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NAF Graphic Design

Lesson 11Typography

Teacher Resources

Resource Description

Teacher Resource 11.1 Guide: Recognizing Well-Designed Typography

Teacher Resource 11.2 Answer Key: Categories of Type

Teacher Resource 11.3 Presentation 1 and Notes: Typography and Spacing (includes separate PowerPoint file)

Teacher Resource 11.4 Images: Adjusting_Text.psd, Adjusting_Text_CostaRica.psd, burger-king-BBDO.jpg, deanne-cheuk_3.png, MTV_JUNG_VON_MATT.jpg, LEVIS_WIEDEN_AND_KENNEDY.jpg, Globe.psd, and Cloud.psd (separate ZIP file)

Teacher Resource 11.5 Presentation 2 and Notes: Type Is Speech Made Visible (includes separate PowerPoint file)

Teacher Resource 11.6 Assessment Criteria: Expressing Meaning through Typography

Teacher Resource 11.7 Key Vocabulary: Typography

Teacher Resource 11.8 Bibliography: Typography

Copyright © 2011–2015 NAF. All rights reserved.

NAF Graphic DesignLesson 11 Typography

Teacher Resource 11.1

Guide: Recognizing Well-Designed TypographyUse the observations below to help guide the discussion about which of the quotes in Student Resource 11.1, Analysis: Recognizing Well-Designed Typography, is more effective.

This Martin Luther King quote contrasts darkness and light, hate and love. It is full of emotion and inspiring hope. It is humanistic. The top type treatment is extremely cold, technical, and modern. The bottom type treatment has a soft quality that feels more loving, organic, and historical.

Characteristics of the Top Quote The top quote uses the Bank Gothic typeface. (This typeface has capital letters only.) The byline is

set in Baskerville italic.

The Bank Gothic typeface has very hard edges, creating a straight, cut-off, spiky feel.

The typeface is rectilinear geometric, which makes it feel contemporary but also unfriendly and unapproachable. The text looks like it is coming from a machine, not from a speaking human.

The condensed line spacing gives the text a dark, heavy, grim feeling.

The heavy typeface weight looks ominous and dangerous.

All-uppercase letters (“all caps”) are “screaming” the message, instead of lovingly spreading it.

Characteristics of the Bottom Quote The bottom quote is set in Bickham Script, and the byline is set in Gotham.

The Bickham Script typeface looks very fluid and soft. The letters are all joined together and look as if they have been written by a nice hand, natural and organic.

The typeface gives a formal impression, which makes it credible.

The letters have a beautiful contrast of fine and thick strokes, giving them character and refinement.

The italic letters feel elegant, inviting, and warm.

The line spacing is more open, which gives the piece an airy feel, like everything is possible.




Answer Key: Categories of TypeUse the following information as a guide as you review the “Your Observations” sections for the reading with students.

Identifying Typeface Categories

Readability and Legibility

The top line is the most legible. In the second line, the letterforms are squished together, which decreases legibility. The very short

ascenders and descenders decrease the legibility. The thick letterforms decrease legibility. The thin strokes in letters such as e are almost invisible.

The third line has too much space between words, so you read the words individually instead of together as a phrase. The typeface is also too light to read from a distance.



Associating Typeface and MeaningThe following are some reasons a typographer might use to choose a typeface for a particular business. But student answers may vary. Students may have good reasons for making different choices.

The Sansation typeface feels very clean, trustworthy, and solid for a bank, but also modern enough to be up with the most modern technology.

The Rosewood (circus) typeface is playful, marquee like. The Chocolate Box typeface looks like it could go with a very clean, upscale antique shop with

elegant merchandise. It is airy rather than overcrowded. The Cafe & Brewery typeface for the Eco Hotel looks organic, not too geometric, a bit playful yet

credible. The Jeepney typeface has letterforms that evoke the idea of Chinese character strokes, but it is

not stereotypical Chinese or ethnically insensitive.




Presentation 1 Notes: Typography and Spacing

Before you show this presentation, use the text accompanying each slide to develop presentation notes. Writing the notes yourself enables you to approach the subject matter in a way that is comfortable to you and engaging for your students. Make this presentation as interactive as possible by stopping frequently to ask questions and encourage class discussion.

