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One story a for æ

Ofir ShavitOfir Shavit Posts: 396
in Technique and Theory

Hi
I'm working on a font with one story 'a', and the 'æ' resembles too much to the 'œ'.

Any recommendations?
aoe.jpg 36.9K

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    Alexis LuengasAlexis Luengas Posts: 36
    You could (a) make /a/ more asymmetrical/cursive, (b) draw the stem or add a small serif at the top of /a/, and/or (c) flatten the left side of /e/s bowl so that /e/ appears to join /a/ and not the other (current) way around.
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    Ofir ShavitOfir Shavit Posts: 396

    Well I added the stem and flattened the e's bowl, looks like it does the work
    Thanks Alexis!
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    Craig EliasonCraig Eliason Posts: 1,398
    The other left side...
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    Nick ShinnNick Shinn Posts: 2,145
    You should use a two-story “a”. That is preferred in Scandinavia. See Futura, etc.
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    Ofir ShavitOfir Shavit Posts: 396
    edited September 2014
    What other left side Craig??

    Is it ok to use the two-story 'a' only to the 'æ' while the 'a' stays one-story?
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    Craig EliasonCraig Eliason Posts: 1,398
    Never mind. I thought you had added that flat part on the right of the /e/ in response to Alexis's suggestion to "flatten the left side of /e/'s bowl," but I see that that was already there in the first place. Disregard.
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    Ofir ShavitOfir Shavit Posts: 396
    Got you, thanks :)
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    Ofir ShavitOfir Shavit Posts: 396

    Your humble what? what? what? opinion sounds convincing Frode, thanks!
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    Kent LewKent Lew Posts: 905
    It is perfectly acceptable to have a one-story a, and a two-story æ.
    Frode — Do you feel the same is true in an italic design? I’ve heard mixed responses to this before.
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    Chris LozosChris Lozos Posts: 1,458
    Which is better, having a style match or having clear legibility or distinction? I prefer 2 story a to style match.
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    Jens KutilekJens Kutilek Posts: 339
    Under which circumstances would æ and œ need to be differentiated? They are not both used in the same language, or are they?
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    Nick ShinnNick Shinn Posts: 2,145
    edited September 2014
    There is never dissonance between /a and /æ, because they are always a saccadic jump apart. They are never read concurrently—when one is viewed sharply in the fovea, the other is indistinguishable, elsewhere.
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    Chris LozosChris Lozos Posts: 1,458
    Great test words, Frode!
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    Nick ShinnNick Shinn Posts: 2,145
    I suspected as much, Frode! Are those common words?
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    Craig EliasonCraig Eliason Posts: 1,398
    edited September 2014
    Under which circumstances would æ and œ need to be differentiated? They are not both used in the same language, or are they?
    Used in the same word, if archaic English orthography is allowed!
    image
    But posted mostly in jest: the more important question is, are there languages in which there are two words that differ only in that character. I don't know of any.
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    Nick ShinnNick Shinn Posts: 2,145
    edited September 2014
    Note that A : Æ and a : æ are differently treated in the same typeface—Futura.

    **

    I recently decided to construct Æ as per Futura—so that I can include it in the same kern class as A!
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    John HudsonJohn Hudson Posts: 2,977
    They are not both used in the same language, or are they?
    They can be used together in Latin, although ae/oe is now preferred to æ/œ by classicists. Not sure about mediaevalists. Roman Catholic liturgical publishers still seem to favour æ/œ.
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    Ofir ShavitOfir Shavit Posts: 396
    How about that?

    Since not restricted to the one story a, I tried flipping the e for the ae
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    Nick ShinnNick Shinn Posts: 2,145
    Typophile discussion. http://typophile.com/node/68510
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    Michael VokitsMichael Vokits Posts: 214
    @Ofir:
    Since not restricted to the one story a, I tried flipping the e for the ae
    I do that in italics all the time, but the /schwa shape for the /a really throws me in romans. Still, it's probably the best choice in the context of your font (although I think I prefer the glyph with the vertical bar in the middle). Anyway, it's easy to add and use alternates.
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