CDA CDA Typography & Layout 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'tracking' in typography?
- Adjusting space between a specific letter pair
- Uniformly adjusting letter spacing across a range of text (Correct answer)
- Moving text along a path
- Increasing font size proportionally
Correct answer: Uniformly adjusting letter spacing across a range of text
Tracking (letter-spacing) uniformly increases or decreases space across a selected block of text, unlike kerning which targets individual pairs.
Question 2: Which layout principle states that elements should be aligned to a common edge or axis to create visual order?
- Proximity
- Contrast
- Repetition
- Alignment (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Alignment
Alignment connects visual elements by positioning them relative to a shared edge or invisible axis, reducing visual clutter.
Question 3: A 'widowed' line in typography refers to what?
- An orphaned first line at the bottom of a column
- A single short word or line left at the top of a new column or page (Correct answer)
- A missing glyph in a font
- Uneven right margin in justified text
Correct answer: A single short word or line left at the top of a new column or page
A widow is a single short line stranded at the top of a column or page, considered poor typographic practice.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a 'baseline grid' in layout design?
- To define image bleed areas
- To align text across multiple columns to a consistent vertical rhythm (Correct answer)
- To set the minimum font size
- To control paragraph indentation
Correct answer: To align text across multiple columns to a consistent vertical rhythm
A baseline grid creates consistent vertical rhythm by aligning all text elements to evenly spaced horizontal lines.
Question 5: Which font format supports variable axes such as weight, width, and slant within a single file?
- TrueType (.ttf)
- OpenType variable fonts (.otf/.ttf with fvar) (Correct answer)
- PostScript Type 1
- Bitmap font (.bdf)
Correct answer: OpenType variable fonts (.otf/.ttf with fvar)
OpenType variable fonts embed multiple stylistic variations in one file using axes defined in the fvar table.
Question 6: In print layout, what is the term for the area beyond the trim edge where background colors or images extend to prevent white borders after cutting?
- Gutter
- Bleed (Correct answer)
- Margin
- Slug
Correct answer: Bleed
Bleed is the extra area (typically 0.125 in) printed beyond the trim line so cutting imprecision doesn't leave white edges.
CDA CDA Typography & Layout 2
What is 'tracking' in typography?