This presentation explains the importance of and uses for leading, letter spacing, kerning, and word spacing.

Presentation notes



Long ago, when type was set in metal, compositors inserted strips of lead between lines of metal characters. This is where the term leading comes from.

For roman type (which is type that is upright, rather than italic, cursive, or oblique), leading is measured from the baseline of one line of text to the baseline of the line above it. In the top example, there is a thin, 2-point space of leading between the lines. You take point size of the font, which is 10 point, and add it to the 2-point spacing to get 12. The leading value is written as “10/12 pt,” which means the text should be set as 10 points, and the typesetter should drop down 12 points to the next baseline. Note that in this example, the 2-point spacing is 20% of the 10-point font size.

Presentation notes



Because headline text is bigger, 20% leading can place lines too far apart, and then they don’t look like one unit. Especially if the top line of a heading has no descenders, the lines need to be closer together. The leading in the top example is 20%. The leading in the lower example is actually -10%, but that is what is needed to take out the empty space in this headline with no descenders in the top line.

On a page with lots of white space, the leading in the top example might look better, since all of the elements on the page are quite spread out.

Presentation notes



All-caps text has no descenders, so all letters reach the full height of the line. This changes the way that leading works for both body text and headlines. The leading in the body text paragraph is more than 20%, but the extra space is definitely needed for readability. The headline looks right with considerably less than 20% leading.

Presentation notes



Here are some rules to help you adjust the leading according to the typeface:

• When you have a large x-height, increase the leading.

• When you have a short x-height, decrease the leading.

• When you have tall ascenders, decrease the leading because the x-height is relatively small, or add dramatic leading to emphasize the tall ascenders.

• When you have long lines of text, add a bit more leading so that the reader can find the beginning of the next line easily.

• When you have wide letter spacing, add more leading for balance.

Presentation notes



Tracking is the term designers use when they select a range of text and adjust the amount of space between the letters. Tracking is often followed by fine-tuning the space between individual letters, or kerning.

Presentation notes



The text on the top has very tight letter spacing and leading; the text on the bottom is set with moderate letter spacing and leading.

Presentation notes



Whereas letter spacing is applied to a range of text, kerning is applied to individual pairs of letters. Many fonts have kerning pairs built into them for pairs of letters known to cause inconsistent gaps, such as Ta, To, Yo, and we.

Many software applications such as Photoshop and InDesign are capable of automatically finding and using the kerning pairs built into fonts. This is called “auto kerning.” “Metrics kerning” is a type of auto kerning that makes use of the kern pairs built in to the font to adjust the fit of letters. “Optical kerning” adjusts the fit of the letters depending on their shapes.

Presentation notes



Sometimes tight spacing is used to fit more words on a page, or wide spacing is used to stretch a headline out across an allotted space.

Presentation notes



When you create a graphic design, be sure to use your knowledge of spacing to improve readability and to give your work a polished look. Although many software programs such as Photoshop do a lot of the work for you, it is your responsibility as a graphic designer to tailor the spacing in your design.

Presentation notes




Presentation 2 Notes: Type Is Speech Made Visible

Before you show this presentation, use the text accompanying each slide to develop presentation notes. Writing the notes yourself enables you to approach the subject matter in a way that is comfortable to you and engaging for your students. Make this presentation as interactive as possible by stopping frequently to ask questions and encourage class discussion.

This presentation explains how you can use typography to communicate a message that goes beyond the actual words on the page.

Much of the content in this presentation is adapted from the article “The Voice of Typography” in DT&G Magazine, located at http://www.graphic-design.com/Type/voice/index.html (accessed July 1, 2015).

Presentation notes


http://www.graphic-design.com/Type/voice/index.html


Have you ever been in a storm where you didn’t know up from down? When you read words on a printed page, you understand what the words actually say; this is the direct meaning. But you can also extract a secondary meaning from the way that the type is designed. What emotion do you feel? Is the storm close by or far away? Should you be concerned about this storm? What attitude should you adopt?

The next few slides give you some ideas about how to figure out the secondary meaning, and then how to communicate it using typography.

