Typography: Task 1

 29/9/2023 - 29/10/2023

ALTAIFI, LEEN MAAN A (0367698)

Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media, Taylor's University

Typography


Table of Content

1. Lectures

2Instructions & Tasks

        Task 1 Ex.1a: Ideation

       Task 1 Ex.1b: Digitization

        -Final Type Expression Submission

        -Task 1 Ex.1c: Animation

        -Task 1 Ex.2a: Kerning

        -Task 1 Ex.2b: Text Formatting

        -Final Text Formatting Submission

4Feedback

5Reflections

6Further Reading


1. Lectures


Week 1 (30/9/2023): Introduction, Lecture Typo 0

Our first class of the semester was a brief online session conducted on Saturday, 30th of September, instead of the scheduled date Friday 29/9, due to the fact that our lecturer needed to postpone the class. Nevertheless, we managed to outline the goals of this class and a thorough introduction to the module. Additionally, we were given instructions to set up our e-portfolios and our first task. The lecturer made it so we choose our own words for the upcoming task; I personally enjoyed the interactivity aspect and seeing everyone else's suggestions. My suggestions "power" and "soup" happened to be one of the 8 words that won majority's votes. Afterwards, we were asked to watch a prerecorded lecture video. 

Typography as a subject is often difficult for new students as it is a challenge to view text as visual design when we are so used to viewing it as a practical function. This class, however, aims to change our perception. 

What is Typography? 


Fig. 1.1: Letter Construction Grid (30/9/2023)


There are many ways you could define typography; Typography can be defined as the act of creating letters, fonts, and typefaces. Oxford Dictionary suggests that it is the style and appearance of printed matter, and Wikipedia describes it as the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing. The process of arranging type involves: selecting typefaces, point size, line length, line spacing, letter spacing, and letter pairs spacing. 
    Like any craft, typography has developed over the course of centuries; It started from calligraphy, to lettering, and to what we know as typography today. In calligraphy: you write. In lettering: you hand-draw out the letters. In typography: computers are introduced, thus used as tools. 

Who Practices Typography? 

Typography is a vital component of design that can be used across a wide range of fields. It is the work of typographers, typesetters, compositors, graphic designers, UI/UX designers, graffiti artists...etc. This is because typography is found and is applicable everywhere in our daily lives; in street signs, in magazines, in newsletters, in websites, in apps, and so on. It is the act of expressing information and the mastering of effective communication through the design of text.

Terminology

Typeface: refers to the entire family of fonts/weights that share similar characteristics. i.e. Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana. 

Font: refers to the individual weight within the typeface. i.e. Georgia Regular, Georgia Italic, Georgia Bold

Week 2 (6/10/2023):  Lecture Typo 3

Our second class was conducted physically, contrary to last week. In the first hour, the lecturer reviewed our works and gave feedback on each individual's work; the feedback can be applicable to all. After reviewing most of our works, we were asked to choose 4 designs out of all the thumbnail sketches to digitize for next class. 

1. Text Tracking: Kerning and Letterspacing: 

Fig. 1.2: Without Kerning + With Kerning (30/9/2023)


Kerning is the automatic adjustment of space between letters. Letterspacing is the addition of space between letters. Tracking is the addition or removal of space between letters, words and sentences. (Those definitions are often mixed up and interchanged.) They are mostly used in headlines and avoided in long body of texts. Typically, when the first letter of a word is uppercased, space would be added in order to give more breathing room to the uppercased letter. And increasing the letter space between lowercased letters is frowned upon (visual-wise) since the font already has a designed and established spacing.

When designing posters, letters, or any design that is majorly text, using Adobe Indesign is recommended. In Adobe Indesign, the shortcut key to increase the amount of space between letters is Alt + ">" and Alt + "<" to decrease. 

