--- title: Intial Hebrew trials description: The Ubuntu project is going full speed. We have started intial work on the Hebrew and would like to share a few thoughts with you. This PDF illustrates how we arrived at some of the basic proportions. Pages 1 to 5 deal with the proportional relationship of the Hebrew height against the Latin x- and […] url: https://canonical.com/blog/intial-hebrew-trials?format=md --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical "More about Canonical") 23 September 2010 # Intial Hebrew trials [Dalton Maag](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/dalton-maag) [Design](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/design) [font](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/font) [Hebrew](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/hebrew) [typography](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/typography-2) [Ubuntu Desktop](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/ubuntu-desktop) [web](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/web) --- Share the article The Ubuntu project is going full speed. We have started intial work on the Hebrew and would like to share a few thoughts with you. [This PDF](http://www.daltonmaag.com/temp/UbuntuHebrew%20basic%20alphabet_height%20test.pdf) illustrates how we arrived at some of the basic proportions. Pages 1 to 5 deal with the proportional relationship of the Hebrew height against the Latin x- and cap heights. From the start it was clear to us that a Hebrew to full cap height would be too big so we set it at 90% of cap height (T1). The other extreme is set just above x-height (T2). We then proceeded to create two variations in between to allow us to make an informed decision in regards to the correct proportion. Examining the proofs in pages 1 to 5 our design team agreed that T2 and instance 400 are too small to stand up against the Latin. Instance 600 was closer and was considered but in the end we all felt that T1 provided the right proportional relationship, and also feels the right size within itself. Page 6 shows some sample setting of T1 and I feel it sits very comfortably on the page. Page 7 displays a glyph overview of the characters designed so far. We are aware that the design of the glyphs still needs a lot of work but their design allows us to establish the basic grid, the proportions and how some design details are to be treated. At present we would like to hear your opinion in regards to its proportional relationship with the Latin, also bearing in mind that the Hebrew will be used within a GUI environment. Bruno Maag ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/dataprivacy). Sign up ## Share on --- ## Related posts [### Why web engineering is great](https://canonical.com/blog/why-web-engineering-is-great) Hi, I’m Johann! I’m an engineering manager in Canonical’s web team. For the larger part of my 15 years of work experience as engineer, I’ve been working in web development.... [Johann Wolf](https://canonical.com/blog/author/johannwolf) 27 April 2026 [### Arduino® VENTUNO™ Q is available for pre-order with Ubuntu pre-installed](https://canonical.com/blog/arduino-ventuno-q-is-available-for-pre-order-with-ubuntu-pre-installed) London, UK – August 25, 2026 – Following our initial collaboration announcement in March 2026, Canonical and Arduino (a subsidiary of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.) are excited... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 25 August 2026 [### Challenges designers face in open source (and how to fix them)](https://canonical.com/blog/challenges-designers-face-in-open-source-and-how-to-fix-them) Open source powers up to 90% of modern software, yet many projects lack usability. Canonical’s Design team surveyed 115 cross-functional professionals to uncover the 4 core... [Kola Ojoodide](https://canonical.com/blog/author/kola-ojoodide) 26 June 2026 [### AI with AMD ROCm on Ubuntu: your questions answered](https://canonical.com/blog/amd-rocm-on-ubuntu) AMD ROCm is now available in Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. Learn what how to make the best of it, and find out what this will mean in the coming years for development in Ubuntu. [Kevin Cazabon](https://canonical.com/blog/author/kcazabon) 3 June 2026