Welcome to GRPH 210: Typography

These pages are provided as an outline for GRPH: 210 Typography. At right you will find links to the material covered each week throughout the course, as well as links to each weeks assignments, distributed via Adobe PDF files. Though this site is updated frequently, all materials and assignments are subject to change at Instructor’s (Todd Roeth’s) discretion.

Things to know, remember, and understand.

This material is a supplement to class and does not replace class attendance and participation. For more information regard attendeance policies, please refer to the Marietta Student Handbook.

Assignments for class are assigned on a weekly basis, and delivered as printable .pdf documents available at right. Due dates are assigned in class.

Required Materials

See Sylabus for complete details.

Epson Ink Cartridges

Each Assignment will need to be submitted to professional standards. Proper printing, trimming, and folding (when appropriate) is required for sucessful outcomes. Class assignments submitted for grade can be outputed to the Epson 1280 Printers available in the Classroom.

Students will be responsible for buying their own ink. Ink needs to be brought to class when needed. Students are responsible for loading and unloading their own ink from the printers. It is recommended that students store and carry their ink cartridges in an index card box.

Other Places to Buy Epson 1280 Ink

Information about Epson 1280 Printers

Handout

Read: Epson Ink Cartridge Handling [.pdf]

Epson Paper

The Classroom printers need compatibale paper to reneder the best quality projects. Students can purchase these papers locally at Parkersburg Office Supply by calling 1-800-525-1951 24 hours in advance and ordering over the telephone. Orders are shipped to the store in a day.

The following paper sizes are needed for the various Class Assignments:

8.5” x 11” (Letter)

13” x 19” (Super B)

Hard Drives

In all digital design classes, students are responsible of storing, organizing, and archiving their own work. Each computer in the class room has designated storage (Student Files on HD), however, keeping your only copies of files on the School Computers is not reccomended. Depending on your academic needs and digital mediums which you work in (Photo, Video, Print, Web) the amount of disk storage will vary. For this class alone, students will need a minimum of 2Gb of storage. (40Gb is recommended)

Suggested Hardware for Macintosh Users:

LaCie Firewire and USB 2.0 Mobile External Hard drive (60 GB)

Brief History of Typography

Johannes Gutenberg (Germany) is credited for inventing metal movable type printing during the middle of the 15th century. Typography before this was handwritten, excluding 11th century China who had already invented movable type long before Western Europe.

Typography that was first used by Gutenberg was Gothic typefaces consisting of fraktur, rotunda, and schwabacher.

These three type styles are all known as Black Letter type.

With the rise of the Renaissance, typography also went through somewhat of a change. Capitals began to mimic that of the Latin alphabet, using more geometric shapes that resemble the letters we use today. This made it easier to chisel the letters into stone versus the gothic typefaces.

Woodblock printing is believed to have first appeared in china. This type of printing consisted of creating a customized block of wood or stone for that specific page to be printed on. Woodblock printing was laborious and time consuming.

Movable Type

Movable type soon came to follow with ceramic, wooden, and metal movable type.
Hatch Show Prints
Metal Movable Type

Metal movable type in Europe, started by Gutenberg, made it easier for typographers to create and set type. Each individual letter is made into a mirror imaged metal relief that is eventually applied to some form of substrate (paper).

With the invention of movable type, the ability to print books increased tremendously giving the middle class a greater opportunity to obtain books not previously offered to them. Movable type also gave writers a greater chance of distributing their work to more people.

Typography [According to Wikipedia]

(from the Greek words τύπος type = “to strike” “That by which something is symbolized or figured…” and γραφία graphia = to write).

The Proliferation of Type in Modern Times

In contemporary use, the practice and study of typography is very broad, covering all aspects of letter design and application, including typesetting & typeface design; handwriting & calligraphy; graffiti; inscriptional & architectural lettering; poster design and other large scale lettering (signage, billboards); business communications & promotional collateral; advertising; wordmarks & typographic logos (logotypes), and kinetic typography in motion picture films and television.