In typography, we do not just look at the letterforms, but also the counter form of the negative space between strokes. What we refer as counter form is the empty (negative) space between the strokes (positive space). Having too loose or extremely tight tracking hinders the viewers ability to  read the words, therefore, it should be used to an extent. In the figure below, it shows examples of normal, loose, and tight tracking. . 

Fig. 1.3: Normal, Loose, and Tight Tracking (30/9/2023)

                                                

Formatting Text: 

Flush Left (Ragged right): This format closely resembles the asymmetrical experience of handwriting. Each line starts at the same point but ends wherever the last word on the line ends. The spaces between the words are kept consistent throughout. Generally, this format is the most used when reading English. 

Centered (Ragged left and right) : This format imposes symmetry upon the text with equal value and weight to both ends of every line transforming bodies of text into shapes. This format is advised to be used sparingly due to the fact that it hinders the viewers ability to read. 

Flush Right (Ragged left): This format places emphasis on the end of the line as opposed to the start. This format is also advised to be used in short amount of text to prioritize readability. 

Justified (Flush left and right): This format imposes a symmetrical shape on the overall text. It is achieved by expanding or reducing spaces between words and letters. 


Fig. 1.4: Anatomy of a Typeface (30/9/2023)

                                                            
Week 3 (13/10/2023):  Lecture Typo 3 Pt. 2

Indicating Paragraphs: 

Paragraphs are indicated in many ways. The Pilcrow (¶) is a symbol used to mark a new paragraph. It was used by medieval manuscripts and is rarely seen in todays time. 

Contrary to the pilcrow, a paragraph indication that is used today is line spacing between the paragraphs. The leading and the paragraph space should have equal value in order to achieve cross-alignment. For example, if your writing in a font size of 10pt, typically the line spacing would be 12pt to 13pt. In this case, if you had 2 columns of text, the sentences would align perfectly. 


Fig. 1.5: Example of Cross-alignment (13/10/2023)

The terms line spacing and leading are often interchangeable in the modern times, but they refer to 2 different things. The term leading was historically used because traditional print shops quite literally used lead between lines of type to increase vertical space. The figure below describes the difference between the two terms. 

Fig. 1.6: Difference between Leading and Line Spacing (13/10/2023)

Another way to indicate a paragraph is to create indentation. Indentation is the space between the first word of the paragraph and the margins, and the usage of it started in newspapers as a way to save space and include as much text in a the paper.  Typically, the indent is the same as the line spacing or the text point size. If indentation is used, the paragraph alignment must be in 'justified' in order to not have jagged lines on both the left and right side.

And finally, the last way for paragraph indication is extending the first line of the paragraph; it is used in academic writing, but it is generally not used because of the rather unorganized appearance it creates. 

Typesetting: DOs and DON'Ts

In traditional typesetting, there are two things that always must be avoided: 
A widow is a short line of type that is left alone at the end of a column of the text. And an orphan is a short line of type left alone at the start of a new column. It can be solved by reducing the column height on one side or reintroducing a second line, but it is best to avoid it in the first place.

Fig. 1.7: Orphan and Widow Example (13/10/2023)


Highlighting Text: 

There are different ways to indicate important bodies of text, or to highlight, and it includes using italic, increasing the weight of the text (bold), changing the type family, or changing the color. The only colors that are to be changed into is yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you are changing the type family, make sure to adjust the text size accordingly; Sans Serif fonts typically look larger in comparison to Serif fonts. 

Other ways to highlight in text is by placing a field of color behind the text. It is either placed in alignment with the reading axis, or it could be extended; it is up to the individual's taste.

 Quotations could also be used to highlight text, and can also either align with the reading axis or break the left reading axis. And it is important to highlight the distinction between a prime and a quote. The prime is an abbreviation for inches and feet. The figure below explains the difference. 

Fig. 1.8: Primes and Quotes (13/10/2023)

Week 4 (20/10/2023): Lecture Typo 2 Basic

Letterforms Components: 

Baseline: The imaginary line the visual base of the letterforms.
Median: The imaginary line defining the x- height of the letterforms.
X Height: The height in any typeface of the lowercase 'x'. 


