Video · Typography

Typography

Type sizes tuned for Towbook video production. All values are pixel measurements on a 1920 × 1080 canvas — double them for 4K (3840 × 2160). Inter Variable across the whole system.

Title scale

Full-frame title cards, intro animations, chapter dividers. Set tight tracking; titles read better when the letters cluster.

Title XL
Title XL
140 / 132 · 800 · -0.03em
Hero title card · series open
Title L
Title L
100 / 100 · 700 · -0.025em
Chapter card · section divider
Title M
Title M
72 / 78 · 700 · -0.02em
On-screen primary title

Heading scale

The headlines that run inside tutorial frames — paired with a device, screenshot, or icon. Headline L matches the amber type used in our Layout 01 tutorial frame.

Private group chat
Heading L
56 / 60 · 700 · -0.015em
Tutorial frame headline (2 lines)
Feature subheading
Heading M
40 / 48 · 600 · -0.01em
Section break · grouped feature title
Inline section head
Heading S
28 / 36 · 600 · -0.005em
Step labels · supporting heading

List & feature scale

Multi-item lists where each row gets headline treatment. Used in Layout 02 (feature lists alongside a screenshot). Set leading loose so items breathe.

Cash Calls
List XL
48 / 64 · 700 · -0.01em
Amber feature lists · 4–8 items
Police Contracts
List M
36 / 52 · 600 · -0.005em
Secondary lists · denser frames
Body Shops
List S
28 / 40 · 500 · 0
Step lists · numbered sequences

Body & explanation scale

Paragraph copy, multi-line explanations, and read-along blocks. Never set body below 22px at 1080p — streaming compression eats fine strokes.

When a new call comes in, dispatch assigns the closest driver based on real-time location.
Body L
28 / 40 · 400
Primary paragraph · explainer voice-over text
Two-line supporting copy under a headline, kept short enough to read in 2-3 seconds.
Body M
24 / 34 · 400
Secondary copy · prefatory description
Tertiary helper text used sparingly — minimum legible body for 1080p.
Body S
22 / 30 · 400
Footnote-adjacent body · last legible step

Lower thirds & on-screen labels

Persistent speaker IDs, location labels, and on-screen attributions. Title sits above the rule; subtitle sits below at one weight lighter and 60% width.

Bill Cloud
Lead Driver · Cloud Towing & Recovery
LT Title
44 / 52 · 600 · -0.5%
LT Subtitle
26 / 32 · 400
Lives in the bottom-left at x: 96px · y: 864px on a 1920×1080 canvas. Hold for at least 4 seconds.

Captions, supers, footnotes

Short, transient text. Captions and supers sit on a translucent backdrop for legibility over any footage.

Closed caption sample — kept under two lines.
Caption
28 / 36 · 500
Open / closed captions · accessibility
Towbook · est. 2007
Super
24 / 30 · 500
Short on-screen attribution · brand super
Sources, citations, and disclosures.
Footnote
20 / 28 · 400
End-frame disclosures · footnotes

Video type scale — at a glance

Role
Size (1080p)
Line
Weight
Use
Title XL
140 px
132 px
800
Hero title card
Title L
100 px
100 px
700
Chapter divider
Title M
72 px
78 px
700
Primary on-screen title
Heading L
56 px
60 px
700
Tutorial frame headline
Heading M
40 px
48 px
600
Subheading
Heading S
28 px
36 px
600
Step / inline head
List XL
48 px
64 px
700
Amber feature list
List M
36 px
52 px
600
Secondary list
List S
28 px
40 px
500
Numbered step list
Body L
28 px
40 px
400
Paragraph body
Body M
24 px
34 px
400
Secondary copy
Body S
22 px
30 px
400
Minimum legible body
LT Title
44 px
52 px
600
Lower-third speaker name
LT Subtitle
26 px
32 px
400
Lower-third role / org
Caption
28 px
36 px
500
Closed caption
Super
24 px
30 px
500
Short on-screen super
Footnote
20 px
28 px
400
Footnote / disclosure
Rules of thumb
  • All values are pixel sizes on a 1920 × 1080 canvas. For 4K, double everything — the relative scale stays the same.
  • Never set body text below 22 px at 1080p. Streaming compression turns 18 – 20 px into mush, especially on dark backgrounds.
  • Tighten tracking as size grows. Use -0.03em at title XL, drift to 0 by body S.
  • Keep titles within title-safe (90 % of frame). Lower thirds, captions, and supers sit at action-safe (93 %) — TV chrome may crop the rest.
  • On-screen text should be readable in 2 seconds. If a line takes longer, split it across two frames.