The Wonder Of Typography

Typography broken down… Brief history and back ground of typography Brief history and back ground of typography The principles of typography The principles of typography Examples of fonts and their advantages and disadvantages Examples of fonts and their advantages and disadvantages Typography in the context of Multimedia and Website Developement Typography in the context of Multimedia and Website Developement

Typography through time

Let’s start at the beginning… 12 th Century - books were produced by scribes, usually in monasteries 12 th Century - books were produced by scribes, usually in monasteries 15 th Century - Johannes Gutenberg invented moveable type 15 th Century - Johannes Gutenberg invented moveable type In 1454 the first mass-produced successfully printed book – The Gutenberg Bible In 1454 the first mass-produced successfully printed book – The Gutenberg Bible Typesetting soon caught on in Europe and worldwide Typesetting soon caught on in Europe and worldwide

Scribes fought against the introduction of printing Scribes fought against the introduction of printing The religious authorities wanted to control what was printed The religious authorities wanted to control what was printed Sometimes this was successful Sometimes this was successful For centuries in some European countries Church approval was need to print For centuries in some European countries Church approval was need to print Printing could only be done by a government authorised printer Printing could only be done by a government authorised printer

Where did it go from there? Type setting made only minor refinements in the late 1600s until the late 1800s Type setting made only minor refinements in the late 1600s until the late 1800s In 1885 Linn Boyd Benton's invention eased the creation of punches In 1885 Linn Boyd Benton's invention eased the creation of punches Pierre Simon Fournier first proposed point system in 1737, but Francois Ambroise Didot’s version was adopted Pierre Simon Fournier first proposed point system in 1737, but Francois Ambroise Didot’s version was adopted 1944 debut of photocomposition was produced and was the bridge between printing and the computing world 1944 debut of photocomposition was produced and was the bridge between printing and the computing world

Ok, so where do computers come in? A hybrid of photocomposition and pure digital output is born A hybrid of photocomposition and pure digital output is born In 1980s Post script became the standard for digital typesetting In 1980s Post script became the standard for digital typesetting Although postscript predominates there are many other forms of page description language Although postscript predominates there are many other forms of page description language

Principles of Typography

It’s a matter of principle… There are six main principles of Typography There are six main principles of Typography Type size – Measured in points Type size – Measured in points Type size Type size Weight – Refers to the density of the letters Weight – Refers to the density of the letters Weight Style – Bold, Italic, Underline and reverse Style – Bold, Italic, Underline and reverse Style Leading – Vertical space between lines Leading – Vertical space between lines Alignment – Position in regards to the margins Alignment – Position in regards to the margins Colour – Tone, texture, lightness and darkness Colour – Tone, texture, lightness and darkness

Choosing the right font

Types of font… There are fonts for every occasion, use and personality There are fonts for every occasion, use and personality Some fonts were made to make consumption of text easier Some fonts were made to make consumption of text easier Others were made just for fun, to add excitement to text Others were made just for fun, to add excitement to text Different fonts have different affects Different fonts have different affects

Fonts… Small fonts are often reproduced poorly, due to the size Small fonts are often reproduced poorly, due to the size There are old fonts and new fonts that have become old There are old fonts and new fonts that have become old Some fonts are made to imitate handwriting Some fonts are made to imitate handwriting Some have specific purposes Some have specific purposesspecific purposesspecific purposes And others were made for fun, or with special characters And others were made for fun, or with special charactersspecial charactersspecial characters

Some fonts can be tiring to read as they give a dark grey impression when put into paragraphs Some fonts can be tiring to read as they give a dark grey impression when put into paragraphs Some fonts can look light grey when put into paragraphs this can make reading a more pleasant experience Some fonts can look light grey when put into paragraphs this can make reading a more pleasant experience Serif fonts are easier to follow on long lines of text, making them ideal, when there is a lot of information to display Serif fonts are easier to follow on long lines of text, making them ideal, when there is a lot of information to display Serif Sans-Serif fonts are hard to follow in long lines of text, making them more suitable for shorter texts, like titles Sans-Serif fonts are hard to follow in long lines of text, making them more suitable for shorter texts, like titles Sans-Serif

The use of Typography in Websites and Multimedia

Examples of text on the web National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank Portfolio Designs Portfolio Designs Portfolio Designs Portfolio Designs Synergy designs Synergy designs Synergy designs Synergy designs Google Google Google Argos Argos Argos ASDA ASDA ASDA

In a nutshell… Typography started with scribes in the 12 th century and developed into digital typesetting of centuries Typography started with scribes in the 12 th century and developed into digital typesetting of centuries The principles are Size, Weight, Style, Leading, Margin Alignment and Colour The principles are Size, Weight, Style, Leading, Margin Alignment and Colour Fonts can affect the way text is read or perceived Fonts can affect the way text is read or perceived Choosing the right text is essential to web design Choosing the right text is essential to web design

References grap/typography.htm#printypo grap/typography.htm#printypo grap/typography.htm#printypo grap/typography.htm#printypo

Serif fonts make reading large blocks of text easier because of the spaces between letters, its density and weight. Also because it is a light font, this makes it easier on the eyes. Serif fonts make reading large blocks of text easier because of the spaces between letters, its density and weight. Also because it is a light font, this makes it easier on the eyes. Serif fonts make reading large blocks of text easier because of the spaces between letters, its density and weight. Also because it is a light font, this makes it easier on the eyes. Serif fonts make reading large blocks of text easier because of the spaces between letters, its density and weight. Also because it is a light font, this makes it easier on the eyes. Back

Sans-Serif fonts are harder to read in long lines because it seems like a dark grey when displayed in a long block of text. Also the space between the letters are smaller making the letters harder to distinguish. The weight of the letters also makes reading them difficult. Sans-Serif fonts are harder to read in long lines because it seems like a dark grey when displayed in a long block of text. Also the space between the letters are smaller making the letters harder to distinguish. The weight of the letters also makes reading them difficult. Back

Screen fonts… The following fonts were designed specifically for the screen. The designers have taken into account the purpose of the text and designed it to suit its need The following fonts were designed specifically for the screen. The designers have taken into account the purpose of the text and designed it to suit its need Georgia Trebuchet MS Tahoma Verdana Back

Webdings –  Webdings –  Comic Sans Comic Sans Symbol –  Symbol –  Curlz Curlz Monotype sorts – hnupshuibuhvbuh Monotype sorts – hnupshuibuhvbuh Forte Forte OCR A OCR A Back

Type size… The point size of text is the number of points per inch between the tallest ascender and the lowest descender in the text This is usually 72 points to the inch Therefore if a font is 18 points it is approximately ¼ inch in height Back

Weight… Described as a continuum: light, dark, bold, extra bold etc. Described as a continuum: light, dark, bold, extra bold etc. Light fonts are composed of thinner lines Light fonts are composed of thinner lines Heavy fonts are composed of thicker lines Heavy fonts are composed of thicker lines Not all weights are available for some of the fonts Not all weights are available for some of the fonts Back

Style… Styles are: Bold, italic, underline and reverse Styles are: Bold, italic, underline and reverse They are often used to accentuate or exaggerate specific points or pieces of data They are often used to accentuate or exaggerate specific points or pieces of data Underline is often used for titles and headings Underline is often used for titles and headings Italic is often used to stress a point as is Bold Italic is often used to stress a point as is Bold Back