Fig. 1.9: Baseline, Median, X height  (24/10/2023)


Stroke: Any line that defines the basic letterform.
Apex (above)/Vertex (below): The point created by joining two diagonal stems.
Arm: Short stem off the stem of the letterform. 
Ascender: The portion of the stem of a lowercase that exceeds the median line.


Fig. 1.12: Arms (24/10/2023)
Fig. 1.10: Apex/Vertex (24/10/2023)
Fig. 1.11: Stroke (24/10/2023)


Barb: The half-serif finish on a curved stroke.
Beak: The half-serif finish on a horizontal arm.
Bowl: The rounded form that describes a counter; it may be open or closed.
Bracket: The transition between the serif and the stem. 
Cross stroke: The horizonal stroke in a letterform that joins two strokes together. 
Crotch: The interior space where two strokes meet.
Descender: The portion of the stem of a letterform that descends below the baseline.
Ear: The stroke extending out from the main stem or the body of the letterform.
Em/En: Originally referring to the width of uppercased M, and em is now the distance equal to the size of the typeface. An en is equal to half of em.
Finial: The rounded non-serif terminal to a stroke.
Ligature: The character formed by a combination of two or more letterforms.
Link: The stroke that connects the bowl and the loop of a lowercase g.
Spine: The curved stem of S.
Stress: The orientation of the letterforms, indicated by the thinning of the stroke in round forms.
Swash: The flourish that extends the stroke of the letterform.

The Font:

The font, or often referred to as the type-family, has more than 26 letters; it is also consisted of punctuation marks, and numerals. More specifically, it includes: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, small capitals, uppercase numerals, lowercase numerals, italic, punctuation, miscellaneous characters, and a few have ornaments. Word of advice, when it comes to choosing a font, it is best to choose one that has plenty of typefaces for more variety. 

Describing Type families:

The way type families are described are often from what they are derived from, so you can apply what you know to identify type families, and they reflect the era which they are from. For example, The Roman letterform is derived from the inscriptions of Roman monuments. A good font represents the message needed to portrayed, so when choosing a font, the message has to be decided first. 

Week 5 (27/10/2023): Lecture Typo 5

Letters:

Uppercase letters may appear symmetrical, but close inspection will say otherwise; there is an optical-sensitive reason for the imbalance of letter width. The complexity of each individual letter is more apparent when examined up close using grids. The subtlest details make a huge impact on the readability. A common mistake beginners often do when designing letterforms is making a lot of changes to the letter, this causes too much distortion. Changes in each letterform must be simple, minimal, and consistent (repeated across the whole alphabet.) Avoid overloading. 

As previously mentioned, the x-height is the general height of the lowercase letterforms, however, letters with curved strokes must rise above the median or sink below the baseline in order to appear as the same height.

It's important to note that not only are the individual strokes of the letter important, but also the counter form (the negative space outside it) because it also strongly affects the readability. 

The basic rules of graphic design also apply directly to typography, such as contrast. Simple contrasts produces numerous variations such as: 
-small + organic 
-large + machined
-small + dark 
-large + light


2. Instructions & Tasks

Module Brief: 


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Task 1 Ex.1a: Ideation (Week 1-2)

    For our First Task, we were instructed to sketch out ideas of letterforms around 10 given fonts based on 4 words of our choosing. 
The 10 Fonts given were: 
1. Adobe Calson Pro
2. Bembo Std
3. Bodoni Std
4. Futura Std
5. Gill Sans Std
6. ITC Garamond Std
7. ITC New Baskerville Std
8. Janson Text LT Std
9. Serifa Std
10. Univers Lt Std

    Upon making a poll from the numerous words we suggested ourselves, these 8 words have won majority votes: Smoke, Soup, Spooky, Power, Impact, Crunch, Drunk, and Fold. We were asked to choose 4 from these 8 words and base our designs on their meaning as well as the 10 fonts.

