Culture · 6 pages · 12 min

Why italic is not just slanted roman

A true italic is redrawn as a cursive companion, not a roman alphabet pushed sideways.

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From the opening

A true italic is a separate drawing, generally more cursive, and its letters are not the roman letters leaned over. Forms such as the a, the e, the f, and the g are often constructed differently, and the slope is only the obvious part of that change. The opening covers redrawn a, e, f, and g, oblique is a corrected slant, and small caps are not shrunk capitals.

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Inside

Redrawn a, e, f, and g
Oblique is a corrected slant
Small caps are not shrunk capitals
Venice cursive, then emphasis
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Aldine italic as a cursive text face
The difference between a true italic and an oblique

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Why italic is not just slanted roman

From the opening

Inside

Sources

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