GCU Forum - Ordinal Indicators & Superscript

Mindy

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Ordinal Indicators & Superscript
Mar 22^nd, 2016, 12:20pm

Effective 4/1/16, GCU will require ordinal indicators (st, nd, rd, th) to be superscript on the front design of cards. This will give your cards a more polished and professional look.

Existing cards (approved prior to 4/1/16) that do not comply may be returned for edits at GCU’s discretion.

Please see the GCU Community blog for details:
http://gcucommunity.com/2016/03/18/nuts-and-bolts-superscript-ordinal-numbers/

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Beverly_133630 Full Member Posts: 177	Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript Reply #1 - Mar 22^nd, 2016, 6:39pm Hi Mindy, If you have cards with numbered candles on top of a cupcake or cake do you still need to use ordinal indicators (st, nd, rd, th)?
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Beverly_133630 Full Member Posts: 177	Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript Reply #2 - Mar 23^rd, 2016, 1:32pm To Anyone, If you have cards with numbered candles on top of a cupcake or cake do you still need to use ordinal indicators (st, nd, rd, th)?
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Cherie_131661 Senior Member artist Posts: 459	Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript Reply #3 - Mar 24^th, 2016, 7:32am Okeedoke! Thank you! Cherie
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Doreen_137017

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Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript
Reply #4 - Mar 24^th, 2016, 7:57am

Janet,

While you await a reply from GCU, I would think it depends on how you are using the numbered candle in the card front message.

If you say Happy _________ Birthday and the blank is filled in with your numbered candle, then I'd guess the answer would be yes, because grammatically, Happy One Birthday doesn't make sense.

If you say Look Who's Turning ______________ - then there would be no need for the superscript.

If you have the Numeral One Candle and then put Birthday under it, that too would then require the superscript, because it speaks to First not One in that message.

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Mindy

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Community Manager

Posts: 6533
Gender: female

Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript
Reply #5 - Mar 28^th, 2016, 1:43pm

Quote from Doreen_137017 on Mar 24^th, 2016, 7:57am:

Janet,

While you await a reply from GCU, I would think it depends on how you are using the numbered candle in the card front message.

If you say Happy _________ Birthday and the blank is filled in with your numbered candle, then I'd guess the answer would be yes, because grammatically, Happy One Birthday doesn't make sense.

If you say Look Who's Turning ______________ - then there would be no need for the superscript.

If you have the Numeral One Candle and then put Birthday under it, that too would then require the superscript, because it speaks to First not One in that message.

Thank you!

Correct, it depends on your design and how you are using the number. The difference is if number you are using is ordinal (to show order, 1st, 2nd, 3rd) or cardinal (to show quantity, one, two, three) with the latter not needing the ordinal indicator.

Here's a good little reference defining the difference between ordinal, cardinal and nominal:
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0875618.html

Ordinal numbers are the only ones needing the indicator (st, nd, rd, th).

If you want us to take a peek at a given card just reply here with a pid# and we're happy to give you our feedback.

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Kathleen_137290 Senior Member artist Posts: 498	Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript Reply #6 - Mar 28^th, 2016, 2:09pm Thanks for the neat reference Mindy. Would I need to add superscripts to the numbers on these cards? Product Id: 1060691, Product Id: 575768, Product Id: 533075, Product Id: 462271 Thanks, Kati
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Mindy

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Community Manager

Posts: 6533
Gender: female

Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript
Reply #7 - Mar 31^st, 2016, 6:42pm

Quote from Kathleen_137290 on Mar 28^th, 2016, 2:09pm:

Thanks for the neat reference Mindy.

Would I need to add superscripts to the numbers on these cards?
Product Id: 1060691, Product Id: 575768, Product Id: 533075, Product Id: 462271

Thanks,

Kati

Hi Kati,
Since you are using them as age numbers and not ordinal I think they are ok but I am asking our experts to give them a once over and will report back to you.

