Reader Question: Help. I’m designing a tube map using Illustrator. I would like the x-height of the font I have chosen to be the same as the thickness of the tube lines. But Illustrator only seems to allow me to adjust the total height of any font, not the x height – so I can’t get a perfect match. Do you have any idea if this is possible? I Couldn’t find any information about it on Google. Many thanks for your help. Daniel.

Transit Maps says:

Daniel, adjusting the x-height of a font independently of its point size is not possible. It’s an inherent property of each font that helps give each different font their distinctive look. Fonts with larger x-heights (lower-case letters that are bigger in proportion to the capital letters) are preferable for transit map designs because of the enhanced legibility, especially at a distance or with smaller sizes. You’ll just have to do some measuring of your chosen font to work out which point size gives you the desired result.