What Is Point Size in Graphic Design?

Point size in graphic design refers to the height of a letter or a character. It is usually measured from the top of the tallest ascender on a font to the bottom of the lowest descender.

In other words, it is the height of a typography character from the baseline to its topmost point. Point size is also referred to as font size and most commonly used in printing and web design.

The term “point size” was first used by Timothy Crop in 1737 when he was experimenting with different sizes for typefaces. He created a system that divided an inch into 72 points, which is still used today in digital publishing and printing.

Each point corresponds to 1/72nd of an inch, or 0.013837 inches. This means that if you set your text at 12 points, it will be 0.167 inches tall.

When it comes to choosing fonts for your designs, point size plays an important role as it affects readability, legibility and overall aesthetics of your designs. It is important to select the right typeface and point size that complements other elements on your page such as images, colors and layout.

When selecting point sizes for text in print design, 12 points is considered the standard size for body text while 14-18 points are considered more appropriate for headlines or titles. On web design however, 10-12 points are usually big enough for body copy while headlines should be 16-24 points.

Conclusion:
Point size in graphic design is an important element that affects readability and legibility of text as well as overall aesthetic appeal of a design. It can be measured from top of tallest ascender on a font to bottom of lowest descender and usually expressed in units called “points”. When selecting fonts for designs, 12 points are generally used for body copy while 14-18 points are more suitable for headlines or titles on print designs, while 10-12 points are typically big enough on websites with 16-24 points being more suitable for headlines or titles.