    First, before I began sketching out designs, I researched for existing designs in order to get inspiration and a better understanding of the typography design process. This is my first experience with designing text, so this was quite the challenge.


Fig. 2.1: Compilation of Visual Research for Inspiration (31/9/2023)

    As we were told to base our designs on the given fonts, I typed down the words In all 10 fonts and most of the typefaces for visual reference of how the word would look like. 

Fig. 2.2: Font Reference for Words Smoke, Soup, Fold, Power
 (31/9/2023)

    After I have gotten more familiarity with typography through research, I began the design process. I have chosen the words: Smoke, Crunch, Soup, and Drunk; and sketched out 3 ideas for each word respectively.

Fig. 2.3: Ideas for Task 1 (1/10/2023)


Task 1 Ex.1b: Digitization (Week 3)

    After choosing 1 idea for each word from all the brainstormed thumbnail sketches, I digitized my designs using the given fonts as well as the feedback provided. 

    I ended up choosing the first idea of  "smoke" to digitize. The idea is that the design of the word 'smoke' resembles the symbol of a cigarette, with the 'e' upside down to symbolize the tip of the cigarette. I used the font Futura Std because it was the simplest of all the given fonts, which matched the style I was going for: minimalist street sign. I drew out the trail that the smoke would follow as a guide to where the letters would go and fade out. 

Fig. 2.4: Smoke Sign  (13/10/2023)
Fig. 2.5: Digitizing "Smoke" in Progress 1 (13/10/2023)


Fig. 2.6: Digitizing "Smoke" in Progress 2 (13/10/2023)


Since the word is technically in a box, I thought I could incorporate that reality as a part of the design and realistically draw out how the smoke as a gas would behave: the particles (in this case, the letters) would hit the roof of the box and spread out. 

In the figure below, is my first draft of digitizing the 4 words. But after receiving feedback, I have adjusted my designs accordingly. For "smoke", I was told I could not deform the font (which I did in order to further create the illusion of the cigarette). And the overall look of the four words looked weak and lacked viewer engagement. A solution to this, for example, was to increase the font. prevent the negative space from occupying the box, and add variety to the designs. 
 
Fig. 2.7: Digitization Draft 1 (13/10/2023)


My initial idea for "drunk" was the overlapping one on the left; visualizing the mental state of how it feels to be in the state of being drunk. But then I changed it to a simpler idea in a visual sense; the "k" falling signifying the physical aspect of being drunk. The lecturer gave the suggestion to not use the italic typeface, so I used the regular typeface instead and the "k" being the only deformation; simple but concise. 
Fig. 2.8: Design Process of Drunk (13/10/2023)


The main idea is for the "crunch" to break in half signifying the act of crunching with a bit of crumbs falling. For my first draft of "crunch", I used the font Adobe Carlson Pro, but I was given the feedback that it did not suit the word, so I changed it into Futura Std, which matches the bold action of the verb. I also decreased the angle of the 2 halves of the word because it could be mislead to be the meaning of break, which is not what I'm trying to portray.



Fig. 2.9: Design Process of Crunch (13/10/2023)



The idea I chose for the word 'soup' is directly inspired by the alphabet soup. The letters of the word are acting as if they are the alphabets floating on the soup with a top view of the plate. Having illustrations is not allowed, so this design is pushing the boundaries. Nonetheless, it is still considered within the rules because the illustration/shape is made up of letters.

Fig. 2.10: Alphabet Soup


First, I drew a circle for the plate, then I placed the letters one by one using the circle as the path. After the lecturer's feedback, i adjusted the spacing of the alphabets inside and added ripples surrounding them so they seem more flowy, and shaded the negative space as grey to differentiate between the subject and the background.

