Typography beginner bookishquietcorrect

Old-Style Figures

Numerals with ascenders and descenders that sit in text without shouting.

What it does

Lining figures are all cap-height, which makes a date in running text read as a row of capitals and disrupts the line. Old-style or text figures vary: 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9 descend, 6 and 8 ascend, and the rest sit at x-height, so numbers have the same colour as the words around them. Tables want lining tabular figures instead. Choosing the wrong set is a small error that makes an otherwise good page look careless.

The prompt

A page of running text about [Subject] containing several dates and quantities, set with old-style text figures so numerals sit at x-height with 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9 descending and 6 and 8 ascending, giving numbers the same visual colour as the surrounding words. A small table alongside using lining tabular figures instead. Serif text face, cream paper.

Replace [Subject] with what you are shooting. Everything else is deliberate: the gear, stock and lighting are what push a generator towards this look.

Works well in

Ideogram, Midjourney, FLUX

Pairs with

Transitional Serif Rag Control

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