Graphic Design: Typography

Name: Graphic Design: Typography
Author: Joe Tury

Learn the art of type layout and font choice

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Course: On-Demand

In this lesson, you will learn the definition of typography and about the anatomy of letters. You'll also learn about the common styles of type that you'll be using as a designer. You will hear me use the words typeface and font. A typeface is the name of the letter form such as Arial or Times New Roman. A font is the computer file that is used to create the type. The terms are often used interchangeably. It is acceptable to use the word font for both. Just be aware of the difference. Typography is the art and technique of designing with type and arranging letter forms in a pleasing and legible way. Typography is just as important as creating graphics and choosing the right colors. One could argue that typography is even more important because although graphics may draw the attention of your audience, if they cannot read the message, then your design may go to waste. First, look at the anatomy of type, and let's learn a few terms. The baseline is the invisible line where letters sit, the cap height is the height of a capital letter in that typeface, the X-height is the main height of the lowercase letters, ascenders are parts of the lowercase letters that ascend above the X-height, and descenders are parts of the lowercase letters that descend below the baseline. Letters are composed of strokes. Serifs in this instance refer to the small strokes that you see at the end of some of the letter forms. Letter spacing refers to the spacing between the letters and letting refers to the spacing between rows of type. Typeface or font refers to the name of the letter form. Type style refers to the styles of the font, such as italics or bold. There are different classifications and categories of typefaces. The most common ones that you will use as a designer being, Serif, such as Caslon or Times New Roman, Slab Serif, such as Academic, which as the name implies, is a thicker Serif style font, Sans-Serif, which literally means "without Serif," such as Arial or Helvetica. Notice the difference. Script style fonts, which are meant to replicate handwriting, and then decorative fonts, which there are many different categories of decorative, that are lumped into this category. As a general rule, Serif and Sans-Serif are used for body text. That's to say the main text that you would read in a book or a website. While Slab Serif, script, and decorative typefaces are most widely used as headlines. In large bodies of text, Serif fonts tend to be easier to read than Sans-Serif fonts. These are obviously general rules of type, but most designers agree with these outlines. Also, as a rule of thumb, no more than three typefaces should be used in a design, and for shorter or smaller designs, such as a business card, two is generally regarded as the best choice. When combining typefaces in a design, care must be taken to make sure the fonts are not too similar, nor should they have too much contrast with each other. Different fonts should compliment each other for the most pleasing appearance. An example of this would be to have a Serif font for a headline, and then use a Sans-Serif font for a tagline. There are many ways to choose fonts that complement each other and there are many resources available for study. Perhaps the best way to learn about complimentary fonts is to study the work of professional designs. Learn by replicating the work of others, and then develop your own style. In the next lesson, we will do a couple of simple designs utilizing these basic principles, so you can get a better idea of how typography can enhance your designs.

Beginner Provider : Joe Tury 3 Lessons · 16m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

Working with type is by far the most overlooked topic in graphic design, especially among beginners, who spend so much time developing their graphic skills that they forget text is what audiences pay the most attention to. Type is often overlooked and underappreciated, and poor use of type can cause your messages to go unread. However, you will come to appreciate the principles of type and how to make the correct choices for maximum reach.

In these lessons, you will learn how the art of designing with type, known as typography, is just as important as images in the field of graphic design. You will learn the main categories of typefaces—commonly referred to as fonts—their variations, and various parts of their letterforms. We’ll also discuss contrasting typefaces, how to combine fonts, and how many different fonts are appropriate in a design.

What You'll Learn

Understand what typography is and why type is central to graphic design
Describe the anatomy of a typeface and the parts of its letterforms
Identify the main categories of typefaces (fonts) and their variations
Explain how to use contrasting fonts to achieve effects
Combine fonts and judge how many different fonts are appropriate in a design
Recognize how type choices affect the way your messages are received

Key Takeaways

Working with type is one of the most overlooked topics in graphic design, especially among beginners.
Audiences pay the most attention to text, so poor use of type can cause your messages to go unread.
Typography, the art of designing with type, is just as important as images in graphic design.
Typefaces are commonly referred to as fonts and have distinct categories, variations, and letterform parts.
Contrasting typefaces and font combinations can be used to achieve specific effects in a design.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this course cover?

It covers what typography is, the main categories of typefaces (fonts), their variations and the parts of their letterforms, contrasting typefaces, how to combine fonts, and how many different fonts are appropriate in a design.

Who is this course for?

It is aimed at those learning graphic design, especially beginners who focus on graphic skills and may overlook how to work with type.

What skills will I gain from this course?

The course builds skills in Graphic Arts, Graphic Design, Type Design, Typesetting, Typography, and Web Typography.

What are the learning objectives?

You will understand what typography is, describe the anatomy of a typeface, and explain how to use contrasting fonts to achieve effects.

What lessons are included?

The course includes three lessons: Introduction to Typography; Using Typography to Make Professional Designs; and How Type Choices Affect Your Messages.