Typography

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- //Robert Bringhurst in [|The Elements of Typographic Style.]//

What is [|typography] ? Richard Nilsen, in his article entitled "[|SIGN LANGUAGE: Typography is an art form of its own - and it's all around us]" defines typography as “**the physical expression of printed words**.” Yet, as Nilsen points out, so many people merely squeeze the meaning out of words without ever noticing the messenger. Take, for example, some common examples of typography found around my home: All of the above examples of typography belong to a common and everyday item, be it a logo for a class, print on personal stationery, a logo on a t-shirt, a brand name for pancake mix, or an inscription on a plate. Yes, typography is all around us....and typography is an art form. To borrow a quote again from Nilsen's aforementioned article, "Some (type) is actually beautiful in itself, and it deserves to be noticed.....We live in a continent-wide art museum but seldom consider the work hung there." Typography has a unique position in that it is the only element of design that simultaneously, has both a visual and a verbal element. It has an important verbal element in that it conveys the meaning behind the words that it represents; it has a visual element in that the words have a physical form or expression. Thus, typography is a marriage of form and content. Its form has a voice and a personality, both of which must be appropriate in order to enhance, and not detract from its verbal content. Overall, as Valerie J. Vance in her article entitled “Typography 101” puts it, “The primary goal of typography is to create a page that is consistent, harmonious, and balanced.” Her article can be accessed for a fee in the [|Business Communication Quarterly] (1996) 59: 132-134.
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The study of typography reveals that it contains an entire vocabulary of its own. For a brief look into typographic vocabulary, refer to http://www.journalism.indiana.edu/syllabi/ccookman/J525/pages/typography.pdf, a website maintained by The School of Journalism at Indiana University.
 * Basic Terminology**

The following is a summary of a few of the key typography terms:

//Typeface//: a set of characters (letters, numbers, and symbols) with similar design features. Typeface is used interchangeably with the word [|font.] //Point Size//: the height of a [|letterform], traditionally measured in [|points]. The smaller the point size, the smaller the type. //Weight//: the thickness of the strokes that make up a letterform. The thicker the strokes, the bolder the letterform. Common weights are regular, bold, and ultra bold. //Letterspacing//: the space between individual letterforms. //Word Spacing//: the space between words. //Leading//: the vertical space between lines of type.

Letterspacing, word spacing, and leading are all factors that influence the readability and the expressiveness of they type. (Graham, Lisa. [|The Principles of Interactive Design]. Toronto:Delmar Publishers, 1999)


 * Typography in web:**

Although the basic rules of typography are much the same for both Web pages and conventional print documents, type on-screen and type printed on paper are different in crucial ways http://webstyleguide.com/type/character.html. The computer screen renders typefaces at a much lower resolution than is found in books, magazines, and even pages output from inexpensive printers. Most magazine and book typography is rendered at 1200 dots per inch (dpi) or greater, whereas computer screens rarely show more than about 85 dpi. Also, the useable area of typical computer screens is smaller than most magazine and book pages, limiting the information you can deliver on a Web page without scrolling.

But perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of Web typography is its variability. Web pages are built on the fly each time they are loaded into a Web browser. Each line of text, each headline, each unique font and type style is re-created by a complex interaction of the Web browser, the Web server, and the operating system of the reader's computer. The process is fraught with possibilities for the unexpected: a missing font, an out-of-date browser, or a peculiar set of font preferences designated by the reader. You should regard your Web page layouts and typography as suggestions of how your pages should be rendered — you'll never know exactly how they will look on the reader's screen.



For some excellent examples of the use of type to create harmonious web pages, look at John Boardley's blog [|I love typography]

As intense and involved as typography can seem after perusing its vocabulary, at its most basic level it can be filtered down to a few general suggestions that will prevent a typeface catastrophe in your next document. //Kathleen Burke Yoshida//, in her article, "Avoiding Typeface Terrors, offers a few such tips:


 * 1.** Use a serif typeface for body text and a sans serif typeface for headings.
 * 2.** Use creative, display, or script typefaces sparingly. These typefaces generally have a low legibility rating.
 * 3.** Set your line leading at one or two points greater than the point size of the text. You can, and should, vary leading for body text and headings.
 * 4.** Type size should match your document’s purpose, audience, and presentation method. Body text should be set in at least 10-point type. Your lowest level heading must be at least equal to the body type size.
 * 5.** A reader’s eyes are drawn to the darkest point on a page, which is usually bold type. Too many bold elements present a visual overload.

[|The Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA)] is an international not-for-profit organization formed in 1998 with a mission to increase public awareness and appreciation of the art and history of typography and its function in creating beautiful and successful communications. This organization regularly holds conventions and forums dedicated to promoting topics related to typography.