Non-Designer’s Type Book, The, Second Edition

Chapter 23. Swash Characters

Have you ever wanted to give an extra-special look to some type without being too bold? Perhaps you want a strong yet elegant look? A judicious use of swash characters can add a touch of sophistication to headlines, titles, quotations, etc.

Swash characters are specially designed letterforms that have “tails” or elaborate shapes, usually swooping away from or under the rest of the letters. Swash characters are like cheesecake—use them sparingly for a delectable (not disgusting) effect. In the three examples below, the first one is the regular face, the second is the italic version, and the third is a combination of the italic and its matching swash font.

Swash characters are not included in most regular font character ...