Since digitization the range of type’s applications has become more eclectic, appearing on apparel (clothing), web pages, and as a component of industrial design—type resides on household appliances, LCD mobile phone screens, car vehicle instrument panels, hand-held video games, pens and wristwatches.

Typographic images generally follow a format of four principles, using repetition, contrast, proximity, and alignment.

The Purpose of Typography

The written form of languages has been in constant development for many centuries. Scribes in ancient Egypt and the Middle East perfected the craft of writing on papyrus scrolls and clay tablets. Hellenistic and Roman makers of books developed written communication into an art, which reached a peak of aesthetic perfection in the exquisite illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages. The invention of the printing press in the 14th centry and it’s proliferation and development – courtesy of the Industrial Revolution – has continued to fuel the importance and demand for the study of typography.

Regardless of era, culture, language, or medium, typography has evolved as both a science and art for one main purpose: to make words easier to understand and more meaningful to read.

From the creation of individual letterforms, to words, to lines, to paragraphs, to pages, to books, typography is manipulation, control, and experimentation of how to use type to express meaning in the ideas the letters attempt to communicate.

To be a successful designer one must be aware of type. Typography determines the mood, style, and flow of a piece of work. It is one of the foundations on which design rests upon. Bad use of typography can alter successful design into design that is tacky and amateur. Being aware of other forms within the design can help determine the typeface that is appropriate for that specific design.

Typography is also a form of communication and it is the designer’s responsibility to communicate as clear as possible. Being aware of different typefaces does not only consist of their physical form and anatomy, but also the time frame and reason in which they were created.

Read: The Gutenberg Press, Five Centuries of German Fraktur (Walden Fonts) (This will be provided as a handout in class.)

Do: According to class discussion, find one everyday item that is a clever and clear example of one of the four fundamental aspects of typography: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, & Proximity. Your specific aspect will be assigned in class. Be prepared to present your findings during next class.

Assignment #1: GRPH210-assignment1.pdf

Measurments

To understand and define many parts of a letter or a line of text, some measurements must be distinguished.

Ascent Line

The imaginary line that marks the topmost point of the ascenders within a font. The ascent line is most commonly located above the cap line.

Cap Line

The imaginary line that represents the uppermost part of capital letters. The distance from the cap line to the baseline is the capsize.

Mean Line

The top imaginary point of all lowercase characters without ascenders. Often referred to as “x-height”.

x-Height

The distance between the baseline and the midline of the alphabet, usually the approximate height of the unextended Lowercase letters (a, c, e, m, n,...) and of the torso of extenders (b, h, d, k, p, q,...). Cap height, and the relation of x-height to the length of extenders, are two important characteristics in Latin typeface.

Baseline

The imaginary line on which the letters of a font sit.

Descent Line

The lowest imaginary line that a character’s descender extends to. (j, y, p,...)

Parts

Letters consist of many forms which are essential to know when using type appropriately.

Serif

Latin for “feet”. These are the strokes added to the beginning or end of main letters. Serifs can be unilateral or bilateral. An example of unilateral would be at the top ends of T where the serifs only project on one side of the main stroke. An example of bilateral would be at the bottom of T where the serifs project on both directions of the main stroke.

Sans-serif

Sans, latin for “without” and serif, Latin for “feet”, means “without feet.” Sans-serif fonts are letter-forms with a straight forward geometrical appearance consisting of zero serifs.

Ascender

The part of a lowercase letter that rises above the x-height. (b, k, h,...)

Counter

The white space enclosed or partially enclosed by a letter-form. (d,p,o); (c,m,u)

Crossbar

A horizontal stroke connecting two stems (A, H), or as a simple stroke as in f and t.

Descender

Part of a lowercase letter extending below the baseline. (p,g,q)

Ligature

Two or more letters tied together into a single letter. Ligatures are often found in the combinations of “fi” and “fl”.

Spur

A projection smaller than a serif that reinforces the point at the end of a curved stroke, as in the capital letter G.

