ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Em (typography)

Em in typography is a unit of measurement that helps designers determine the relative sizing of fonts. It's like a ruler for letters! When designers create fonts, they often use an em square as the basis for defining the shape and size of each character.

Think of it like a piece of paper that is divided into little squares, and each square is called an "em." When a designer creates a font, they decide how tall and wide each character should be in relation to the em square. For example, if a font has a size of 12pt and an em value of 16pt, then each letter will be 0.75em tall and 0.75em wide.

Em is very useful in typography because it allows designers to create fonts that are consistent and easy to read. It's also helpful for scaling fonts up or down, as the relative sizing of characters will stay the same. So, whether you're creating a big headline or a small body text, em helps ensure that everything looks nice and consistent!