Evolved from handwriting, typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing), letter-spacing (tracking), and word-spacing. The term typography is also applied to the style, arrangement, and appearance of the letters, numbers, and symbols created by the process.
Typography for designers is key for communication. It is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing), letter-spacing (tracking), and adjusting the space within letters pairs (kerning).
Why is typography important for websites?
As mentioned earlier, for most web designers, typography is crucial to communicate content. It creates a connection between the user and the brand, thus forming an emotional bond. Typography is also a great way to add some personality and flair to your designs.
Good typography also has the power to convey a message and create an atmosphere. For example, a more serious and formal tone can be conveyed with serif fonts, while sans serif fonts tend to be more modern and minimal. It’s also important to note that different cultures perceive typography in different ways. In some cases, the same typeface can convey very different meanings in different parts of the world.
Typography is crucial for establishing a connection and enabling communication
Typography allows you to establish a sublime connection with your audience through the use of beautiful typefaces that send the right message. It also allows you to communicate your message in a clear and effective way and affords you the ability to strengthen a website or product’s personality.
Typography grabs and retains the user’s attention
This aspect can be used to great effect in both web and print design. By carefully selecting the right typefaces for your project, you can create a lasting impression on your audience.
When used effectively, typography can convey a wide range of emotions, from happiness and excitement to sadness and anger. It can also be used to add a touch of personality to your designs. A good example can be seen in the work of Swiss graphic designer, Josef Muller-Brockmann. His use of clean, simple typefaces helped to convey the message of his designs without distractions.
Typography establishes visual hierarchy and provides direction
As a part of the user Interface, the right mix of fonts can make your design more readable, understandable, and visually appealing.
Typography can help establish visual hierarchy by making certain elements more prominent than others. It does this with the help of directional cues, for instance, pointing arrows or other, that help guide the viewer’s eye through the composition and direct their attention to specific elements.
Typography optimizes readability and accessibility
Typography is meant to make it easy for readers to understand and navigate your text. So take some time to think about the overall design of your document and how you can use typographic elements to create a more user-friendly experience.
What are the components of good typography
When it comes to designing your document, there are a few basic typographic principles that you should keep in mind.
Contrast
First, contrast is key—make sure that there is a sufficient difference between the foreground (i.e., the text) and the background. This will help ensure that your text is legible and easy to read.
A good example is black text on a white background; this has high contrast and is therefore easy to read. In contrast, gray text on a light yellow background has low contrast—or in other words, it would be more difficult to read. The logic behind this can be best described in terms of light and dark; high-contrast text is easy to read because there is a significant difference in the level of lightness/darkness between the text and the background, whereas low-contrast text does not have as large of a difference.
Typeface
When choosing a typeface, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, consider the message you want to communicate. Different typefaces convey different messages, so it’s important to choose one that aligns with the overall tone of your design. For example, a more playful typeface would be best suited for a children’s book, while a more serious typeface would be better suited for a corporate report.
Once you’ve considered the message you want to communicate, take a look at the different characteristics of each typeface. Each one has its own unique personality, so it’s important to choose one that fits the tone of your design. For example, a more playful typeface would be best suited for a children’s book, while a more serious typeface would be better suited for a corporate report.
Finally, keep in mind that less is more when it comes to typefaces. Using too many different typefaces in one design can be overwhelming and difficult to read. A good rule of thumb is to limit your design to two or three different typefaces.
Scale
The scale of your typography is just as important as the typeface itself. You have to think about how the different elements in your web design will work together to create a hierarchy of information.
For example, you might use a large, bold typeface for your headlines and a smaller, more subdued typeface for your body copy. Or, you might use different sizes of the same typeface to create visual interest and contrast.
The key is to use typographic scale to create a hierarchy of information in your design. This will help your audience know what to focus on first, second, and so on.
Repetition:
Another important aspect of typography is repetition. This is when you use the same typeface or font throughout your design. This can create a sense of unity and cohesiveness in your design.
It’s important to note that you don’t have to use the same typeface for every element in your design. You can use different typefaces for your headings and body copy, for example. But, it’s important to be consistent with the typefaces you do use.
For example, if you use a sans-serif typeface for your headings, you should use a sans-serif typeface for your body copy as well. This will create a sense of cohesion in your design.
Website Typography
Source: multimediaguides
Typography helps to elevate every single design aspect of your website. Your headlines, sub-headlines, paragraphs, and quotes are all forms of text that you can style to better reflect your brand’s voice and message.
Ironically, for websites, the aim of typography is to be good so that it becomes basically unnoticeable. Web users don’t want to see beautiful, artistic fonts that are hard to read—they just want the content. Therefore the goal of good website typography is to be so readable, accessible, and logical that it fades into the background.
What is good web typography? Good web typography has the following qualities:
Readability
The text should be easy to read, even at small sizes. This is achieved through use of appropriate font families, line heights, and letter spacing.
Letter spacing:
The space between each letter should be wide enough to make it easy to tell one letter from the next, but not so wide that it makes the text hard to read as a whole. For example, all-caps text is more difficult to read because the wide letter spacing makes it hard to tell one letter from the next. Therefore, a spacing of 1.5 is recommended.