Stem

The most distinctive vertical stroke, that is not part of a bowl, in a type character. (O has no stem.) (I, H, and b do)

Tail

An element of a character without serif descending below the baseline. (latin Q)

Terminal

An ending of strokes without serif. (the end of e)

Distinction between Spur and Serif

A spur only appears at the end of a curved letter-form.

A serif only appears at the ends of the main strokes of a letter-form.

Distinction between Descender and Tail

Descenders are only elements of lowercase characters that extend below the baseline.

A tail does not contain any serifs and extends below the baseline.

Serif vs. Sans-serif

Serif typefaces are generally easier to read when it comes to big bodies of small text. The serifs are what make the body copy so readable. Better eye flow is created by using serif typefaces.

Sans-serif typefaces work well for titles and other brief bodies of text that require greater attention. Other names for sans-serif include gothic and grotesque. The most commonly used sans-serif font is Helvetica

Classifications of Type

Old Style

Late 15th-early 18th century. Developed out of handwriting and stone inscription. Old style is characterized by modest contrast, bracketed serifs, and oblique axis.

Transitional

Early and mid 18th century. Based on old style characteristics and new style elements consisting of different metal engraving techniques.

Slab Serif

First of this style created in England at the beginning of the 19th century. Developing approximately during the Scientific Revolution. Because of this, slab serif typefaces are based on precise mathematical measurements. All strokes are of equal or nearly equal thickness. Serifs are unbracketed or slightly bracketed rectangular block-like forms. The x-height is usually larger than normal.

Modern

Late 18th-early 19th century. These typefaces contain strong contrast and even width amongst the characters. Serifs are long and thin and the axes are strictly vertical and horizontal.

Type 101: A Tutorial by Jonathan Hoefler
Classification of Type Explained Further

Legibility vs. Readability

Legibility

Legibility is a characteristic of individual typefaces that allow the reader to distinguish one letter from the other. Some fonts have greater legibility than others. Legibility consists of many different aspects of type such as type size, serif or sans serif type, line length, line spacing, and colour contrast.

Readability

Readability consists of the words that are being read instead of the physical appearance of the type itself. It is more the overall ease at which a group of words or block of text can be read. Some things that affect readability include sentence and word length, and the frequency of uncommon words.

Assignment: GRPH210-assignment2.pdf

Rules for Typographers

The following rules have been developed in practice and have established a list of rules for working with American English. These points address both visual and grammatical topics, both of which have been devised with the same goal: To clarify readability and provide a more efficient and accurate means for written communication.

Some of these rules are accompanied with techniques and keyboard shortcuts for Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator will be used in this class – along with InDesign – to manage larger bodies of text and more complex scenarios.

Handout

Printable: rulesoftype.pdf

Fundamental Controls of Type

Kerning

Kerning is the spacing between individual letters. It is controlled in Illustrator and Indesign in the Character Palatte.

See: Thinking With Type: Kerning

Letter Spacing/Tracking

Tracking is the spacing across a word, or group of words.

See: Thinking With Type: Tracking

Line Spacing/Leading

Leading is distance between lines of type. More specifically it is measured by the distance between baselines. Relationships between type size – measured in pt. size – and leading is crucial for readability and layout composition.

See: Thinking With Type: Line Spacing

Alignment

Alignment is the organization of a block or columns of type via a vertical axis. Different alignments alter the readability of text, as well as the composition of the information. Types of alignment include left alignment, right alignment, and force justified (as shown).

See: Thinking With Type: Alignment

Stacked Type

Roman letters are meant to be used in a horizontal order. When displayed in a vertical alignment, letters work best as uppercase, allowing even spacing between characters.

See: Thinking With Type: Stacked Type

Other Methods of Controlling Type

Monospace After Periods

Use only ONE space after periods, colons, exclamation points, question marks, quotation marks—any punctuation that separates two sentences. Characters on a typewriter are given the same amount of space. On a Mac, the characters are proportionally spaced, so an m doesn’t take up the same space as an i or e.

