Introduction to Typography

MCJ 312 GRAPHIC DESIGNLijie Zhou

Parts of a letterform

Counter: white shapes inside a letterSerif: a short line that projects off the main stroke of a letter at the bottom or the top (sans serif: without serif)Ascender: the part of a lowercase letter that rises above the body of the letterDescender: the part of a lowercase letter that falls below the boy of the letterType size: measured by points. Ex: 72-point type is 1 inch high, as measured from the top of the ascender to the bottom of the descender.

X-height: height of the body of a lowercase letter exclud or doesn’t have ascender or descender.Typeface: a style of letteringFont: specific size and variation on a typeface (Baskerville Bold vs. Baskerville Italic; 12-point Baskerville Italic vs. 24-point Baskerville Italic )Baseline: The line that typography sits onStress: the distribution of weight through the thinnest part of a letterform

The development of written communication

(alphabet)4,000 ago: The earliest known alphabet in Egypt

Each character=one single sound within a word combination of characters =meaningOnly Egyptian writing: hundreds of charactersAlphabet: Lass than 30

1000BC: Phoenician alphabet:Phoenician traderRecording business transactionsMore abstract and linear

700BC: Greek alphabet:Represent vowels and consonant

Today: Roman alphabet

The shapes of the letter: tools and

technologyThe Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans:

Applied ink to reed brushes or pen for writing on papyrusUse sharp pointed stylus to write on a wax-coated tabletImportant inscriptions were carved into stoneAs the result: a pattern of thick and thin strokes and frequently rounded formsLetters tended to have simpler straighter linesAll letters came to have a finishing line, or serif, at top and/or foot of vertical elements

18th-19th: Industrial RevolutionInnovation in printing technologyTypeface design for printing pressLarger and fasterThe Times (London) was the first publisher to replace the hand press with a steam-powered printing press

Type categoriesOld Style:

The first typeface design for printing rather than hand writingThick- and thin-stroke serifsThe early 1600s: Garamond and Caslon

TransitionalEmphasizing thicks and thins and grace serifsHigher than old style, Less mechanical and upright than modern faceBaskerville:

John BaskervilleStraighter and more mechanical lines than old style typefaceFlatter serifs than old styleIncreasing contrast between the thick and thin strokes of the letter

Modern:Evolved from transitional typesGreater contrast between thicks and thins.Hairline-thin serifsStrong vertical stress to the lettersBodoni:

Late 1700sGiambattista Bodoni

Egyptian1815 The first slab serifLess difference between thicks and thins thanin the modern and transitional periodsClarendon and CenturyLubalin Graph

Sans Serif1800s Original sans serif by William CaslonThe 1920s sans serif type families: Gill Sans by Eric Gill; Universal by Herbert BayerInfluence of Bauhaus

Helvetica

Miscellaneous FacesMany fonts do not belong to any categoriesExperimental, ornamental styles of limited applicationBy hand/ using as illustrationsUsed in display headings and book covers

By Diane FensterBook cover of Ecology

Typeface selection

Typeface selectionType sizeLine lengthTypestyleLeadingSpacingFormatCritical eye (inking problem…)

SizeText size: Any type that is less than 14-pointPoint: a unit of measurement based on the pica.1 inch=6 picas=72 pointsType size is measured in points until it reaches about 2 inchesPoint-and-pica rulerPrinted proof is easier than on screen (always bigger) Type smaller than 10 points is difficult for older people to read

Line LengthMeasured by the pica systemThe length in picas of a line of text typeConsidering the line length with letter size, page size, predetermined columns and layout8-point type is set in a 22-pica line length on an 81/2 x11 inch page format6 or 8 point type size on a line 44 picas long is difficult to read: eye must search for the beginning of each new lineYou want: reader’s eyes to move smoothly, never being forced to slow down or lose their placeStandard line length and point size ratio : 50-70characters long in a line

StyleText type: legibility is a prime considerationSeek a type appropriate to the audience, the publication, and your own sense of aestheticsSans serif: modern feelings for annual reports, newslettersKeeping tracking: how they change from year to yearConsidering the printing process: delicate hairline serifs are not appropriate when a heavy ink coverage or heavy texture paper is requiredMix type families: They should be very different

Paula Scher

LeadingLeading is vertical space between lines of typeDetermined by type size, line length, typestyle, and available space.

Space Letter space: Amount of space between letters of a wordWord space: Amount of space between words

Format:The arrangement of lines of typeFlush left: a straight left edge and a ragged right edgeFlush right: Ragged left edge (Force eyes to search the beginning of the line. unusual and difficult to read.)Centered: slow-reading, classical format, force to pause eyesAsymmetrical: For shape

A Design SummaryEither stay within the same type family or mix very different fontsThe graphic design principles of proximity, similarity grouping, and focal point are all important to consider in layout designDecide what kind of reading speed you want from your reader

Adobe Typekit