Presentation notes



When you’re creating a graphic design, read aloud the text that you plan to place in your design. Try to hear the nuances and subtle meanings. Listen to the inflections and the tone of the message. Then you can look for a typeface that voices what you’re hearing.

Presentation notes



For messages that have a human tone, you might use a serif typeface to convey softness.

Typefaces with uniform, hard edges speak messages that are more mechanical than human.

In the example image on this slide, a human tone is communicated through using a playful, nonstandard type for Yoiga. Using all caps sans serif type for the instructions is a bit satirical, and the humor communicates a human tone. The viewer knows that the instruction “CALL YOUR MUM” is a humorous message even though it is set in sans serif typeface.

Presentation notes



Emotion can be hard or soft, large or small, smooth or rough, collected or scattered. Typography can communicate all of these.

Presentation notes



You can conjure up a whole setting for your text. Decide on a person who might speak your text, and imagine who that person is talking to. Listen to the person’s voice as it speaks your message: Is it hard or soft? Is it fast, or does it have a bit of a drawl? Is it loud or mellow? Is there a particular accent or intonation?

Presentation notes



The voices of history, place, setting, atmosphere, and environment are visually inherent in typefaces. You can send messages very quickly and effectively just by conjuring up place and time. If it’s a little old, soft, and human, perhaps an Art Nouveau typeface is appropriate. If it’s far away and exotic, perhaps an Asian-style typeface will fit.

But be aware that typefaces that evoke geographic or ethnic stereotypes, such as tacky Chinese restaurant typefaces, will not work in any designer’s portfolio. Make every effort to avoid solutions that are based on outdated attitudes.

Presentation notes



There are typefaces that reflect posture or attitude. Sometimes boldface or italics suggest posture; italics are moving, or speaking to the side. All caps can be dignified.

Presentation notes



There are no simple solutions for determining which typeface is right for a project. Remember that each project carries its own rhythm, tone, and attitude. And if you listen carefully to the message you want to communicate, you will hear with your eyes which typeface is best suited!

Presentation notes




Assessment Criteria: Expressing Meaning through Typography

Student Name:______________________________________________________________

Date:_______________________________________________________________________

Using the following criteria, assess whether the student met each one.

Met Partially Met

Didn’t Meet

The thumbnails show that skilled and thoughtful planning work was put into the design. □ □ □The typefaces used in the design visually communicate who the designer is. □ □ □The arrangement of letters on the page visually communicates who the designer is. □ □ □The colors in the design communicate the designer’s identity. □ □ □The design demonstrates unity and balance. □ □ □The design is unique and memorable and an accurate representation of the designer. □ □ □

Additional Comments:

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________




Key Vocabulary: Typography

Term Definition

antialiasing The process of smoothing out rough letters by adding semitransparent pixels along the edges of letterforms, thus smoothing the appearance of the “stair-step” effect.

ascender The part of a lowercase letter that rises above the height of a lowercase x.

baseline The invisible line on which type sits.

blackletter typefaces A category of typefaces based on early written forms with thick to thin strokes and serifs.

boldface A font weight where letterforms have thicker strokes.

cap height The height of capital letters in a typeface.

counter The hollow, either partially or fully enclosed, space in a letter.

crossbar The horizontal bar connecting two strokes of an uppercase letter, as in H and A. The horizontal or sloping stroke that connects the curving shapes of a lowercase e is also a crossbar.

descender The part of a letter that descends below the baseline.

display typefaces A category of typefaces designed for a distinctive ornate or decorative look.

font A particular size, weight, width, and style of a typeface. Often used incorrectly as a synonym for typeface. The digital file that lives in the font folder on the computer.

kerning The process of adjusting the space between pairs of letters so that it is visually consistent.

leading The amount of space between the baseline of text and the next baseline under it. (Pronunciation tip: This word rhymes with sledding, not reading.)