Quotation Marks

Use real quotation marks—never those grotesque generic marks that actually symbolize inch or foot marks: “ and “, not ” and ”.

Using Illustrator, do one of the following:

1) Go to File > Document Setup > under Artboard go to Type. In Type make sure Typographer’s Quotes is checked.

2) Choose Type > Glyphs, and then insert the straight quotation mark.

Apostrophes

These belong with singular and plural possessives and contractions. Plural possessives: s’ Singular possessives: ’s Dates: ‘80

Dashes

Do not use hyphens to substitute as dashes. Use en and em dashes instead. Hyphens ( – ) are used for hyphenating words only. No more than two lines in a row should be hyphenated. Avoid using too many hyphens. Never hyphenate a word in a headline.

En dashes ( – ) are used for any indication of duration (Monday –Friday, 7 – 9 p.m., 2006 – 2007) and for compound adjectives (pre – Vietnam, Spanish–American War).On the keyboard, this is OPTION + –
Em dashes ( — ) are used in a manner similar to a colon or parentheses, for a change of thought or where a period is too strong and a comma is too weak. On the keyboard, this is OPTION + SHIFT + –

* When using some fonts like New York and Geneva, the keyboard commands for en and em dashes are reversed.

Underlining

Do not underline for emphasis or for books and periodicals. Use italics for publications, and bold, italics, CAPITAL LETTERS or larger print to denote emphasis.

Capital Letters

Never use all caps for body copy. They are almost impossible to read. Never use script fonts in all caps for display or body text.

Kerning

Kerning is adjusting the space between letters according to your visual perception so that a word appears unified. Kerning should always be done to capital letters in displaytext, and to lowercase letters in display text which appear to be “floating away” from other letters.

Tracking

Tracking is the uniform adjustment of letter spacing between letters over a range of text (a line, a text block, and so on).

Tabs and Indents

Never use the spacebar to align text! Instead, use tabs and indents to align text. It is cleaner and much less of a hassle. “Tabs” can be found under the Type menu in Illustrator or by typing SHIFT +  + T

Leading/Linespacing

Leading is the vertical space between two or more lines of type.

Text: Depending upon the font used and your design, leading for body text should be about two point sizes more than the type size.

Headlines: For headlines with few descenders, leading should be two points less than the type size.\par All Caps: Leading should be two points less than the type size.

To adjust the space between paragraphs, see the “Formats” window under the Style menu, and adjust the spaces before and spaces after the paragraphs.

Widows and Orphans

A widow is one word, or part of a word, left on the last line at the end of a paragraph. An orphan is a short line left over from a paragraph from a previous column or page which appears at the top of the following column or page of text. Neither of these are desirable in typesetting. You can get rid of them in several ways: re-write or edit the text, use the text tracking controls, or use the widow and orphan controls under “Formats” window under the Style menu.

Font Usage

Generally, you can use up to three different fonts which compliment one another in a document. Don’t go overboard. Outlandish font usages is a key sign of the work of an amateur. Less is always more.

For more Advice and Tips, read: Erik Spiekermann’s Typo Tips, from The Font Feed.

The document’s typography should mirror the relationship between information.

Establishing Visual Order

The contrast, alignment, and proportion between type should visually address the order of importance of what is being read. The goal of typography is not only to make things easier to read, but also easier to understand.

In the example above, the information has been organized via typeface, size, and positioning both spatially and by line to explain the paper dimensions, name, and store product number.

Type Hierarchy

Though graphic design often relies on more than typography alone to commuicate order, information, and sytems, the foundation for creating an informational structure is a a strong typographic hiearchy. As in the examples below, typography is used to create line, shape, value and color. Often secondary elements (lines, arrows, grids) are also used to aid in this effort.

Font Families

Font families are important because they give designers a variety of choices while still remaining consistent. Good typefaces usually come with a variety of weights, as well as italicized and condensed weights.

