07 contrasts of type

the seven

contrasts
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The Seven Contrasts of Type
Copyright © 2010 - 2013
First published in 2010 by:
Ontario College of Art & Design, Graphic Design 2
Text copyright © 2010 - 2013 Valerie Schein
Design and layout copyright © 2010 - 2013 Daniel Francavilla
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in any
retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission
in writing from the publisher.
Printed and bound in Canada.

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There are seven contrasts in type
Communication and expression are always
affected by contrast. With greater contrast,
comes greater clarity. The readability becomes
relative through proper use. Contrast supplies
the viewer with a path to follow. A visually
expressive map of typography allows for
comprehension. High contrast commands
attention and generates direction. Low con-
trast is assigned to supportive information
and is applied to word or text shapes, h are
of secondary and tertiary importance.
The control of type on the page, gives the
reader a hierarchy of importance and a
sense of expression.
A successful graphic designer will guide the
reader through the page using words and col-
umns of type as value shapes. He or she carefully
scrutinizes the proportion and arrangement
of lights and darks in a composition. Clear and
concise use of value distribution will increase
emotional impact. A composition that employs
eighty-percent black has a different expression
than one that employs eighty percent white.
This book demonstrates that careful use of con-
trast will greatly enhance the communicative use
of type as a visual form, in an effort to expand
and clarify typographic principles.
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 ordertotobebetruly
InInorder
truly
happy you have

larger
to stand for something

than
yourself.

To move forward you have to

give back
– Oprah Winfrey

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01 contrast | size

Bigger isn’t
always better
Size is the first and most basic form of
typographic contrast.
By changing the font size, the viewers eye is
immediately drawn to the content. Words or
letters set in the same style of type maintain
the relationship of the letter to the background
and you create a physical enlargement of the
pattern ABA. What is the first thing you see on
the opposite page?
In reviewing the quotation, the eye is immedi-
ately drawn to larger: Through contrast, you
are lead to the word “larger” and the remainder
of the statement. The font used for the letter-
ing is the same, allowing the viewer to remain
undistracted and permit the size contrast to
control and lead the eye.
The relative sizes of things can be adjusted for
the purposes of creating a perspective illusion,
exaggerating comparative apparent attributes
as a message or metaphor, or simply to achieve
a balanced layout in terms of the distribution,
mass, and space.

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 02 contrast | weight

Be who you are

and say what you feel
because those who mind
don’t matter and those
who matter don’t mind
– Dr. Seuss
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Watch your weight
Weight refers to the perceived mass created by
the typeface’s stroke and counters. Using weight
easily communicates meaning as well as creating
rhythm on the page. Selecting a typeface with
several families, makes it easy for the designer
to control hierarchy inside a composition
without risking the sense of harmony. Priorities
can be structured as the weight increases or
decreases from the focal point.
Weight is often used to create emphasis, also
called focus – causing text of an image to seem
more important than others. Creating a bal-
anced series of emphases is critical to creating
a good overall composition: too many emphases
is chaotic, too few is boring. When the eye is
not directed where to look, it tends to just
look away. In any layout, a maximum of 3
weights is recommended.
In reviewing the quotation, the eye is im-
mediately drawn to “are” and “feel”. Through
contrast, you are lead to “don’t matter” and
“don’t mind” and finally the remainder of the
statement. The viewer almost hears the empha-
sis allowing the full meaning of statement to
communicate, control and lead the eye.
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 Design is not just what it
LOOKS like and FEELS like
Design is how it WORKS
– Steve Jobs