Term Definition

legibility The ease with which the reader can distinguish one letter from another in a typeface, which determines how easy it is to read a short phrase such as a headline.

letter spacing The space between one character and the next.

line spacing See leading.

lowercase The small letters of the alphabet.

modern typefaces A category of serif typefaces in which the strokes of the letters change radically from thick to thin. All modern typefaces have serifs that are horizontal and very thin. The stress in modern typefaces is completely vertical.

monospace typefaces A category of typefaces in which each character takes up the same width of space.

old-style typefaces A category of serif typefaces that date back to the 15th century. The letterforms always have serifs, and the serifs are connected to the main strokes with a curve. Old-style typefaces are also distinguished by their diagonal stress.

point size The measurement of the size of type.

readability How easy it is to read a large block of text.

sans serif typefaces A category of typefaces in which none of the letterforms have serifs.

script typefaces A category of typefaces that simulate handwriting or calligraphy.

serif A very short line that extends from the upper and lower ends of strokes.

serif typefaces A category of typefaces in which all letterforms have serifs at the end of their strokes. This category of typefaces can be broken down into old style, modern, and slab serif.

slab serif typefaces A category of typefaces in which the letterforms have thick, flat serifs.



Term Definition

stress The direction of thinning on the curved stroke of a letter. For example, if you draw a line through the thinnest parts of the rounded forms of an old-style letterform, the line is diagonal. Old-style typefaces have a diagonal stress.

stroke Any straight or curved line of a character.

tracking Adjusting the space between letters in a range of text.

typeface A set of letters, numbers, and punctuation that share the same design.

typography The process of designing with type and letterforms.

uppercase Capital letters of the alphabet.

weight The thickness of strokes in a font.

word spacing The space between words.

x-height The height of lowercase letters, excluding ascenders and descenders.




Bibliography: TypographyThe following sources were used in the preparation of this lesson and may be useful for your reference or as classroom resources. We check and update the URLs annually to ensure that they continue to be useful.

PrintGraham, Lisa. Basics of Design Layout & Typography for Beginners, 2nd ed. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning, 2005.

Harrington, Richard. Understanding Adobe Photoshop CS4. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press, 2009.

Hembree, Ryan. The Complete Graphic Designer. Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers, 2008.

Landa, Robin. Graphic Design Solutions, 3rd ed. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning, 2006.

Williams, Robin. The Non-Designer’s Design Book, 3rd ed. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press, 2008.

Online1001 Free Fonts, http://www.1001freefonts.com/ (accessed July 1, 2015).

AIGA: The Professional Association for Design, http://www.aiga.org/ (accessed July 1, 2015).

Dafont.com, http://www.dafont.com/ (accessed July 1, 2015).

FontLab, http://www.fontlab.com/ (accessed July 1, 2015).

FontSpace, http://www.fontspace.com/ (accessed July 1, 2015).

Haley, Allan. “They’re Not Fonts!” AIGA, October 21, 2002, http://www.aiga.org/theyre-not-fonts/ (accessed July 1, 2015).

Mullis, Christine. “Typography: Legibility and Readability.” Computer Graphics, Art 181, Mendocino College, http://www.mightyfinegraphics.com/cg/typography.html (accessed July 1, 2015).

Raster Vector Free Images, http:// www.rastervector.com/resources/free/free.html (accessed July 1, 2015).

“Text on a Path.” Photoshop Tips & Tricks, The Design & Publishing Center, http://www.graphic-design.com/Photoshop/type_on_circle/ (accessed July 1, 2015).

Thinking with Type, http://www.thinkingwithtype.com (accessed July 1, 2015).

“Typeface.” Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typeface (accessed July 1, 2015).

UrbanFonts, http://www.urbanfonts.com/ (accessed July 1, 2015).

“The Voice of Typography.” DT&G Typography, The Design & Publishing Center, http://www.graphic-design.com/Type/voice/index.html (accessed July 1, 2015).

Wikimedia Commons, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed July 1, 2015).


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page



http://www.urbanfonts.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typeface

http://www.thinkingwithtype.com/

http://www.graphic-design.com/Photoshop/type_on_circle/

http://www.graphic-design.com/Photoshop/type_on_circle/

http://www.rastervector.com/resources/free/free.html

http://www.mightyfinegraphics.com/cg/typography.html

http://www.aiga.org/theyre-not-fonts/

http://www.fontspace.com/

http://www.fontlab.com/

http://www.dafont.com/

http://www.aiga.org/

http://www.1001freefonts.com/

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