Stereotype Design

In-Class

Create a typographic tree to illustrate Student’s personal relationships.

Start with your name as the dominant visual anchor on an 11”x 17” landscape document in Illustrator. Use 10-12 names of family, friends, or colleagues who are closest in your life. Just like familial relationships and friendships, information has particular dynamics. Categorize your relationships into a hierarchy and illustrate their connection to your life (i.e.: your name on the page), and perhaps address the relationships between others in your layout (sub-categories). Use nothing but typefaces and their positioning and alignment to illustrate your relationships.

Explore different typefaces. They too have ‘family members’ that may be similar to your own.

Also See: Thinking with Type

Assignment: GRPH210-assignment3.pdf

Why Use a Grid?

As a designer, it is paramount to organize and present information to the reader in its clearest and most meaningful way. By establishing a hierarchy of information within the visual proportions of a page, a reader can more easily understand the message.

Using contrast in size and weight are good ways to do this, but spatial manipulation (proximity and alignment) on the page offer the best and most versatile way to organize information.

What is a Grid?

A grid is a series of horizontal and vertical lines that sub-divide a page into smaller areas. (A ‘page’ does not have to be a printed page. Grids are used in a website design and computer-based applications.)

See: Thinking With Type: Grids

Grids can be derived solely by mathematics, allowing equations and ratios to determine proportion, or a combination of simple division of the overall page dimensions customized for solving the problem at hand.

Investigate: The Golden Ratio a.k.a. The Golden Mean

Regardless of how it is devised, a typographic grid organizes text and images across the pages of a document. A grid can consist of a single column framed by margins, or it may have multiple columns and rows.

Using a Grid to Organize & Compose

Like any other two-dimensional composition, a grid should accommodate or create a focal point.

The focal point does not necessarily need to be the biggest nor the ‘heaviest’ element on the page, but working within a grid and using design fundamentals, the focal point will be the primary “eye magnet” of the page and accordingly, should be at the top of your informational hierarchy.

Once a grid is developed, create a hierarchy of elements to guide the viewer through your layout, from major to minor sections. For example, beginning with the headline as a focal point, perhaps the viewer will be led to a subhead, a pull quote, a logo, then the body copy.

Form Follows after Function

Typography, and the grids it inhabits are made to communicate clearer. Better readability and understanding of the text is the goal of using a grid.

Using a grid system for page and screen layout makes it easy to organize and balance all of your elements. Graphics, text, photos, page numbers, anything that is going to be visible on a printed or web page can be organized using a grid. Grid systems have been in use for a long time and are strictly adhered to in the magazine and newspaper publishing industry, but graphic designers use them for all types of printed and on-screen media. Anyone who creates documents or screen designs should implement a process with a grid in mind to make a visually pleasing, balanced, and readable layout.

More than the Total of its Parts

A carefully crafted grid will facilitate the mind’s attempt to create order from chaos, and a sense of space (even in some cases, alluding to a 3-D space), by providing a structural system to which the reader’s logic relates.

A successful grid addresses the information appearing on the page, and creates a meaningful and visually pleasing layout. Gestalt principals are attained with first and foremost; a sensitivity to the division and organization of the information – thereby organizing the overall grid in a spatial, proportional, and balanced composition.

An established hierarchy will reveal the relative importance of one element/idea over another in a series of dominant, sub-dominant and subordinate relationships. By using the content and the message to dictate the grid, which thereby dictates the appearance.

The Culture of a Grid

When creating your hierarchy, consider the cultural habits of the viewer. For example in the United States viewers (readers) typically scan from left to right and top to bottom.

Consider: An Effort to Make Arabic Easier

Also remember that design solves problems. Never forget the medium you are working in, and how your readers (a culture, or sub-culture) will be viewing it.

Example: Newspapers Print vs. Online Editions

Swiss and Bauhaus

Swiss

Swiss design is most commonly known for its reductive approach towards forms, using geometric shapes as well as sans serif type and bold flat colors. This type of style developed soon after World War II, the same time modernism was becoming more and more of the normal aesthetic appeal.

