What is a Pylon?
Ascenders, arms, crossbars, counters, spines, shoulders, tails, stems and spurs: altogether there are over 20 components in the anatomy of type. There remains a gap in the vocabulary of this most respected of crafts, however.
In the designing or cutting of stencil letterforms, one is invariably brought to a point wherein the supporting canvas is joined to counter of the letter. Up until now, these supporting areas have gone without definition or label. A gross oversight by the standards of any industry, let alone one with as rich and respected a history as typography.
Intent
The purpose of this initiative is to remedy this oversight by introducing a new term and definition into the common vernacular of designers and typographers.
The term, pylon, historically defined as either “a large vertical steel tower supporting high-tension power lines” or “a finlike device used to attach engines, auxiliary fuel tanks, bombs, etc., to an aircraft wing or fuselage,” works perfectly in this setting, helping to define its function and the means through which it performs it.
The new additional definition is as such:
- Pylon: The area of a stencil font which (a) adds structural integrity to the letterform, and (b) increases aesthetic value and/or legibility through the inclusion of counters.
Endorsements
“A ‘Pylon’ it is... and about time that little bit of connection got itself a term... I always fill them in the way children usually do with stencil faces to hide the fact they are using them because they can’t yet draw a decent letter... something I’m still working on too”
— Ed Fella
“I really like your idea of naming the missing link, but I don’t know if I agree with your choice of word for the description.
“With any stencil typeface there are the positive and negative forms — whether real or implied — that make up the resulting letter: 1) the actual stencil, which could be considered the negative space, and 2) the letter made from the stencil as the positive. The ‘area yet to be named’ functions differently in the physical form of the stencil than it does within its resulting letter.
“In the physical stencil, it connects a counter that otherwise would fall away resulting in a filled–in shape. In the case of some majuscules and numerals, it serves both as a support to give integrity to the stencil for ease of use, and creates a more consistent look across the entire alphabet. This uniformity or consistency helps a stencil typeface read a little better as a word or sentence, but I don’t believe the gaps created add ‘structural integrity’ to the resulting letterforms. The gaps add a degree of complexity that we are supposed to (ignore or) mentally fill in to understand that the true letterforms are intact.
“In the letter created, it appears as a gap or break in the form. This could be considered a link between the counter and the surrounding space if we think of the white space as the most important part of the letterform. (I suppose an argument could be made in favor of that especially from the perspective of a calligrapher who watches the white space transform at the edge of the nib rather than the black ink.)
“The named typographic parts or details (serifs, crossbars, etc.) refer to the actual form of the letter and not the white space around it with the only exception being a counter. If white space were considered a physical thing then a pylon, which also is a physical object, could be an appropriate term. But I think that the white space is not thought of as a physical element. The actual stencil is a physical thing and perhaps pylon makes sense for that, but the stencil itself is an afterthought in a typographic context. It existed like a piece of metal type existed to make a letter, but the letter itself is the only thing we are concerned with here. Therefore a word such as gap or break (or something else) seems more appropriate to me because it is actually what has happened to the letterform. That’s not very sexy but it makes more sense to me. Sorry.”
— Steve Sandstrom
“Excellent news! I won’t have to refer to it as ‘that fucking line thing’ anymore.”
— John Gall
Pylon, The font
Pylon, the font, accentuates the counters and matching pylons, making obvious their presence and relationship. It is available for free, with no applicable usage-rights, save that you don’t claim it as your own. Click the image to download the file.
Comments
“Thanks, I’m studying type design this year. This will be extremely useful to me.”
— Julian
“You blokes are the bomb digity! I love all your work. Cool idea.”
— Benjamin - leaving ground desi
