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Typography Talks
 There are two essential aspects to the work of a typographer - they must take into account knowledge already acquired and keep the mind receptive to novelty. With type particularly, it is easy for satisfaction with what has been already achieved to degenerate into complacency.The Role of Type in Publishing Typography has one main duty, that is to convey information in writing. A printed work which cannot be read becomes a product without purpose. In good typography, the straights and curves, verticals and horizontals, sloping elements, starts and finishes work together to produce a rhythmic pattern. There is an abundance of rhythmic values in an ordinary piece of composition. Ascenders and descenders, round and pointed forms, symmetry and asymmetry. The word spaces divide the line and type matter into words of unequal size, into a rhythmic interplay of varying lengths and values of different weight. If a simple piece of text is well composed, it will of its own accord give the work a rhythmic appeal. The typographer has endless possibilities of creating rhythms by the way he disposes (distribute or put in place) his composition on the page. The shape of the composition can harmonize or contrast in its rhythm with the format of the paper. In designing composition, the typographer should examine every possible means of getting away from rigid systems and dull repetition, not merely for the sake of vitalizing the form but also in the interest of legibility. Type is a creation of both art and science. Graphic designers look at type as a basic tool of their art. Writers look at type as a functional element of their message. Those who are untrained in either editing or design, look at type and probably don't even notice it. And that's the way it should be when the type works well with both the message and the design. Too little space between lines destroys the pattern they make, too much exaggerates it. Type blocks are elements of the design as much as a photo or illustration - blocks of grey that have weight when considering balance on a page or spread. Type is the first impression you have of what you are about to read. Each typeface, like a human face, has a subtle character all its own. Depending on which face you choose, the same word can have many different shades of meaning. The solution to a design problem is derived from an understanding of the message and its intent. Oriental philosophers hold that the essence of created form depends on empty space. Without its hollow interior a jug is merely a lump of clay, and it is only the empty space inside that makes it into a vessel. So it is with type. Factors that effect the readability of type: 1. The style of the typeface. Familiar styles are usually the most readable. 2. The size of the typeface. Within reason, the larger the face, the better. 3. The length of the line. Comfortably narrow columns are better than wide columns. A line of more than 60 characters is hard to read. 4. The amount of leading between lines. Most body sizes can use at least one and probably two. 5. The pattern of the column of type. It should be even-toned. 6. The contrast between the darkness of the type and the lightness of the paper. The more contrast the better. 7. The texture of paper. It shouldn't be intrusive. 8. The relationship of the type to other elements on the page. The relationship should be obvious. 9. The suitability of type to content. The art director should exploit the "personality" of types.  Factors that effect the experience of reading:On display typography, group type as it reads. Give consideration to line breaks in the same way. 2. It is always safe to stay within a family of type rather than mixing typefaces in a single production. This is the conservative (classic) approach. 3. You can mix and match but rarely more than 2 faces in a single publication. 4. Always tighten letterspacing on display (headline) type. 5. Do not use a lot of different type sizes, but make sure those used are clearly distinguishable. 6. Set san serif typefaces in slightly shorter line lengths than serif typefaces for maximum readability. Use a shorter line length for typefaces that have a strong contrast in thick and thin strokes. These faces can be difficult to read in extended settings because a "picket fence" look is created that tires the eye. 7. Text type is best set in the range of 9 to 12 point; 14 point for children's books. 8. Typefaces set in the same size may look larger or smaller depending on their x-heights. 9. Type that is set flush left, ragged right often has more even spacing throughout. Because the type is aligned on the left, and because each line at the right is either longer or shorter than the next, readers can easily locate the beginning of a new line. 10. Take care not to rag the type too much when you set ragged right text. The extreme ragged edge creates uncomfortable rhythm and calls attention to the shape of the column. A "soft" ragged right should look like a piece of paper loosely torn from top to bottom. 11. When you justify a column of type, make sure the additional spaces between letters and words don't create awkward gaps or "rivers." This can be disruptive to comfortable reading, but is difficult to avoid when the column width is narrow. A Basic Type Glossary While individual characters - letters, numbers, and punctuation - can be beautiful shapes by themselves, the real test of a typeface is how well the characters work together to create the words we recognize and sentences we read. Here are some terms explaining the parts of a letterform, useful when dealing with designers and typographers.
Sans Serif. Type designs with no serifs: the French word sans means without. They have their roots in the early 20th century when graphic design was moving toward concerns of pure function and away from ornament. Baseline. The invisible line on which all the letters of a typeface rest. Leading. (pronounced "ledding," from the strips of lead inserted between lines of metal type). The measurement from baseline to baseline in text. Leading effects the color and readability of the typeface. Too little space between lines destroys the pattern they make, too much exaggerates it. Too little linespacing creates dark, uninviting "colour" (density) that may cause the eye to skip a line when scanning to find the next one. Too much linespacing causes the eye to jump from line to line and is disruptive to reading. X-height. The height of all lowercase letters in a type design, this value in relation to the cap height strongly affects the texture and readability of a typeface in use. At very small sizes, a typeface with a larger xheight is usually easier to read. Different fonts have different x-heights. Letters have 3 main parts: x-height - height of body of letter, ascender - element above x height, descender - element below x height  Upper and Lower Case. this term comes from metal type drawers, from the days of hand typesetting. Capitals were kept in the upper case, small letters in the lower case (shown left). The term stuck.Italics. From Italian calligraphy letters. Because they are designed on a diagonal, italics tend to project a mood of restlessness or haste. Italics slow down the reader and are used to provide emphasis. Line Length.The length of a line of type, obviously. A line of more than 60 characters is hard to read. Too long a line tends to tire the eye and makes it difficult to locate the beginning of the line that follows. On the other hand, lines that are too short disrupt sentence structure. Coastline. The pattern made above or below the x-height. We learn to read the top coastline. Words set in upper and lower case (ulc) have a more distinctive outline (coastline) which enables the reader to recognize the words faster. Words set in all caps have an even horizontal outline with letters of similar shape and size. Type set this way severely impairs reading - more so than any other legibility factor. All caps uses 35 to 50 percent more space. Weight. Typefaces of medium weight are most readable. A typeface that is too light cannot be easily distinguished from the background, and a typeface that is too bold could lose the counterform (negative space that is fully or partially enclosed by a letterform) which is essential to good legibility. Okanagan Bookworks | books@booksokanagan.com | 250.870.2690
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