1. GRAPHIC DESIGN Types of Type
Type is how we communicate visually. To tell a story, express a thought, or place a notification. But how you use type and what kind of type you choose is sometimes more important than the message itself.
Types of Type

2. Type is the building block of any design!
What is Type?
Type is the building block of any design!
Typefaces are distinctive designs of visual symbols (images) that are used to compose a printed page on paper or any other substrate.
Characters are individual visual symbols in a particular typeface. Letters, numerals, punctuation marks, and special symbols.
When you think of building blocks what do you think of? Picture a tall building – when you see the building what makes it have strength and structure? (the base or foundation) Without that it is four shaky walls with a roof, the taller it is the more it moves. Same with type if you do not have a firm foundation, your design will be shaky – and the bigger the design the worse it will be.
Typefaces are distinctive designs of visual symbols (images) that are used to compose a printed page on paper or any other substrate. So typefaces are the entire type font so Times New Roman is a typeface. Substrates are any printed surface, so that includes paper, vinyl, cloth, aluminum, canvas, etc…
Characters are individual visual symbols in a particular typeface. Letters, numerals, punctuation marks, and special symbols. Characters are each symbol alone.

3. Name Art Terminology Measurement
Typography
Name Art Terminology Measurement
Just as every person has a name, every typeface has one also. It would be difficult to identify specific typefaces without names. There are literally thousands of typefaces available.
Typography is the art of expressing ideas in printed form through the selection of appropriate typefaces
When determining what type of type to use in a design you must think about the expression you are trying to make. Type is the voice of a design. Are you going to shout something, whisper, say is sweetly or rough.
There are lots of terminology in type that you will eventually learn, but I do not want to overwhelm you immediately. Right now we are going to just start with type categories.
Same with measurement, type has its own measurement (points) so as we move into using type we will also ease into understanding the use of the point system.

4. Seven Main Type Groups Serif Slab Serif Old Style Sans Serif Script
Serif Slab Serif Old Style San Serif Script Italic Decorative
Serif
Slab Serif
Old Style
Sans Serif
Script
Italic
Decorative
Let just concentrate today on type categories or groups. These groups are very important. There are thousands of typefaces on the market today. To understand typefaces and how they can relate to each other it is important to understand where they fit in the scheme of typography. You will need to have these categories memorized and be able to identify each category based on font types.

5. Serif
Lets start with serifs: Serifs are used quite a bit. A lot of magazines use serifs for their nameplates. Many newspapers and books, including most of your textbooks use serifs for the copy.

6. Serif Decorative Strokes Bracketed Unbracketed
Well, what are serifs? Serifs are the small decorative strokes that are added to the end of a letter’s main stroke. These crosslines at the end of a stroke are called a slab, wedge, or hair and they are either bracketed or unbracketed. Terminology – again we will learn the definitions of those later.
But I do want to explain Bracketed and Unbracketed.
(The bracket is a curved or wedge-like connection - Unbracketed serifs are attached sharply, and usually at 90 degree angles.)
Serifs are best suited for body text. Serifs are more difficult to read in a small scale, so they should not be used for test smaller than 10 points

7. So a serif has the decorative hands and feet on a letter.

8. Slab Serif
Used for sports logos, wanted posters, even eye charts. Easy to classify due to the thick, square like serifs.

9. Slab Serif Attention Grabbing Little or no transitions Unbracketed
Mono weight
Clean Look
Beginning in the 19th century Slab serifs (or square serifs) were created for attracting attention for advertising, posters and flyers.
Slab serifs have little or no thick/thin transitions. Ordinary Slab Serifs have a square unbracketed serif. This type category is sometimes called Claredon – that is because the typeface Claredon is the epitome of this style, but Clarendon’s have square bracketed serifs.
Many of the slab serifs have just a slight thick/thin contrast and are very high on the readability scale, meaning they can easily be used in extensive text. They present an overall darker page than oldstyle because their strokes are thicker and relatively monoweight. Slab serifs are often used in children’s book because of their clean, straightforward look.

10. With a slab serif think of the feet with big boots and the hands as big fat fists.

11. Transitional
Modern
Serifs are sub divided into two groups, transitional and modern.
The first type style forms the transition between Old Style and Modern typefaces. The lines in transitional type are more fine and rich in contrast. They show a greater difference in stroke thickness.
Modern typefaces have serif also, but the serifs are horizontal instead of slanted, and they are very thin.
Modern types tend to have a cold, elegant look. Most modern typefaces have a striking appearance, especially when set very large, because of their strong thick/thin transitions, but most moderns are not good choices for body copy.

