Typography: The Families and History

Name: Typography: The Families and History
Author: Joseph Tury

Learn about the history and anatomy of typography

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Course: On-Demand

Hi, this is Joe Tourey. In this lesson you'll learn about humanist, transitional and modern typeface categories. As more typefaces began to develop, a basic system of type classification was devised by early printers in order to differentiate styles of type. Don't worry if you cannot recognize type classifications yet. Some tend to take time and experience. Reading articles and searching for specific classifications is a good way to get a feel for it. Type classifications rely on characteristics of the letter forms. They may not necessarily be hard concrete rules. The first classification we will look at is humanist type which closely resembles handwritten and early Roman letter forms, mostly in the fact that the letters tend to be the same thickness throughout. More popular humanist typefaces are sans serif or without the little strokes at the end of letter forms. Some modern humanist typefaces include fonts such as Gill Sans, Myriad, Open Sans, Verdana, and Optima. Humanist fonts do not have a lot of contrast in the parts that make them up. They tend to be the same thickness throughout. As you will learn throughout these lessons, combining typefaces involves being able to contrast them to add dynamics to the design. There are different methods to contrast fonts. In this example, let's first write typography in Arial Black. You will notice how Arial Black is the same thickness throughout. Make it large like a heading. Now, let's contrast it with a more organic style of humanist type Great Sans, and write the word humanist below it in its own text box. The soft thin strokes of this humanist style type pairs rather nicely with a thick, blocky nature of Arial Black. Next, let's look into a traditional type classification. Transitional typefaces transition from old type styles to modern. They're categorized by having a lot of contrast between parts, thick and thin strokes, and stand very upright. In InDesign, let's write typography in the traditional style font Times Roman. You can copy the previous word and change the font in the property panel. Notice the small strokes at the ends of the letter forms. Those are serifs. Notice the difference between this and Arial Black. More about that later. Also, notice the contrast within the letter form between the thicker parts and the thinner parts. Let's pair it with Arial by writing transitional below it. Sans serif fonts tend to pair well with serif fonts. Modern typefaces date back to the 17th century and are separated from traditional and humanists by their extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes. You can locate free modern fonts by searching for them. I will be using one of the most popular modern style fonts, Bodoni. I will again copy the word typography and change the font to Bodoni. Although you may initially think it looks similar to Times Roman, look closer at the thinner strokes and notice how much more contrast they have with the thicker parts. Bodoni has a very classy appearance. I will contrast it with Arial Black but I will make the word modern a bit smaller so it's not overpowering the modern style. As I stated earlier, it is not necessarily easy to define all typefaces. Some may possibly have characteristics of two classification. Looking closely at the characteristics will give you a better idea of what classification you're looking at. It is important to begin to understand the differences as you become a more experienced typographer so that your layouts will have a consistent and overall professional look. In the next lesson, we will dive much deeper into the anatomy of type. Thanks for watching.

Beginner Provider : Joseph Tury 8 Lessons · 41m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

Ever since early humans began painting and carving symbols on walls that were meant to represent thoughts and sounds, there has been a conscious effort to improve the craft so that messages would be deliverable to the intended audience with ease and clarity. Over thousands of years, those first symbols and carvings developed into letterforms and characters, and there have been numerous inventions to improve the methods used to deliver them to the public eye.

In this module, you will learn where and how typography was developed, the categories of type, and the terms that are used to describe the anatomy of fonts. You will be given an overview of how typefaces are classified and the basic classifications that are most widely used in graphic design. You will also learn how fonts can be manipulated to create a variety of versions that branch off from the basic design to form what is known as a family.

What You'll Learn

Trace the history of letterforms and typography from early symbols and carvings to modern characters
Recognize and understand how type is classified and categorized
Identify the main styles of fonts most often used in graphic design
Describe the anatomy of fonts and the terms used to discuss them
Distinguish serif, sans serif, script, and decorative font styles
Explain how fonts are manipulated to create typeface families

Key Takeaways

Typography developed over thousands of years as humans worked to deliver messages to audiences with ease and clarity.
Early symbols and carvings evolved into the letterforms and characters used today, aided by numerous inventions for delivering them to the public.
The course covers how typefaces are classified, including the basic classifications most widely used in graphic design.
Fonts can be manipulated to create variations that branch off from a basic design to form a typeface family.
The module also teaches the categories of type and the terms used to describe the anatomy of fonts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I learn in this typography course?

You will learn where and how typography was developed, the categories of type, and the terms used to describe the anatomy of fonts. The course also provides an overview of how typefaces are classified and the basic classifications most widely used in graphic design, plus how fonts form families.

Which font styles does this course cover?

The course covers the main styles most often used in graphic design, including Humanist, Transitional, and Modern type, as well as serif fonts, sans serif fonts, and script and decorative fonts.

What topics are included in the lessons?

Lessons include A Brief History of Typography; Humanist, Transitional, and Modern Type; Type Anatomy; Overview of Type Classifications; Serif Fonts; Sans Serif Fonts; Script and Decorative Fonts; and Typeface Families.

What skills does this course help develop?

It supports skills in Computer Fonts, Kinetic Typography, Type Design, Typesetting, Typography, and Web Typography.

Does the course explain what a typeface family is?

Yes. You will learn how fonts can be manipulated to create a variety of versions that branch off from the basic design to form what is known as a family.