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Kathleen_137290 Senior Member artist Posts: 498	Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript Reply #8 - Mar 31^st, 2016, 8:30pm Thanks Mindy. Will watch for their response. Kati
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Stacia_208183

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Posts: 822

Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript
Reply #9 - Apr 1^st, 2016, 9:26am

This new requirement is a good idea. I've got a few I'll need to change, and I'm not sure why I didn't do it right the first time! I do foresee a possibility of unintended consequences, however:

If an artist makes a custom-front card text area, it will be more tricky to have "word-ordinal-word" on the same line (such as Happy XXth Birthday), because three text boxes will be needed (one for "Happy XX", one for "th" and one for "Birthday". And in order to make the superscripted ordinal, the placement of the first text box will need to be right justified to allow for using either a 1,-, 2-, or 3-digit number preceding the ordinal. If artists don't think of this, and the customers might get frustrated with strange gapping between the text and ordinals. This problem could occur even all info wasn't on the same line, even if it's just the number and the superscripted ordinal. Artists would just need to make sure the numbers are set to right justify in the custom box, right?

I hope I'm saying this in a way that makes sense! I have a small series of cards that would require this repair and/or a redesign.

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Stacia_208183

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Posts: 822

Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript
Reply #10 - Apr 1^st, 2016, 9:47am

Quote from Doreen_137017 on Mar 24^th, 2016, 7:57am:

Janet,

While you await a reply from GCU, I would think it depends on how you are using the numbered candle in the card front message.

If you say Happy _________ Birthday and the blank is filled in with your numbered candle, then I'd guess the answer would be yes, because grammatically, Happy One Birthday doesn't make sense.

If you say Look Who's Turning ______________ - then there would be no need for the superscript.

If you have the Numeral One Candle and then put Birthday under it, that too would then require the superscript, because it speaks to First not One in that message.

Just my two cents - I'm a fan of using ordinals correctly; however, I can see how artistic license might be appropriate in the circumstance of certain cake designs (I don't have any, by the way):

When I see an illustrated card with a cake with a numbered (cardinal) candle on it, I view that as representing what one would actually see if looking a photograph of a real cake with a real candle in the shape of a number, and I would think it would look very odd indeed to see an ordinal with the superscripted letters hanging up there in the air.

Thus if someone had the word "Happy" above the cake, and the cake had the number "5" sitting atop, and the word "Birthday" was underneath, it would seem more correct to me than turning the "5" to "5th" - even though that's how I would write it in a sentence.

I guess I see the artwork as being more of a photo in that case rather than being text.

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Mindy GCU Administrator Community Manager Posts: 6533 Gender:	Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript Reply #11 - Apr 6^th, 2016, 12:23pm Quote from Kathleen_137290 on Mar 31^st, 2016, 8:30pm: Thanks Mindy. Will watch for their response. Kati Green light! As you have them are correct and allowable. Thank you again for double checking with us.
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Kathleen_137290 Senior Member artist Posts: 498	Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript Reply #12 - Apr 7^th, 2016, 10:09pm Yahoo! Thanks Mindy.
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Robin_134252

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artist

Posts: 401

Re: Ordinal Indicators & Superscript
Reply #13 - Apr 22^nd, 2016, 9:59am

Quote from Stacia_208183 on Apr 1^st, 2016, 9:26am:

This new requirement is a good idea. I've got a few I'll need to change, and I'm not sure why I didn't do it right the first time! I do foresee a possibility of unintended consequences, however:

If an artist makes a custom-front card text area, it will be more tricky to have "word-ordinal-word" on the same line (such as Happy XXth Birthday), because three text boxes will be needed (one for "Happy XX", one for "th" and one for "Birthday". And in order to make the superscripted ordinal, the placement of the first text box will need to be right justified to allow for using either a 1,-, 2-, or 3-digit number preceding the ordinal. If artists don't think of this, and the customers might get frustrated with strange gapping between the text and ordinals. This problem could occur even all info wasn't on the same line, even if it's just the number and the superscripted ordinal. Artists would just need to make sure the numbers are set to right justify in the custom box, right?

I hope I'm saying this in a way that makes sense! I have a small series of cards that would require this repair and/or a redesign.

Would like to see an answer to this question as I have quite a few series with this issue as well

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