Bauhaus

The style, Bauhaus, originated from an art and architecture school in Germany called Bauhaus. It existed between the years of 1919 and 1933. The word Bauhaus is a translation of “Architecture House” in German. The Bauhaus art school had a large influence on various developments in art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, and typography.

Bauhaus is generally classified by its radically simplified forms, the rationality and functionality of the form itself, and the idea of mass production.

In-Class

Become familiar with Adobe InDesign to make grid-based layouts. Do the following exercise A printed and trimmed version is due at the start of next class. Print on the LaserJet. Trim to 8” square. You do not need to mount the finished piece.

Exercise: Grid Project

Text used in Grid Project: (Copy and Paste this text!...)
COMMON TYPOGRAPHIC DISEASES

Various forms of dysfunction appear among populations exposed to typography for long periods of time. Listed here are a number of frequently observed afflictions.

Typophilia

An excessive attachment to and fascination with the shape of letters, often to the exclusion of other interests and object choices. Typophiliacs usually die penniless and alone.

Typophobia

The irrational dislike of letterforms, often marked by a preference for icons, dingbats, and—in fatal cases—bullets and daggers. The fears of the typophobe can often be quieted (but not cured) by steady doses of Helvetica and Times Roman.

Typochondria

A persistent anxiety that one has selected the wrong typeface. This condition is often paired with okd (optical kerning disorder), the need to constantly adjust and readjust the spaces between letters.

Typothermia

The promiscuous refusal to make a lifelong commitment to a single typeface—or even to five or six, as some doctors recommend. The typothermiac is constantly tempted to test drive “hot” new fonts, often without a proper license.

Type makes Words; As Well as Art

Typographic design is a unique – and sometimes paradoxical blend of language and form. The following designers demonstrate two very different styles and conceptual definitions of how typography is used. There are as many similarities as differences however. While their visual styles are nearly polar opposites, the conceptual approach and their results are the same: They both interpret the message and communicate the written word visually, but also add a visceral experience and emotional tone to heighten the meaning of the message.

Style & Inspiration for Typographic Design

Josef Müller-Brockmann, (May 9, 1914 – August 30, 1996), was a Swiss graphic designer and teacher. The most noteworthy of his work pertaining to this class is his poster designs, demonstrating his devotion to type, grid systems, and stark, fundamental, and minimal compositions.

Work by Josef Muller-Brockmann

More Work of Josef Muller-Brockmann

David Carson, (1956 – ) is an American graphic designer. He is best known for his innovative magazine design, and use of experimental typography. He was the art director for the magazine Ray Gun. Carson is almost universally acknowledged as the greatest and will likely prove to be the most influential graphic designer of the nineties. In 1995, Carson founded his own studio, David Carson Design in New York City, and started to attract major clients from all over the United States. During the next three years (1995-1998), Carson was doing work for Pepsi Cola, Ray Ban (orbs project), Nike, Microsoft, Budweiser, Giorgio Armani, NBC, American Airlines and Levi Strauss Jeans. His unorthodox and self taught style is widely-imitated and the results of his work have realigned typography’s fundamental methods of communication.

Hillman Curtis Artists Series – David Carson

David Carson Studios

Using Type as Expression

Paula Scher

Scher began her career in the 1970’s and early 80’s. Scher is highly known for her Public Theater posters, done in the mid-1990’s, which used typography in a more illustrative and expressive kind of way. The Public Theater posters were posted all over New York City and soon became its own style. Scher is also known for creating the identities for Citibank, Tiffany & Co., The New York Times Magazine, Perry Ellis, Bloomberg, Target, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, The New 42nd Street, the New York Botanical Garden, and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.

Scher is also a good example of handwritten type. She has painted maps that use type in a very illustrative way.

A brief look at Paula Scher.