12. Modern is tall, thin and cold like a model. Very refined.

13. Oldstyle
Oldstyle fonts also known as Old English, Black letter or Gothic: Maybe you have seen this style: Most commonly used for tattoos, Rappers (Snoop), and diploma or certificates.

14. o Oldstyle Scribes Angled Serifs Thick to Thin Transitions
Diagonal Stress
Oldstyle is easy to identify. Most Typefaces in this category are based on the hand lettering of scribes.
Oldstyle always have serifs and the serifs of lowercase letters are always at an angle.
All the curved strokes in the letterforms have a transition from thick to thin. This contrast in the stroke is relatively moderate – meaning it goes from kind-of-thick to kind-of-thin. If you draw a line through the thinnest parts of the curved strokes, the line is diagonal. This is called the STRESS – old style has a diagonal stress.
You also do not want to use Oldstyle in all capital letters – it becomes to busy and hard to read. o

15. Think of someone painstakingly using a quill, dipping it in ink and hand drawing beautiful artful letters.

16. San Serif
San serifs – are used for many logos. Same with signage. Also keyboards on both cell phones and computers use san serifs. This type category is simple and plain but easy to read.

17. San Serif
“Sans” = without serif Grotesque Mono weight – no transitions Great for footnotes & headlines
The word “sans” means without (in French), so sans serif typefaces are those without serifs on the ends of the strokes.
Sans were first issued in At first these typefaces were considered awkward and unappealing since they lacked the traditional serifs. Therefore, they were sometimes called Grotesque. A hundred years later in the 1920’s they were back in demand.
San serifs are almost always “monoweight” meaning there is virtually no visible thick/thin transitions in the strokes; the letterforms are the same thickness all the way around. Sans Serifs are unfavorable for long text. It is recommended for smaller than 8 point type or in very large sizes. San serifs are great for footnotes and headlines.

18. Think of san serifs as the elementary school printing. Very simple.

19. Script
Scripts are emotional, lyrical, even passionate communicators. They are used for fancy and formal items such as the Constitution of the United States, wedding invitations, and designs using initials.

20. Script
Hand lettered with pen Formal Less is more Keep it legible Think Big
The script category includes all the typefaces that appear to have been hand lettered with a calligraphy pen or brush. Scripts are stunning – think of them as type all dressed up for a party. Elegant.
Although scripts are “hot” designer choices and make a strong graphic impression, it’s easy to overuse them.
Keep it legible. Any script will be harder to read than a serif or sans serif typeface.
Think big. Scripts should also be set large.
With the script typeface you have to remember they should never be used in long block of type and NEVER in all caps.

21. Scripts are fancy and curly
Scripts are fancy and curly. Script letters are joined or connected like writing in cursive.

22. Italic
Italics are often used to indicate emphasis in body copy. Used for titles, foreign words, and for quotations. Poetry is often set in Italics.

23. Italic Slanted Oblique Not Connected
Italics are just the slanted version or the upright letter. Italics are also known as the term oblique when you electronically slant a letter.
Very important to remember is that italics are not joined like scripts are.

24. Think diaginal

25. Decorative
Decorative fonts also known as novelty fonts are easy to find and identify. Product design like coke cola, movies use them to fit the theme like corpse bride, and decorative type fonts are used a lot in advertising to mimic a product or service.

26. Decorative Distinctive Advertisements Graphic Designer
These fonts are easy to identify – they are fun, distinctive, and easy to use. But, they must be used as an occasional item. Like a holiday – you can’t use them and celebrate all the time.
Depending how you use a decorative type they can carry obvious emotions, or you can manipulate them into carrying a connotation very different from your first impression.
Decorative type fonts set a theme, each style needs to be suited for a special situation. Think of them like a costume, you only wear them to a event. And do not mix them with other decoratives or they will clash.
This style of type was invented when advertising wanted type to match their products. It became part of the job of graphic designers and commercial artist to design decorative typefaces.

27. Decoratives add interest and call attention
Decoratives add interest and call attention. They are them based and unique.

28. Assignment Pick one letter (any letter you choose)
Examples for each category
Fill the entire square
Identify each style
You will pick one letter (any letter you choose) and find as many examples as you can covering each of the categories we covered. You may use magazines, newspapers, or any other print medium you have access to but not electronic (meaning the computer). You will fill the square I give you with your letters, filling the entire area. You will also need to be able to identify the type styles for me, so make sure you are focusing on each style as you find them, not just looking for as many (S’s) as you can.