Sloping math symbols in italic faces, is it normal?

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  • Mark Simonson
    Mark Simonson Posts: 1,758
    edited November 2015
    I don't slant all the symbols, but I do usually slant the math operators for italics. The way I figure, if you don't want them slanted, it's easy enough to select the roman style of the same font. If slanted math operators is what you want, and the font doesn't have them, you're kind of screwed.
  • Thomas Phinney
    Thomas Phinney Posts: 3,049
    Tobias Kvant said:
    I see it this way: Being symbols, they only have one appearance. Italicize them would be like slanting a logo. Now why would you do that? This applies to trademark, copyright, degree, registered, etc. - aswell.
    Funny thing is, I vary the weight and style of these things to match the host typeface—but not their slope.

    So, it is not that they have only one appearance, I think. Something more subtle/complex.
  • Tobias Kvant
    Tobias Kvant Posts: 20
    Funny thing is, I vary the weight and style of these things to match the host typeface—but not their slope.
    Sure, I do this too, to match the typeface. What I meant was one appearance in regards to slope..
  • Claudio Piccinini
    Claudio Piccinini Posts: 686
    As I am completing designs and trying to finalize them to hopefully launch my foundry, this question popped up once again and I keep getting back to this topic.
    Making the premise I am working on historical revivals, I see @Nina Stössinger's point but I believe the strongest point has been expressed by @John Hudson here:
    It derives ultimately from the typography of mathematics, to which you refer, in which operators and other symbols have normative forms that are not subject to styling of weight or slant, and in which, conversely, stylings of weight and slant of alphanumeric characters have semantic connotations. 
  • Claudio Piccinini
    Claudio Piccinini Posts: 686
    Tobias Kvant said:
    Funny thing is, I vary the weight and style of these things to match the host typeface—but not their slope.
    Sure, I do this too, to match the typeface. What I meant was one appearance in regards to slope..
    The weight question is more relative, both approaches make sense and I see it more as related to preference.

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