On Typography History of Type Styles Modern Typography Readability Vs

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On Typography History of Type Styles Modern Typography Readability Vs

On Typography • The study of Type • Type facilitates – Communication – Information Design • Choosing the right type can have profound impact on the design History of Type Styles • Classical/Old Style (Bookman): 1450-1700 – Type sets based on handwriting/calligraphy styles • Transitional (Baskerville): 1700-1800 – Greater contrast between thick and thin strokes – Increased type delicacy required improved letterpresses • Modern (Big Caslon): 1800-1900 – Sharp contrast between thick and thin strokes – Hairline thin serifs • Bauhaus (Bauhaus 93): 1900-1960 – Geometrically designed sans serifs • Contemporary (Trebuchet): 1960-Present – Development of fonts specific to purpose or medium (eg Adobe Postscript fonts) Modern Typography Readability vs. Legibility • Gutenberg’s Press • Ease of reading is called Readability • Photo typesetting • The ability to recognize letters is legibility • Bauhaus type movement • Readability measures ease of reading • Computer-enhanced – Bitmapped fonts • Issues affecting them: – Postscript fonts – Font Size – Font Style – Screen fonts – Leading – Tracking/Kerning • TrueType – Proportions – Alignment • ClearType – Word Spacing – Line length size Leading - distance from baseline to baseline alignment word and letter spacing style Use of Type Creative Use of Type Good type is often overlooked • Letters are (also) graphics Bad type is noticed by all • Words are (also) images • Consider variation in • Traditional setting • Modern setting – Direction – Serif font – Sans-Serif font – Contrast – 120% leading – Lots of white space – Full use of page, equal – Creative use of letters – Form (capital vs lowercase) margins – Stretching the bounds of – Edges of screen/paper – Large to small data type hierarchy experimenting with the baseline experimenting with the Line length word as image Matching experiment, icon text and image familiarize yourself with the tools index BUT remember... symbol just because you CAN do something... ...doesn’t mean you SHOULD metasymbol .

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Letters Are Made for Reading
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