Hatch Show Print

Located in Nashville, Hatch Show Print has been around since the 19th century. Hatch is known for using a letterpress and setting type by hand. They are considered to be the defining style of country music. Stars like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, and B.B. King are just a few of the artists known for using Hatch Show Print to make posters. Hatch’s clients first consisted of vaudeville, circus, and minstrel shows.

Although Hatch Show Print’s posters are remarkably beautiful to look at, some can be difficult to read and use no system of type hierarchy within them. Hatch Show Print posters are great examples of vernacular design, meaning that there is no educational experience or degrees needed in order to do Hatch posters. The designer simply designs as he or she wishes.

Process
Hatch Show Print uses a Vandercook press. The process consists of attaching the paper to a cylinder that is then rolled across the surface of the printing plate.

Article on Hatch Show Print
Gallery of some Hatch Show Print Posters

Using Color

Colors have strong connotations and can reinforce the meaning (or challenge the meaning) depending on the color used. There are many strategies and methods for choosing color, and many techniques for creating and applying color in Illustrator.

Resources for Researching Type

Type is like any other form of artwork. Good type is usually expensive and comes with legalities and licensing agreements. It is illegal to steal or download type that has not been properly attained.

When a font is purchased the user never really owns the font. Instead he or she usually receives a license to use that font on only one computer. These specifications are referred to as End User License Agreements (EULA’s) and differ amongst companies. Such licenses can be purchased in a number of ways: directly from the vendor, as part of a larger software package, or by downloading the font from a specific web site. In all cases the EULA is the authoritative source for licensing details.

The Adobe Type Library

Linotype Typefoundry

Articles at Typotheque

Essays at Emigre

Typophile

TrueType vs. OpenType

TrueType is an outline font standard that was created by Apple in the late 1980’s to compete with Adobe’s PostScript fonts. Originally, TrueType was created to give “hints” as to what the font would actually look like when printed. Now, Almost all TrueType hints are ignored by Apple’s rendering approach on Mac OS X.

Most free or inexpensive third-party fonts use plain TrueType font.

OpenType, created by Microsoft and Adobe in 1994, is a successor to TrueType. OpenType uses the general structure of a TrueType font, but has several smartfont options which enhance the font’s typographic and language support capabilities. OpenType is usually in two types of formats: TrueType format outlines or Compact Font Format (CFF) outlines.

In many situations, the outline data format does not matter unless rasterization is being used.

Features of OpenType include:
Font character encoding is based on Unicode and can support any script.
OpenType Fonts can have up to 65,536 glyphs.

PostScript and Screen Font

PostScript fonts are used for printing high-resolution text and graphics. PostScript fonts are multi-platform outline font standards. This means that PostScript fonts are capable of being used on multiple computer systems and are defined by a series of points that determine lines and curves. Because points define the characters, PostScript fonts can be scaled to various sizes without distortion.

Screen Fonts are designed specifically for a display screen. These fonts are usually bitmapped and must be specially designed to compensate for the low resolution of display screens.

Type Foundries are Great Places to Shop for Type

Hoefler and Frere-Jones

Linotype

t26

House Industries

FontExplorerX

The FontExplorerX can be found on the dock of the Lab computers next to Dreamweaver. FontExplorerX is a free piece of software that can be downloaded onto any computer.

FontExplorerX works just like iTunes. One can preview text by selecting a certain font and typing in the preview box. Like iTunes, playlists can be made and sent to Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign where they can then be used.

Assignment: GRPH210-assignment4.pdf

Anatomy

Visit Lesson 02: Anatomy of Type for further review in the anatomy of characters.

Be sure to also review kerning, tracking, leading, alignment, and stacked type as well as the additional material in Lesson 03: Rules and Controls of Type.

Type Classification

Be sure to know the characteristics of Old Style, Transitional, Slab Serif, and Modern.

Visit Lesson 02: Anatomy of Type for further review.

Grids and Baseline Grids

Visit Lesson 05: Typographic Grids for further review.

Hierarchy

The contrast, alignment, and proportion between type should visually address the order of importance of what is being read. The goal of typography is not only to make things easier to read, but also easier to understand.

