Typography and its Impact on Graphic Design
If you look around, you’ll encounter the use of typography in the simplest form. From the cover page of your favorite book to the posters on the wall, from that chocolate wrapper rotting on the desk to the sticky notes inside your bag, all these small details give you a different aspect of the definition of typography.
But what is Typography?
Typography is the strategic arrangement of letters and text in a way that makes the copy legible, clear, and visually appealing to the reader. It helps to communicate the message framed by the designer, along with the attributes of hierarchy and legibility. Typography can be considered a crucial component in order to make written language readable.
History
The origination of typography dates back some thousand years in the form of impressions on brick stamps which were present in the Mesopotamian cities of Uruk and Larsa. The style of writing evolved with time and letters were identified. Egyptian hieroglyphs and Hieratic script were some of the earliest typography styles which were used by merchants in the official documentation. The emergence of serifs was no less than a revolution in the field of typography. Serifs were identified as some characters with bits sticking out of the edges as a result of chiseled letters.
Modern-day typography
Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press gave birth to modern typography. Modern typography consists of clean, clear, and minimalistic forms of typography. Handwritten typography was replaced with something more pristine and contemporary. The early modern typography revolved around the sans-serif typeface, which was serif without the small strokes or extensions at the end. Helvetica and Arial are now the most popular sans-serif fonts as they are clean and easier to read than serifs. A graphic design demands a solution to the given problem statement, this solution should be clear and legible. It should serve the purpose; hence, sans-serifs are used excessively in graphic design.
Elements of Typography
Typography is a collection of some basic and universal elements which can influence the ability to comprehend content. They are the determinantal factors in deciding the visual representation of the desired text. But what are these seven universal elements?
1) Typeface
A typeface is a collection or set of alphabets and their corresponding accessories like numerals or special characters. A typeface can be further classified into serif, sans-serif, slab-serif, monospace, and script. It is a set design pattern that is applied to a group of letters.
2) Hierarchy
Text can be arranged in hierarchical levels to make it look more organized and less cluttered. Hierarchy helps in giving clarity to the reader and helps segregate text based on its importance.
3) Contrast
Contrast helps in making the text stand out. It lays emphasis and makes it look more organized and exclusive. A good amount of contrast can help to reduce strain and increase legibility.
4) Consistency
Consistency plays an important role to ensure that the text is not cluttered. Limited fonts and a consistent hierarchical pattern are important for a clean design. A variety in the usage of fonts, color, and alignment patterns will give a messy and unattractive look to the design.
5) Alignment
Alignment is important in graphic design; it makes the text look structured and makes it easier for the viewer to scan the elements of design based on hierarchy. There are four types of alignment that can be chosen based on the layout of the design. Alignment of text should be done keeping in mind that lone words are avoided in new lines; it gives a messy touch to the design and decreases the comprehension ability.
6) White space
White space or negative space increases the legibility and scannability of the design. It helps in prioritizing content with the help of margins and a grid that handles the logical grouping of its components.
7) Colour
Colour depicts the mood and thoughts of the designer; it can influence the way a viewer interprets a design.
Relation between typography and design
Typography plays an important role in implementing a good design. It can change the aesthetics and presentation of a design along with deciding the tone of your presentation. It can have a major influence on how a person adjudges the content. It helps to convey the thought process of the designer and build a connection which helps in delivering the solution. A graphic design is built on the foundation of typography, which can change its dynamics in many ways. The combination and grouping of letters can influence the way a viewer perceives the design. Text alignment and hierarchy determine the importance of the different components of the design. Clean and clear typography can help you achieve the desired result.
Typography v/s Font
One might wonder if typeface and font are synonyms of each other and might use these words interchangeably. But there is a thin line of difference that gives them a distinction. While typeface is a specific collection of design features that characterize a particular manner of lettering, font refers to a variation in typeface by changing its weight, size, and style.
To elaborate on this argument let’s consider an example. Arial is a typeface; it has a fixed pattern in which the letters follow a particular way of styling. However, Arial italics 15 underlined is a font, as it has specific values of weight, size, and style.
Some rules of typography
Combination of Fonts
We have realized that typography is an essential part of graphic design. But how does typography influence the layout of the design? The combination of fonts is a crucial factor in determining the visual representation. Designers usually used a combination of two to three fonts to give a breeze to the design and keep it uncluttered. The selection of fonts should depend upon the requirement of design. Weight should be added to add more emphasis and headings and subheadings should be used to prioritize text and layout a hierarchical structure. Typefaces can be selected based on the layout of the design. Sans serifs like Helvetica, Futura, and Public Sans can be used when the design is traditional and expects clarity and legibility. They are ideal for minimalistic logos. Weight should be kept constant and font size can be changed according to the significance of the text.
Tracking, Kerning, and Leading
• Tracking can be defined as letter spacing; It is the process by which a designer determines the percentage of overall space used between the letters. Tracking is generally less for lowercase alphabets as compared to uppercase alphabets.
• Kerning is the individual letter spacing.
• Leading is the space between two lines
• A mixture of Tracking, Kerning, and Leading is used to adjust the spacing between the texts and make it more scannable.
Typography is not just a combination or layout of letters, but it is a way of expressing your thoughts and shaping them into a design. If used appropriately it can influence the way a person interprets a design.
Now you can get started on building your own customized typography by selecting the appropriate elements and following the golden rules!
You can refer to :
https://fonts.google.com/ — to know more about fonts and their usage.
https://www.w3schools.com/css/css_font.asp- to get information about different font families.
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