Typography

The Purpose of Typography 

Regardless of era, culture, language, or medium, typography has evolved as both a science and art for one main purpose: to make words easier to understand and more meaningful to read.
• typography is manipulation, control, and experimentation of how to use type to express meaning in the ideas the letters attempt to communicate.
• Typography determines the mood, style, and flow of a piece of work
• Bad use of typography can alter successful design into design that is tacky and amateur.
• Typography is also a form of communication and it is the designer’s responsibility to communicate as clear as possible.

Typographic images generally follow a format of four principles...

1. repetition, 
   
2. contrast, 
   
3. proximity, 
   
4. alignment. 
   

This of course is not the end of it, there is much more to understand and learn. 

Ok, lets get started with a general understanding of how text can be used. The following site is a good one for us beginners. It is appropriately entitled... "Typography Essentials - A Getting Started Guide". The site has some good start up hints for us all. It will give us the basics about Kerning, leading, type alignment, serif vs san-serif etc.


http://freelancefolder.com/typography-essentials-a-getting-started-guide/



Here is an youtube quickie that shows text "expressing" itself. Notice how the artist did not rely on distinguishable shapes or images.

 

In this next youtube, concentrate how the artist uses the same font over and over, changing only the size and tone to create the expressions viewed.  Also, study how they use direction (horizontal and vertical) in concert with size and style on the specific font.....

Ok, these last two videos are more of Kinetic typography (type in motion), but they definitely explore how words and letters can be very expressive and yet controlled... like a fine work of art. The thing I most want you to walk away from this is that "Type" needs to be seen as more then just a word or words. We need to begin to see them as elements in our design... as pictures and shapes which need to be carefully considered concerning size, shape, color, opacity, contrast, spacing, and choice of font. 

Watch this one last video from youtube...