Visit Lesson 04: Type Hierarchy for further review.

Q: Why does a typeface’s ascenders and descenders dictate a baseline grid?
Q: Why are typefaces with big families more desirable?
Q: Why are condensed typefaces more economical regarding page count of books?
Q: Why do designers use grids and when is it appropriate to break away from a grid? – You are responsible for the material presented by your classmates for the Typeface Case Study. – You are responsible for material found on this site and the linked materials and readings.

In-Class

Class feedback of Student Work, Q&A, and review Type rules and anatomy for Mid-Semester Quiz.

Digital Design & Typography: A Broader Perspective

Handout: The Obscene Typography Machine By Philip B. Meggs, from “Texts on Type: Critical Writings on Typography” (Handout)

Watch: http://www.zefrank.com/theshow/archives/2006/07/071406.html##

Read: Myths of the Self-Taught Designer: The First Conversation between Ego and the Devil

Type and Their Designers

Being a type designer is a trade all in its own.

The 20 most important type designers according to Typophile.com

Designers Who Use Type (Sometimes Exclusively)

Art Chantry

Art Chantry is a graphic designer who is best known for doing posters and album artwork for bands like Nirvana, Hole, and the Sonics. Chantry is also known for his logo design as well.

Poster gallery of Art Chantry’s work.

Experimental Jetset

Co-founded in Amsterdam in 1997 by Erwin Brinkers, Marieke Stolk and Danny van den Dungen who previously met as classmates at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. Their client list consists of Droog, the PTT and Stedelijk Museum in the Netherlands, Centre Georges Pompidou, the Purple Institute, and the fashion store Colette in Paris.

Experimental Jetset site

Other Resources for Typographic Posters

gigposters.com
Typography Posters on Flickr
Aesthetic Apparatus

Assignment: assignment5.pdf

Designing Publications for journalistic or commercial use combines all techniques and creative aspects of typography. (hierarchy, contrasting typefaces, leading, kerning) Readability and legibility are most important when designer larger publications.

Good Techniques for Publication and Web Design

Readability vs Legibility

Headline

Headlines should be put in the top level of one’s type hierarchy. Therefore bigger, bolder, and often sans-serif typefaces work well. Headline Text usually displays only a few words, so pay attention to ascenders, descenders, and counter-space. Pay utmost attention to kerning. Remember headlines are one’s visually dominant element on the page so make sure it looks good and reads well.

Body Copy

Choose body copy wisely. Body copy is what 85% of the text will be set in. Make sure the type is easy to read in large quantities. The body copy should contrast appropriately with the headline text, either in size or style.

Drop Caps

Drop Caps are essentially an ancient trick that has survived on into the Modern World. They are used as points of entry because they are an easy way to draw the reader’s eye into the text. Like in all design, be careful not to overdue it by adding too many drop caps.

Chunking

Chunking is a method of presenting information which splits concepts into small pieces or “chunks” of information to make reading and understanding faster and easier.

Chunking is especially useful for material presented on the web because readers tend to scan for specific information on a web page rather than read the page sequentially.

Chunked content usually consists of, bulleted lists, short subheadings, short sentences with one or two ideas per sentence, short paragraphs, even one-sentence paragraphs, easily scannable text, with bolding of key phrases, or inline graphics to guide the eyes or illustrate points which would normally require more words.

Visit themorningnews.org and adn.com to see examples of chunking, line height, and type hierarchy.

Things to Look for In Bodies of Type

Orphans and Widows

An orphan refers to the first line of a paragraph that appears by itself at the bottom of a page with the rest of the paragraph appearing on the following page.

A widow refers to the final line of a paragraph that falls at the top the following page of text.

Orphans and widows can be eliminated by adjusting the leading and kerning of type.

Rivers

Rivers are gaps or white space appearing to run down through the body of text. Rivers occur most often when text is force justified.

Baseline Shift

Baseline Shift occurs when two columns of text sit on separate baselines.