CDA CDA Typography & Visual Hierarchy 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is kerning in typography?
- The space between individual letter pairs (Correct answer)
- The height of capital letters
- The thickness of a font stroke
- The spacing between lines of text
Correct answer: The space between individual letter pairs
Kerning refers to the adjustment of space between specific pairs of characters to improve visual balance.
Question 2: What does 'leading' refer to in typography?
- The stroke weight of a typeface
- The vertical space between lines of text (Correct answer)
- The horizontal margin of a text block
- The indentation of a paragraph
Correct answer: The vertical space between lines of text
Leading is the vertical distance between the baselines of successive lines of text, controlling line spacing.
Question 3: Which of the following best defines a serif typeface?
- A font with small decorative strokes at the ends of letterforms (Correct answer)
- A font with uniform stroke widths throughout
- A font designed exclusively for digital screens
- A font with no variation in line thickness
Correct answer: A font with small decorative strokes at the ends of letterforms
Serif typefaces feature small finishing strokes (serifs) at the ends of letterforms, such as Times New Roman.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of visual hierarchy in design?
- To guide the viewer's eye and prioritize information by importance (Correct answer)
- To balance colors evenly across a composition
- To ensure all text elements are the same size
- To create symmetrical layouts only
Correct answer: To guide the viewer's eye and prioritize information by importance
Visual hierarchy directs viewers through a design by using size, contrast, and placement to emphasize the most important elements first.
Question 5: What is 'tracking' in typography?
- Spacing between a specific pair of letters
- Uniform spacing adjustment across a range of characters (Correct answer)
- The vertical alignment of text on a page
- The font's x-height measurement
Correct answer: Uniform spacing adjustment across a range of characters
Tracking adjusts the overall letter spacing uniformly across a selected block of text, unlike kerning which targets individual pairs.
Question 6: Which typographic element establishes the imaginary line on which most characters sit?
- Cap height
- X-height
- Baseline (Correct answer)
- Ascender
Correct answer: Baseline
The baseline is the invisible horizontal line upon which most letters rest, serving as the foundation of typography alignment.
CDA CDA Typography & Visual Hierarchy 1
What is kerning in typography?