TCO 285
Dr. Codone
Principles of Typography
“Types of Type”
Display type
Body Type
Serif Typefaces
Sans Serif Typefaces
Specialty Type
Principles of Typography
Display Type
Larger type, 18 points and above
18, 24, 30, 36, 48, 60, 72
Used in display pieces (posters, flyers, covers)
Also used in titles, headlines, and headings
Dr. Codone is a Great Teacher! = 28 pts bold
Dr. Codone is a Great Teacher! = 18 pts bold
Principles of Typography
Body Type
Classic size is 10 point
Also traditionally 9, 11, and 12 points
Used for large blocks of text
Enables reader to read easily
Principles of Typography
Serif
Derived from ancient Roman letter
carvings in stone in which engravers
finished each stroke with a serif to correct
unevenness in the baseline and cap height
Serifs are the finishing strokes at the top
and bottom of a letter
Principles of Typography
Sans Serif
Sans means
“without” serifs
Plain, unadorned
letters
Arial
Think “Sans-A-
Belt”
pants
Principles of Typography
Specialty Typefaces
Script -- imitate calligraphy
Comic Sans
Novelty
Special Sets (Wingdings, etc)
Principles of Typography
Type Families
Those fonts with variations -- all in the same
family
Helvetica
Helvetica Bold
Helvetica Narrow
Arial
Arial Bold
Principles of Typography
Anatomy of Type
Serif
Ascender
Point Size Typography X-height
Cap Descender
Height
Type Size
Points vs. Picas
Type size is measured in points
72 points per inch
72 points is not quite 1 inch high, but close
12 points in a pica; 6 picas to an inch, 72
points per inch
pts (points), pi (pica)
InDesign uses picas or inches
http://www.sallygentieuwelch.com/pixelart/picas.gif
Type Style
Type Style
Bold
Roman (normal)
Italic
Underline
Outline
Shadow
Emboss
Text Alignment
Text Alignment
Flush left (ragged right)
Justified
Centered
Flush right (ragged left)
Text Alignment
This is flush left; notice the ragged right edge. Flush
left is the most common alignment. This is easier to
read and maintains the word spacing and letterspacing
intended by the designer of the typeface.
Text Alignment
This is justified text; notice the text is even at
the right
and left. White space is evenly distributed
between
words and sometimes between characters.
Sometimes
words are unevenly spaced and there are
“rivers and
lakes” of white space.
Text Alignment
This is flush right; notice the ragged left edge.
Flush right should be used only in small
blocks and in a contoured shape.
Text Alignment
This is centered text. Extra white space is
distributed evenly at the left and right sides
of the copy. This should be used only in small
blocks, since it is not easy to read. The shape
should be contoured; if not, it may just look
like improper indentation.
Text Alignment
Text Indentation
First line
Hanging indent
What is a hanging indent? Well, I’m happy to tell
you. A hanging indent is where
the top line is flush left, but the lines below
are indented, just like this .
Full indent
Principles of Typography
Other Important Items
Widows -- single, incomplete line at top of a
page or column
Orphans -- same thing at the bottom of
page
Leading -- vertical space b/w lines of type
Kerning --reduction of horizontal space
between characters for a better fit
Tracking -- uniform reduction of space
between all characters in a line
Leading
Tracking
Kerning
Principles of Typography
Always Safe -- use only one typeface, with
variations in style and size
Usually Safe -- use sans serif display with
serif body type
Take Your Chances -- using both sans serif
and serif display and body type
Rarely Effective -- using two very similar
or very dissimilar typefaces
Principles of Typography
Selecting Type to Match the Job
Typeface must be compatible with the
message
Type can be feminine, masculine, friendly,
harsh, elegant, delicate, etc
Start by choosing Times Roman for formal
serif applications and Helvetica (Arial) for
informal content.
Step-by-Step Design Planning
Rule of Three
Three colors
Three typefaces (2 in the same family)
Three type sizes:
One size and color for 2/3 of the layout
One size and color for 2/3 of the remaining 1/3
Accent color and size for the remaining 1/9
www.dafont.com
Step-by-Step Design Planning
Pre-design planning
Determine objectives of the design project
Consider the audience(s)
Consider elements to be included
Think about how to project the most
appropriate image by your design
Step-by-Step Design Planning
Creating Thumbnails
Draw thumbnail sketches by hand
Use post-it notes!
Or, use Powerpoint or PageMaker to draft
thumbnails
Step-by-Step Design Planning
Create your Design using software
Margins
Hierarchy -- determine relative importance of
each element; focus on top two priority items
to help create contrast
Step-by-Step Design Planning
Proportion -- size of the width to the size of
the height
Uneven proportions are more aesthetically
pleasing than even
8 1/2 x 11 is of uneven proportion
Keep unequal proportion in mind when
positioning page elements; for example,
never divide a layout in half by vertically
centering a title
Step-by-Step Design Planning
Golden Mean
Not the Golden Mean!
The Golden Mean!
The Golden Mean!
Step-by-Step Design Planning
Unity -- ensure no elements appear isolated or
look as though they are floating in space; use
borders, lines, etc to unify the layout.
Step-by-Step Design Planning
Use Grids to help design your page
Grids bring order & consistency
Grids form a graphic backbone
Grids establish a logical page layout
Three Column
Grid
Two Column Grid
