Jan 27, 2015
The Evolution of 20th Century Type Design Understanding Typography Part Two
Legibility issues and typographic design principles
Leading: The space in between lines of text Term refers to lead pieces inserted in between lines of type to add more space on old fashioned printing presses
Adjusting Text Spacing Leading and Kerning
Kerning: Spacing in between individual letters and words in a single line of text
Adjusting Text Spacing Leading and Kerning
Legibility: Making sure the audience can read your text Similarity, alignment: Creating organization of information Uniformity and consistency: Repeating elements in a composition to direct the viewer’s attention and create design harmony Hierarchy: Organizing information in terms of its importance to the viewer Contrast: Creating interest and distinguishing different types of information with different typefaces
Typographic Design Principles
Legibility is a combination of factors: Font family Font size Letter, word, and line spacing Alignment Font and background colors
Typographic Design Principles Legibility
Typographic Design Principles Legibility
Font sizes above 14 points break down the continuity of large blocks of text, making words difficult for readers to follow
Typographic Design Principles Legibility
Other Legibility Issues: If letters, words, or lines are too close together, readers have a hard time because text blocks tend to look too dark
Typographic Design Principles Legibility
Other Legibility Issues: If letters, words, or lines are too far apart, readers have a hard time because blocks of text tend to look too light, causing readers to lose a sense of continuity
Typographic Design Principles Legibility
Other Legibility Issues: Spacing between words should be consistent to promote legibility; too much variation in letter and line leads to eyestrain
Typographic Design Principles Legibility
Other Legibility Issues: White type on a black background can also make large blocks of text difficult to read
This type of typographic treatment usually works best on headline or subhead areas of a layout
Typographic Design Principles Legibility
Other Legibility Issues: Certain color combinations, particularly those lacking strong contrast (such as yellow type on white background) are difficult to read
Typographic Design Principles Legibility
To maintain overall uniformity, limit the number of different font families per page to two or three at most
Use the same font for headings and body text to produce a uniform look; this is known as concordance
Typographic Design Principles Unity and Concordance
Using the same font family throughout a layout creates uniformity but may make documents seem visually boring
To add contrast, combine two font families (for example, one serif and one sans serif or script font)
Heading and body type can use different fonts to separate information and create visual interest
Typographic Design Principles Contrast
Hierarchy helps your audience distinguish between levels of information, such as title, header, subhead and body
Information can be set apart by changing font family, font type, size, color
To maintain unity, keep typographic choices consistent for each section throughout a layout
Typographic Design Principles Hierarchy
Top-level headings can use unconventional typographic treatments
Different levels use different font sizes, families, colors, and leading to arrange and separate information
Typographic Design Principles Hierarchy
Copy length: Choose fonts that will allow for the best readability and flexibility of arrangement (kerning, leading, etc) when typesetting large amounts of text
Line length: Blocks of text that are either too long or too short are difficult to read Character count should be between 35 to 70 characters long as general rule of thumb
Type should not be adjusted by stretching it on the computer; this distorts its appearance Use the kerning and leading tools available in computer software instead
Typographic Design Principles Other Things to Consider
Type lines up on the left with “ragged” the right margin Advantage: Easy to read in large blocks Disadvantage: Pay attention to the “shape” made by the right edge of the text Text shape should be convex (curve outward) rather than concave (curve inward) Avoid putting very short lines of text next to long ones
Text Alignment Flush Left
Aligns text to the right; leaves “ragged” left edge Advantage: Allows designer control over kerning spacing of text on individual lines Disadvantage: Can be hard for the reader to follow lines of type if they don’t line up under one another on the left Best used for small amounts of type
Text Alignment Flush Right
Text Alignment Centered
Type that aligns along the middle axis in a composition Advantage: Just like with left and right justification, designer can control word spacing for good legibility Disadvantage: Can be difficult for the reader to find the beginning of the next line of text when lines don’t justify left Works best using small areas of type, such as lists, headlines, etc.
Aligns type on both the left and right edge Advantage: If done correctly, this can make areas of text appear uniform and clean, giving crisp edges on both sides of an area of text Disadvantage: Harder to control word spacing
Text Alignment Justified
No apparent structure to type Advantage: Can be used to create unusual or unexpected effects Disadvantage: Can be extremely difficult for readers to follow due to lack of apparent structure
Text Alignment Random Asymmetrical
Aligned text creates a visual line in a design; such lines help readers draw connections between different parts of a document
Text Alignment Organization with Alignment
Rivers: Bad words spacing can create “rivers,” or unintentional areas of white space that flow down a page and create a visual distraction for the reader
Text Alignment Other Considerations
Orphan: An orphan is a short line that appears at the top of a column Occurs when the last word of a paragraph continues onto the next page A word that “floats” on a page by itself is distracting and confuses the reader Also applies to paragraphs- bad typography to begin first sentence of a paragraph at the end of a page
Text Alignment Other Considerations
Widow: A very short line at the end of a paragraph Can be a single word, short phrase or the last syllable of a hyphenated word
Text Alignment Other Considerations