Typograph
y
Typography
• It is important to understand a few
basic guidelines for working with
text and typography.
• Typography refers to the design of
the characters and the way they
are presented on the page.
Typefaces, Fonts, and
Font Families
• A typeface is the basic design of a character.
• Each typeface has a design for each letter of
the alphabet, numbers, punctuation symbols
and may contain other symbols.
• Example:
Arial ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890
!@#$%^&*()_+-=?,.:”’;
Typeface Categories
• Typefaces can be divided into four
main categories.
– Serif
– Sans Serif
– Script
– Decorative/Ornamental
Serif Typefaces
• Have attributes or strokes at the tips of
the letters called serifs.
• Examples:
• Bodoni
• Goudy
• Courier
• Times New Roman k
• Used for body text in printed publications.
• Business correspondence • Book text
• Magazine article text • Newspaper text
• Newsletter text
• Recommended sizes for body text are 10 to
12 points.
Serif Typefaces
Sans Serif Typefaces
There are no attributes (serifs) at the tips
of the letters.
• Examples:
• Arial
• Berlin
• Gill Sans
• Verdana
k
Sans
• Used for very large or very small text
and for digital display.
• Webpage • On-screen
s display
• Headings • Tables
• Captions • Headlines
Serif vs Sans Serif Typefaces
The ends of each
character do not
have attributes
(serifs)
Sans Serif
Decorative/Ornamental
Typefaces
• Designed strictly to catch the eye
• Should be used sparingly.
• Can be hard to read.
• Examples
• Chiller • Broadway
• Webdings • engravers MT
• Used for decoration.
• Headlines on flyers or advertisements.
• Webdings can be used for symbols in
logos.
Script Typefaces
• Appear to have been written by hand
with a calligraphy pen or brush
– Should never be used to key in all caps.
• Example
• French Script
• Uses
• Formal Invitations
• Place cards
• Poetry
• Announcements
Fonts
• It’s easier to understand fonts if you begin with
the original definition of a font.
• Before desktop publishing, people called
‘typesetters’ set the type by hand using
moveable type.
• Each character was a separate block of metal.
• The letters were “set” on the layout to form the
text.
• Each typeface had a complete set of metal
characters for each size, weight, etc.
Fonts Continued
• Each different size or weight required a
completely separate set of metal characters.
• Each metal set of characters was kept in its
own drawer and was called a type font.
• So a font is the specific size, weight and style
applied to a typeface.
Arial, bold, 12 point
• Examples:
Arial, italic, 14 point
Arial, 10 point
Font Style
• The font style refers to the slant, weight
and special effects applied to the text.
• Examples:
– Bold
– Italic
– Underline
– Shadow
– Outline
– Small Caps
Font Families
• A font family is the different sizes,
weights and variations of a typeface.
• Examples: Arial
Arial Black
Arial Narrow
Arial Rounded MT Bold
