GRAPHICS 101 Tips for Type Choosing Keep these ideas in mind when designing with type: Type • Visual hierarchy. Make it clear what you want the reader to see first, second, third. Lead, guide and direct the reader’s eye through size, Remember that contrast and weight. you want contrast with • Grouping. Group text whenever it makes sense. Subheads (text heads) body text in any should be closer to the text they introduce than to the text before. A bit kind of display of unequal white space helps the reader’s eye. In lists, a bit of white type. space between elements helps increase readability.

Drop and rising • Contrast. Contrast can be achieved by using versatile type families or by caps can match a contrasting type from two classifications. Be careful about mixing type typeface from a from the same classification. It dilutes the contrast or creates too much headline, or from contrast. Mixing sans with serif texts provides good contrast. When the text type. If choosing types from novelty classifications use them in moderation. Less you use art is usually more. heads, you may want to match • Kerning. Display type needs individual kerning. Don’t kern uniformly the type to the across a range of text. Instead, look for gaps in letter pairs and decide boldest type in what could be kerned. Good kerning helps the reader process the the art head. information more quickly, especially important in advertising messages. Look for letter pairs in which kerning may be needed (curve letters Using techniques adjacent to stem letters, for instance). Remember, too, that WYSIWYG to lead in to the is not necessarily true with kerning. text calls for bolder, contrast •Leading. Generous leading—as generous as 50% greater than the text type. If you’re size—is often used to air out the type. It can also gently lure the reader using a versatile into long text. family of type you • Alignments. Strong alignment patterns reinforce readability. Centering can pull from the type is weak. Alignment is avoided. For best results choose left, right or family. If not justified arrangements. consider a sans serif to contrast • Readability; legibility. Remember that you determine the ultimate with body text or readability of the verbal. Typefaces that provide economy of words may serif to contrast hinder readability. Weigh the benefits. Typefaces with large counters with sans. may distract the reader. Remember the factors that control readability/legibility: the type itself, leading, kerning, white space, Ideas from Sherri alignment, contrast, case, line length (neither too long nor too short), the Taylor, Syracuse weight of the type, the size of the type, the x-height of the type. University • Remember the visual/verbal connection. Be inventive in getting the reader into the message.