Fig. 2.11: Design Process of Soup (13/10/2023)


Final Type Expression Submission:


     Fig. 2.12: 4 Word Expression Final Draft JPEG (13/10/2023)



 Fig. 2.12: 4 Word Expression Final Draft PDF (13/10/2023)




     


Task 1 Ex.1c: Animation (Week 4) 

After finalizing the 4 word expressions, it was now time to further enhance the expression by animating one of the words. My first attempt was animating the word Crunch, because it was simple, concise, and I already thought of a way to add to the meaning and expression of the word through animating it. 

Fig. 2.12: Animation frames of Crunch (17/10/2023)
Fig. 2.13: First Draft of Animation of Crunch (17/10/2023)


However, I was not satisfied with the word Crunch, so I changed my mind and ended up animating Smoke instead. I felt that it was the most unique idea out of the 4, and I wanted to challenge myself by making the smoke come to life. The animation starts before the smoke starts to disperse; it's condensed at the tip of the cigarette, and slowly starts moving upwards and losing transparency as the letters scatter. I moved the letters one by one adjusting the placement, the angle, and the opacity of it frame by frame.


Fig. 2.15: Animation of Smoke progress 2 (18/10/2023)
Fig. 2.14: Animation of Smoke progress 1 (18/10/2023)



Final Gif Animation Submission:


Fig. 2.16: Final Animation of Smoke (17/10/2023)


(Add headlines to final submission and add the post where it has the name and id. And add pdf versions)

Task 1 Ex.2a: Kerning (Week 5)

In this side task, we are instructed to use our name to practice kerning and tracking. We're free to use different fonts, and font weights, using all the 10 fonts given in the previous exercise.  


I played around with different font weights to match my liking and adjusted the kerning respectfully. To kern, you press 'alt' + left arrow to increase the spacing and 'alt' + right arrow to decrease the spacing. After I've finished kerning, I worked on the presentation of the final draft with the font aligned to the left and my name in the middle—the center of attention.
Fig. 2.17: Final draft of Task 1 Ex.2a Kerning (24/10/2023)



Task 1 Ex.2b: Text Formatting (Week 5)

For this task, the learning goal is to format text using leading, correct paragraph spacing font size, line length, information hierarchy, reading rhythm, achieving cross-alignment between columns of text, and consider the overall presentation of the work with creativity, technicality, and effective communication.

Fig. 2.18: Progress of Text Formatting 1 (25/10/2023)

I've divided the A4 paper into 4 columns, so that the text box would fit into 2 columns each. Typically in an A4 paper, the proper number of characters per line should be 50 to 60, so I adjusted the type size accordingly. And ideally the leading should be 2.5 to 3 points more than the type size. So, for example, I used size 10 pt for my text, and the leading is 12 pt. The paragraph spacing should also be the same as the leading.

Fig. 2.20: Text formatting Draft 1 
 (25/10/2023)
Fig. 2.19: Progress of Text Formatting 2 (25/10/2023)



I've played around with the composition to get the sense of what looks good and what doesn't. Ideally, it would be simple, creative, smart use of negative space, technically correct, and easy to comprehend and read. However, for this assignment specifically, it was crucial for there to be at least 2 columns of text for cross-alignment. Therefore, draft 4 is automatically out of the equation. 


Fig. 2.23: Text formatting Draft 4 
 (25/10/2023)
Fig. 2.21: Text formatting Draft 2
 (25/10/2023)

Fig. 2.22: Text formatting Draft 3 
 (25/10/2023)

After a thorough review of all everyone's work during class, I noted down the general feedback and applied it onto my final draft. A very noticeable mistake I've done, or rather something that is frowned upon in design, is when you squint one eye and the overall text looks dark. Meaning, the leading and paragraph spacing is too small, thus the lines are very close to each other. In my earlier drafts, my leading was only 2 points larger than the font size. In my final draft, it is 3 points larger.


