About Typestyles Design Rules and Tips

Outlined Shadowed Outlined Shadowed Outlined and Shadowed text is unreadable and illegible. They sometimes work if they are filled with color and/or used alone as initial caps or, in reverse text. Outlined Shadowed Outlined Shadowed

Underline is considered obsolete (left over from typewriter days Underline is considered obsolete (left over from typewriter days.) – use italics instead. Grapes of Wrath Grapes of Wrath

Bold conveys authority and is considered best when text needs to be emphasized.

Italic most dramatically changes the typeface Italic most dramatically changes the typeface. Best use is for grammatical reasons. (names of books, pull quotes. Etc.) Italic Grapes of Wrath

ALL CAPS SHOULD BE AVOIDED – THEY MAKE TEXT DIFFICULT TO READ ALL CAPS SHOULD BE AVOIDED – THEY MAKE TEXT DIFFICULT TO READ. RESERVE FOR FEW WORDS. (titles, cover pages)

SMALL CAPS are better than all caps to emphasize text. Use sparingly SMALL CAPS are better than all caps to emphasize text. Use sparingly. (Subheads, logos, business cards, headlines, manual writing, spreadsheets.) 20% smaller is the usual default.

Reverse text adds impact, depth, color. Eyes gravitate to reverse Reverse text adds impact, depth, color. Eyes gravitate to reverse. Excellent any time a body of text needs to be treated separately from body copy. Guidelines: • emphasize important points only • use larger text and short blocks • sans serif works better Reverse

Shading behind text can work to separate short blocks of copy but keep it at 10%-15% behind black text. Any darker is difficult to read. You can use 20% if using a service bureau. Shading

Dark pages are less desirable to readers Dark pages are less desirable to readers. Beware of darkening pages with two much bold, underlining, all caps, heavy lines, etc.

Limit the number of fonts used in your documents Limit the number of fonts used in your documents. Most designers use one serif typeface for body copy and one sans serif for headlines and captions per document. 1 + 1 = 2

Never combine two serif fonts on the same page, and never combine two sans serif fonts on the same page. Remember, within each typeface, you have options of bold, italic, etc. light, black

Strengthen the contrasts Strengthen the contrasts. If one face is light and airy, choose a dense black one to go with it. If one face is small, make the other one large. Avoid weak contrasts, such as a semi-bold type with a bold type, a script with an italic, etc. Make use of size and weight. Light and airy - Dense Black

s p a c e – text inset Give adequate space for your type to rest in. The white space around type acts to define the typography and gives the eye a rest. (Space between letters, words, lines, columns, etc.) space

Don’t overdo white type on a black background. It’s a nice effect but should not be overdone. It’s harder for printers to print large masses of solid black and darkens the page beyond what’s friendly! It can also make your teachers mad that you’re using too much black ink! Remember to use sans serif if you do this!

Don’t be afraid to expand or contract type for effect Don’t be afraid to expand or contract type for effect. You can obtain impressive results if not overused. Expanded CONDENSED

Don’t get too complicated Don’t get too complicated. Keep is simple; the reader will appreciate your efforts. KISS

Try some Wingdings and flourishes Try some Wingdings and flourishes. They work as bullets to set off lists and when enlarged, some look like originally created art.  

Try large initial caps for emphasis Try large initial caps for emphasis. They create a starting point for the eye and are an attractive way to start a paragraph, story, article, or, chapter. Two Types: • Initial drop caps • Initial raised caps

D R rop caps drop into lines of text. aised caps rise above the first line of text.

A KISS Good-bye