Good type against all odds
This piece explores the typographical quirks and side effects of line-by-line display hardware updating, comparing it to photographic rolling shutter effects. It examines how reading direction, display refresh mechanics, and historical design choices shaped standard practices in typography, such as right-leaning italics.
Why it matters
It bridges hardware limitations with aesthetic traditions in typography, reminding designers how technical artifacts historically influence cultural norms.
This is not italics. This is not even oblique . This is a side effect of how those displays work. Instead of a whole rectangle of pixels being changed at once, the display is updated line by line, starting from the top one. As it’s moving towards the bottom, the internal horizontal position might have already advanced, the subsequent lines will be drawn slightly to the left, and it all leads to a slanted appearance. (This is in effect the same problem as rolling shutter in photography.)
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