Final Text Formatting Submission:

Fig. 2.24: Text formatting Final Draft With Grid 
 (25/10/2023)
Fig. 2.23: Text formatting Final Draft Without Grid 
 (27/10/2023)





















Fig. 2.25: Text formatting Final Draft Without Grid PDF
 (27/10/2023)



Fig. 2.26: Text formatting Final Draft With Grid PDF
 (27/10/2023)


Text Formatting Details: 

Head:
Font/s: Univers LT Std
Type Size/s: 50 pt
Leading: 60 pt
Paragraph spacing: 13 pt

Body:
Font/s: Univers LT Std
Type Size/s: 10 pt
Leading: 13 pt
Paragraph spacing: 13 pt
Characters per-line: 50
Alignment: Align Left
Margins: 3p0 top, 2p3 left, 2p3 right ,3p0 bottom
Columns: 4
Gutter: 1p2.173


Back to the top


3. Feedback 

Task 1 Ex.1a: Thumbnail Sketches/ Ideation (Week 2)
Keep the distortions and graphic elements minimal; the simpler the better. 
Play around with variations in size of the letters more, as well as add intention and meaning behind the alterations. Distortion is acceptable when the majority of the word is intact; i.e. the bottom half has no distortion whereas the top quarter does. 
Always number your sketches. 
-idea 1 of Smoke works, but all are fine.
-idea 1 of Soup works, pushing the boundaries but it is still within the rules. (having illustrations but using letters to shape it.)
-idea 3 of Crunch, keep the cracks but don't distort the size too much. Don't break the word "Crunch" too much, tilt it a bit. 
-idea 1 of Drunk is fine, but the rest have too much distortions, and idea 3 is "menacing". 

Task 1 Ex.1b: Digitizing Ideas (Week 3)
General Feedback:
Always record your process work. Provide progress whenever there is a final draft. 
-Don't let the negative space occupy your work; let your work occupy your work by enlarging the text in the box. Let the viewer engage.

-Go to glyphs to look at all the letterforms. 

-Add variation in the words. Do not make them all look similar or under one theme. (By changing the background color, for example.)

Specific Feedback:
-smoke: put the word in the corner and enlarge the word let the smoke occupy the space. Don't stretch out the word.
-drunk: Don't use italic and enlarge the word.
-soup: grey background, spread the letters more, and add ripples. 
-crunch: use a different typeface, like Futura Bold. 

Task 1 Ex.1c: Animating 1 Word (Week 4)
General Feedback:
Make sure the animation actually portrays the meaning of the word and adds to the understanding of the meaning of the word in a creative sense.

Task 1 Ex.2b: Text Formatting (Week 5)
General Feedback:
The visual in the layout has to be photographic in nature and has to be related to the topic, type images are to be avoided because the layout is already majorly textual.

-The text composed has to be even color; the leading should be 2.5 to 3 points more than the type size.

-If the headline is already large, there is no need to make it bold; no need to emphasize something already emphasized. 

-The bodies of text if they are of the same text, it should be the exact same: text size, weight, leading, paragraph spacing, and columns. To avoid rivers. 

-Avoid overlapping images with text because it hinders the readers ability to comprehend the text. 

-Line length has to suit the point size or else the sentences might be too short, and as a result, have large gaps. 

Specific Feedback:
-In the headline, the Helvetica doesn't have to be capital to emphasize it. Either capitalize all "I AM HELVETICA" or emphasize it by using bold or Italic.




4. Reflections

Experience

My initial experience in this module was challenging especially because this was my first experience designing text, or looking at text in a designer perspective, and my first time using adobe software as well. I learned a bit about the history, evolution, and significance of typography and that made the design process all the more interesting knowing its potential and its depth.

At first, I was focusing on the wrong sets of skills for typography. I come from a drawing background, so most of my type designs were illustrative in nature. After trial, error, and feedback from the lecturer, I have changed  the direction I was taking, and focused more on designing rather than illustrating. 

Documenting my progress was also difficult to get used to at first, since I tend to forget to record my progress whilst working, but it became a habit afterwards.