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0303 contrast | form
How important is the form?
Form refers to the distinction between upper
case letters and its lowercase equivalent. These
forms not only compliment each other, but the
letters themselves have now have ability to
express a different context.
Contrasting uppercase against lowercase
depicts formality against casual. Uppercase
letters start sentences or are often used as
Acronyms. Too many cap forms and there is
loss in legibility so use it sparingly. Working
with form allows some freedom with design, as
layout need not be changed to draw attention to
a piece of text of the same point size and leading.
In reviewing the quotation, the eye reads
through, but takes note of the word “WORKS”.
As a visual cue, the letterform contrast awakens
the importance of a specific word or words.
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 04 contrast | structure

t r u c t u r e
A s s
c o m e
b e a l
i t e c t u r
arch u l p t u r a l
an d no t s c
e l e m e n ts
w h e n it s ir
r h a v e t h e
no lo n g e u r e
io n in n a t
ju stific a t l l i n a i r e
ume A p o
– Guilla
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Adding structure
The use of structure involves contrasting the
thicks and thins of type. The roman letter and
the italic counterpart are a common method.
A true italic is measured at 12 to 15 degrees
less upright than it’s counterpart. Typefaces are
purposely designed with variations in structure
so that letterforms compliment each other and
give the designer a clear advantage when
distinguishing textual priority.
To contrast structure you can also contrast
different families and achieve distinct visual
differences between thicks and thins.
The quotation demonstrates how emphasis
can be controlled. The word “architectural”
contrasts with “sculptural” and by doing this,
the structure change is not only like increasing
or decreasing the volume, but changes the
very quality and tone of the voice to suit
the expression.

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 anideais
salvation
byimagination
-Frank Lloyd Wright

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Touchable texture
Texture is how the type appears as a single unit
on the page – creating a grey value. This texture
is derived from the letterforms, their rhythm,
density and how they are arranged letter to let-
ter, word to word and line to line on the page.
Texture can be compared to fabric – the type is
equal to the threads that form it. Texture also
calls to our sense of touch so the viewer can be
spoken to on two levels.
contrast | texture
05
By altering type’s visual darkness, you alter the
space it occupies. With variations in light, dark,
dense, and volumous, the texture is keyed to
the brain’s function to identify visual stimuli
and the viewer’s experience is used to tell
them where the eye should travel next.
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 he whole worl
T d, a
s

we
experience it visually,
comes to us through the
mystic realm of color
– Hans Hofmann

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0306 contrast | colour
Colourful creations
Colour alters the scale of relationship between
similar letterforms. A typographic colour change
allows a designer to highlight structure and invig-
orate a page. A letterform’s shape and value are
more important in determining it’s spatial depth.
The tonal values of the colours can be used to
create the illusion of size difference and the per-
ceptual difference among colours like red, blue
or green can play a dramatic role in typography.
Rich spatial perceptions can be achieved
through varying colour intensities and allows
the designer to separate information as well
as creating visual interest.
Notice how in the quotation, colour is used
to emphasis priority words, at different tints
depending on their importance.
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 h er e
o w w
n’t kn
u do g,
yo
If are go in any r
u o a d
yo you the will take
re

ll
arro
wis C
– Le

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Where are you headed?
Directional contrast is a great way to prompt
the viewer to take in a quick emotion or
message viewpoint without interrupting the
information the viewer has read or will read.
As an efficient use of space, it opens up the
opportunity for texture shifts and size shifts.
The viewer’s eye is like water. Once it has
entered the picture plane it will seek the course
of least resistance. Left to its own devices, the
eye is happy to move around, seeking the easi-
est route – their conventional reading direction.
In general, images dominated with strong
verticals and horizontals have a more formal
contrast | direction
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quality compared with images dominated by
diagonals (slanted lines, triangles) or orbicular-
ity (sweeping curves, spirals) creating a feeling
of motion or dynamism.
By using direction, the designer can provide
strong pathways for the eye to adhere to,
sweeping through the prime areas of focus
and moving along, but not falling outside the
edge of the picture plane. If the designer has
control, the viewer will feel that they are
“compelled” from the image.
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 The Seven Contrasts of Type
Text by Valerie Schein
Design and Layout by Daniel Francavilla
Copyright © 2010 - 2013

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