Line height:
The space between each line of text should be tall enough that the text doesn’t run together, but not so tall that it makes the text block look disconnected. For example, very tight line spacing can make it hard to tell where one line of text ends and the next begins, while very loose line spacing can make a text block look like a list of unrelated items.
Line Length:
The length of each line of text should be long enough that the reader can comfortably take in the content, but not so long that it becomes difficult to track from one line to the next. For example, if a line of text is too long, the reader’s eye may lose its place and have to backtrack to find the beginning of the next line. Therefore, 40-60 characters are recommended in a line. Any less and we get distracted by the gap between the lines, any longer and we will get lost trying to travel back to the beginning of the text block for the next line.
Font family:
The font you use should be easy to read at the size you’re using it. For example, very small text is more difficult to read if it’s in a serif font like Times New Roman, because the serifs (the small lines at the ends of letter strokes) can be hard to see. In general, sans-serif fonts like Arial or Helvetica are easier to read at small sizes than serif fonts.
Size:
The size of your text will also affect its readability. A good rule of thumb is to use a font size that’s between 16 and 20 pixels for most body text. Larger sizes are good for headings, while smaller sizes can be used for captions or labels.
For responsive text, you’ll need to adjust the font size based on the screen size. For example, you might use a larger font size on desktop devices and a smaller font size on mobile devices.
Accessibility
The text should be accessible to as many people as possible. This includes those with dyslexia, low vision, or other disabilities that make reading difficult. Good typography takes into account the different ways that people consume content—whether it be through a screen reader, Braille display, or simply by scanning a page.
Structure
The text should be easy to understand and follow. This means using clear headings and subheadings, as well as proper punctuation and grammar. It also means using typographic hierarchy to signal the importance of different pieces of content.
Hierarchy
Content is better viewed in sections because it allows for better organisation and skimming. Good typography uses hierarchy to give the viewer an idea of what is important on the page and where to look first. This can be done through font size, weight, and colour.
Navigation
Navigation is important in typography because it helps readers understand the most important information first. By using different typefaces, sizes, and weights, you can signal to readers what they should pay attention to.
Balance
The text should have a consistent “look” that is pleasing to the eye. Just as you would not want to wear a pair of shoes that are different sizes, your text should also be balanced. This can be achieved by adjusting the line lengths, font size, and white space around your content.
There are a few ways to achieve balance in typography:
Justified Text
Justified text is when the left and right edges of the text are flush with the margins. This creates a clean look, but can be difficult to read if the line lengths are too long.
Ragged Text
Ragged text is when the left edge of the text is flush with the margin, but the right edge is jagged. This is generally more easy to read than justified text.
Centered Text
Centered text is when the text is centered between the left and right margins. This can be used for short blocks of content, but is generally more difficult to read than either justified or ragged text.
The best way to achieve balance in your typography is to experiment with different techniques and find what works best for your particular project.
Contrast:
The text should be easy to read against the background. One way to ensure this is to have a good amount of contrast between the two. Contrasts can be in color—for example, black text on a white background has very high contrast, while gray text on a light yellow background has low contrast—or in size—for example, small text on a large background has low contrast, while large text on a small background has high contrast.
Resources of personnel in typography
WhatTheFont: This website allows you to discover the fonts used in any image. The best feature is the ability to identify similar fonts, in case the original font is not available.
MyFonts: This website offers a huge library of fonts that you can browse through and download. They also have a great selection of free fonts that you can use for your projects.
Typeverything: This website is a great resource which features type lettering in all shapes and sizes, colours and styles.
Beautiful Type: This is a beautiful resource that features a wide variety of fonts that you can use for your design projects.
Tips for typography
Here are some tips for great typography:
Justify left:
This is the most common alignment for body copy. It creates a clean, organized look. What this does is it creates a straight left margin, and the right margin will be jagged.
Use a single font
Using multiple fonts can make your design look cluttered. Stick to one or two fonts for a clean, polished look. The advantage of doing this is that it can help your reader focus on the content of your design, rather than be distracted by multiple fonts.
Leading
This is the space between lines of text. You want to make sure that the leading is not too tight or too loose. If it’s too tight, it will make the text hard to read. If it’s too loose, it will make the text look messy. The ideal leading is somewhere in the middle.
Align to one axis
This creates a more unified design. Try to align your typefaces to the left, right, or center. What this does is creates a more cohesive design.
Limit your typefaces
Try to stick to one or two fonts for a clean, polished look. The advantage of doing this is that it can help your reader focus on the content of your design, rather than be distracted by multiple fonts.
Create hierarchy
Use different font sizes and weights to create hierarchy in your design. This will help your readers know which text is most important. The advantage of this is that it helps guide your reader through your design.
Use whitespace
Use whitespace to create balance in your design. Whitespace can help to break up your text and make it easier to read. Don’t be afraid to use plenty of space in your design.This will help to make your text more readable and easy on the eyes. The advantage of this is that it can help keep your reader’s attention focused on the content.
Mind the line length
Too much text on one line can be difficult to read. Try to keep your lines shorter than 80 characters. This will help to make your text more readable and easy on the eyes.
Conclusion
Typography is an important aspect of design and one that should not be overlooked. It is important to choose the right font for your design and to use whitespace effectively to make your text more readable. The significance has been discussed in this article and some tips have been provided to help you create more effective designs.