Observations

The learning style of this class was different compared to the others due to the fact that it was the only physical BDCM class; it was more interactive that way and the lecturer gave a lot of helpful feedback. It felt a lot more like I was genuinely learning rather than just attending a class because some of the times we would work in class. This creates a productive environment since my peers are working alongside me, and we could give each other critiques and advices.

I also observed that I tend to spend a lot of time paying attention to the smallest details that I often forget about the bigger picture and the main idea, when I should be spending a lot of my time in the ideation process.

Findings

I learned that design is not simply about aesthetics, or the visual aspect of things. It is about communicating information and ideas in a way that is both easily understood and creative. Through practicing and working on all the tasks and exercises, I've learned to implement more thinking, and planning to the message of my designs, instead of just the appearance. 

I found out that when it comes to design, you are supposed to test the limits. While design can be technical and have rights and wrongs, it is still subjective.
Always think outside the box, do not let rules and limitations confine you!




5. Further Readings

Week 1 (30/9/2023)
Typographic Design: Form Communication by Rob Carter

                                                             

Fig. 3.1: Typographic Design: Form Communication by Rob Carter Book Cover
                                                              
On the first chapter of Rob Carter's book "Typographic Design Form Communication", he writes about the evolution of of Typography. The word 'typography' in of itself is defined as the evolution of the written word, so in order to look at the history and evolution of typography, we must look all the way back to the first invention of writing. 

The timeline is divided as such: the invention of writing 5000 years ago by the Sumerians on clay tablets and its evolution till the invention of the movable type in the 18th century and its drastic influences to typography.

Ancient writing ranged from being carved on clay, stone, and a part of ornamental architecture, to manuscripts and such. As technology was introduced, it played a vital role in developing typography via the tools and design influences. The book showcases a detailed timeline of the evolution typography underwent and vital examples of design works in each era. 




Fig. 3.2: The Earliest Written Document 
from Sumer









Fig. 3.3: Typography Examples from 1910-1920










Week 2 (6/10/2023): 
Computer Typography Basics by David Creamer

Fig. 3.4: Computer Typography Basics by David Creamer


Throughout history, the first goal of Typography was readability. Prioritizing order, structure, and ease in reading, instead of aesthetics and uniqueness. At first glance, writing a report does not seem to require any design background or knowledge, however, once you choose one font over another and adjust margins and so on, you have entered the design realm. 

There are many different types of fonts, and some of the differences are subtle while others are very distinct. These are the expanded categories fonts typically fall under:

Serif: is the most common text or "body" font. "Serifs" are the arms and feet that hang off at the ends of the letter strokes. They're typically the easiest fonts to read. Serif comes in three sub-categories: Old Style, Modern, and Square Serif.

Fig. 3.5: Examples of Serif


Sans Serif: This category is "without serif", meaning they have an overall even stroke weight. Although it does give off a modern feel, they are a bit less easier to read than Serif fonts. They are often used as headlines. 
 
Fig. 3.6: Examples of Sans Serif

Mono-Spaced: Most fonts are typically proportionally spaced; meaning that smaller characters take less space and larger characters take more. However, mono-spaced fonts take up the same space regardless of size.

Fig. 3.7: Examples of Mono-Spaced



Display: or decorative fonts, are used as attention grabbing headlines and are rarely used for large bodies of texts. 

Fig. 3.8: Examples of Display



Script: These fonts are designed to mimic hand-writing, so the letters touch each other. These are more traditional and used for formal invitations, and they should never be typed in all caps. 

Fig. 3.9: Examples of Script


Text: These fonts are based on hand-drawn letters written by early monks for religious scripture, they have an ancient feel to them. As with Script, it should never be typed in all caps. 

Fig. 3.10: Examples of Text


Dingbats: They are symbols that are small pieces of art used to enhance the design of the text or page.

Fig. 3.11: Examples of Dingbat


                                                                                                                    


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