 TYPOGRAPHY

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point size, line length, line-spacing (leading), letter- spacing (tracking), and adjusting the space within letters pairs (kerning ). Luca Pacioli, a Franciscan monk ( ), showed geometrically constructed letters in 1509 in his Divina Proportione.

Typography is the work of typesetters, compositors, typographers, graphic designers, art directors, manga artists, comic book artists, graffiti artists, and now—anyone who arranges words, letters, numbers, and symbols for publication, display, or distribution—from clerical workers and newsletter writers to anyone self-publishing materials. Until the Digital Age, typography was a specialized occupation. Digitization opened up typography to new generations of previously unrelated designers and lay users, and David Jury, head of graphic design at Colchester Institute in England, states that "typography is now something everybody does.”

The word, typography, is derived from the Greek "form" or "impression" and graphein "to write", traces its origins to the first punches and dies used to make seals and currency in ancient times, which ties the concept to printing. Even as late as the 15th century, monks and scribes used initial caps to aid in visually “chunky” texts. Often the picture that accompanied the large letter related to the text so the picture gave the reader an idea of what the text referred to, just like a TV promo for a new show.

An early manuscript with type and initial capital letters drawn by monks.

Typography is the art of lettering, like when you draw the letters for the alphabet.

There are many different types of typefaces, otherwise known as FONTS. You know this from reading books and looking up typefaces on the computer, but have you ever thought about DRAWING LETTERS? LOOK AT SOME OF THESE! Look at the forms, the curves, the way the letters come together. You could draw these too!

The older text had things known as SERIFS, more modern text does NOT have serifs. Sans Serif type is type without “ends” – sans means without in french like the sample below. Serif Typeface below with ‘points on the ends of the type” or “serifs”.

If you tried to draw a typeface to represent something, what would you do? If you look at the following typefaces, what do they represent?

If you look at the following typefaces, you can see that the pink typeface with no serifs has a ‘fun’ feel and adding the pink color makes it more ‘bubble gummish”- the typeface or font ‘goes’ with the message of the ice cream. If you look at the word “April” with the umbrella, it’s a ‘scripty’ font that looks like it is taking up the umbrella.

Examples of different typefaces that capture the mood and use contrast of typefaces in order to make posters, flyers, designs, book covers, signs, and other things.

There are many different types of typefaces and they all fall into categories. These are some of the categories that typefaces may be found under.

Examples of how type can be used to create patterns of design.

More examples of typefaces and how type can be used.

More examples of different letters and typefaces

More examples of how to use type and what fonts are used for.

More Examples!

Look at the way the word “roar” “hunt” and Pounce” was used in order to create a lion out of type? What words and typefaces would you use in order to create a person, animal, or thing?

Like the lion, this is a portrait of Michael Jordan, the best basketball player in the world, made out of type. Note the descriptions of him in the type, if you did this with someone, what would you do?

Look at how the artist or designer used the lines in order to put them in with the type to make a design or a composition of type and fonts! Could you do this? I think so!

Example of a Poster design using lines, spaces, rules, squares, rectangles, and specific typefaces and fonts in order to show a poster design. Think about if you had to design a poster or a flyer made out of type? Instead of just ‘typing it in’ or putting it in the flyer or poster, how would you design the words- would you stack them on top of one another, put them on an angle like in this poster? Be creative and think about it!

This type was Made entirely Out of candy! If you had to make a typeface to represent something, What would you do? Think about it!

Think about what you could do and how many typefaces and fonts are out there!