast, the hand pivots at the wrist and fingers as it moves rightward, and that produces a forward slant.
[1] Modern fountain pen nibs have a little ball at tip. So even if you used on in primary school you might not have noticed the directional effect.
[2] That is why the slash (virgula) has existed for centuries while the backslash is an invention of the computer age.
- john_saptra
Marcin's attention to details, showcasing works that demonstrate the craftsmanship in what is typically considered mundane, is really amazing!
- jjcm
I’m a simple man. I see a post from Marcin about typography or keyboards and I upvote. He has such a passion for this and I’ve always loved his storytelling.