Professional Documents
Culture Documents
MAKING IT WORK
typographic details
page 26
TIME TO COMMIT
font licensing and creation
page 38
Ø5 THE BIRDS & THE BEES
typeface vs. font
bra
FF MILO REGULAR ITALIC
FF MILO THIN
TRAINING TYPEFACE A typeface is a single set of characters that share stylistic unity.
A typeface usually comprises an alphabet of letters, numbers,
punctuation and diacritical marks.
FF MILOTHIN.OTF = FONT
FONT Old school typographers defined a font as a complete character
set of a particular typeface in one size. When type made the leap
ABCDEGHIJK
LMNOPQRST to the digital realm, a font became an electronic file that rendered
UVWXYZ the typeface in all sizes.
abcdefghijkl A typeface is what you see–
mnopqrstuv a font is what you use to make
wxyz FF MILO EXTRA BOLD it happen.
YOU JUST WANT ME FOR MY BODY
type anatomy X-HEIGHT
More than any other part of the body, the x-height can
dramatically affect type readability. Avoid extremely small or The height of a lower
Double chin, big feet, or bowed legs. Little details will very large x-heights if that is important to you. case x or the height of
lower case letters.
tell you a lot about your type. Go ahead and check them
out – it’s not shallow. It’s your job. ASCENDER SET WIDTH
Quite ambitious, this part Width of a character in relation to
of a lower case letter rises the height. Being wider than you
FF DIN PRO above the x height. are tall isn’t always a bad thing.
POINT
PICA
DOES (POINT) SIZE MATTER? 010 011
type measurement INCH
72 POINTS = 1 INCH
6 PICAS = 1 INCH
Oh,
You’ve probably heard the rumor: the bigger your type, 196 PT
much attention to the typefaces can appear much larger than others
x-height as the point at the same point size. So measure however OXTAIL OT
size. X-heights that are
you want – points, picas, inches, centimeters,
too small or too large
can dramatically affect or (gulp) millimeters. Just remember to always
readability. print a test page before committing to a size.
ARE WE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER? 013
type history & classification
SERIF SANS SERIF SLAB SERIF BLACKLETTER DISPLAY NON-WESTERN SCRIPT SYMBOLS
one of them. Based on Lean and clean, The big-boned Blackletter type Display faces are Don’t expect your The trashy Telling someone
the carvings these love cousin in every was originally the crazy ones parents to romance novel how you feel can
Pre-screen with a of the ancient machines were type family — designed to you date before understand the you hope will be hard to put
little background Romans — now designed for the their serifs are mimic the getting married lure of exotic, never end — into words —
there’s a group industrial age. blunt and calligraphy of to someone nice non-Western script evolved enter dingbats,
check and avoid a lot who knew about They’re hard- opinionated. No 12th century from the Midwest. type. The from cursive or symbol fonts —
lovin’ — serifs working and nonsense here — European monks. They’re not built language of love styles. Best used the best way
of baggage later. feature small modern, with no say I love you like Poor lonely, for long-reading knows no when things start to say…
‘feet’ at the end of need for fancy you mean it. single monks. relationships. bounds. to get serious.
the letterforms. serifs. f+O=Ù
TRADITIONAL FAMILY The traditional type family includes roman, italic, SUPER FAMILY : FF Scala / Scala Sans
bold, and small cap styles. Modern families can
break the mold and include other styles.
‘isn’t our
family super?’
EXTENDED FAMILY Extended families can branch out to include not-
so-distant cousins like hairline, black, extended
and condensed styles, to name a few.
Uncle Rick BLACK ITALIC
ï
in between. They begin to work as complete
typographic systems–in-laws and all.
CONDENSED BOLD
COULD THIS BE THE ONE?
appropriate typeface selection
THE CHASE 018
type selection WHO IS YOUR
AUDIENCE?
COUGAR?
on the
prowl
Some people are drawn to curvy swashes, some like AQUAMARINE OT
OFFICE ROMANCE?
Make
When surveying the dating Avoid the embarrassment of typographic rejection
pool, consider the following: by first determining the likes and dislikes of your
age, income, marital status,
dental hygiene, ethnicity, sex,
target audience. Get inside their head. Grab their
attention. Unleash the pheromones and cast your B Play the
Game
education, geographic
location, buying patterns, spell. Understanding their preferences is essential
yourself
political interests, etc. before wooing them with type.
boy toy
NO YES Consider this type when you need to make a
statement, put on a show for your friends, or
just have some fun. These outspoken faces are
FF TOKYO
known for setting a mood, but can sometimes
be over the top. They may be great for a summer
does it need to set a mood? YES
fling – just don’t get too attached.
TEXT FACE
&
NO
WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE?
After a wild night on the town, sometimes a little My one
quiet is what you need. Look for someone who is
easy to read and in it for the long haul. Classic faces
HOW ARE YOU USING THE TYPE? may not be as flashy, but their loyalty and simplicity ONLY
will win you over in the end. FF SERIA
Any love doctor will tell you, to make it work, you’ve got
to be in synch. So when playing matchmaker, choose
your typefaces carefully. Each one has a role to play —
whether the task is commonplace or kinky.
When combining CONTRAST Opposites attract. If your fonts are too similar
two typefaces (even to each other, it seldom works. Consider
if they’re the same
pairing a flashy, extrovert (display face) with an
point size), you may
need to adjust their
understated, introvert (text face). Also consider
point sizes to make pairing another weight from the same family
their x-heights match. (type family that is).
MAKING IT WORK
typographic details
TAKING THE LEAD 026
hierarchy
crack
FF CHAMBERS SANS BLACK ITALIC
1
Someone always seems to dominate in a
relationship. It’s important to know when to
lead and when to follow. There are clear ways
of establishing hierarchy, regardless of who’s FF AVANCE BOLD THE WHIP
wearing the pant-suit.
****************
HIERARCHY Effective hierarchy gets people to Make your type BREE THIN
SCREAMMM!!!
look where you want them to look,
when you want them to look there.
Emphasis can generally Without it the reader is left confused
be created by using a FF CHAMBERS SANS BOLD
single style change—
and frustrated. Emphasis can be 3
nearly eliminating the need stressed by size, weight, color, style
to use a bold italic. Ever. and placement. POPPI
HONEY,
can you loosen
the handcuffs?
Hierarchy = Rank = Order of Importance
JUSTIFIED 029 WHEN THE STARS ALIGN
type alignment
← ← FLUSH LEFT
Lust
XOXOXoxoxxox0
UPTIGHT AND HARD TO READ
XOXOXOXOXOXXOx
Even in the best relationship, everybody needs a little OXoXOXOXOXoX
space. Take some time to breathe. Don’t ruin a beautiful XOXOXOXXoxoxoxo
thing just because someone gets clingy.
Love
XOXOXoxoxxox0 IT‘S GETTING AWKWARD
PLAYING TOO FAST AND LOOSE
KERNING
space between
capital letters is point size and leading can keep things together XOXOXOXXoxoxoxo
acceptable, extra and moving ahead smoothly. XOXOXoxoxxox0
space between AHH, PERFECTION CORPULENT COMPATIBLE CHARACTERS FF META PRO MEDIUM
lowercase letters
usually causes KERNING Adjusting the space between individual letters
the love to fade. when things look awkward between them. LETTER SPACING
Quickly. DELICATO BOLD
DISTORTED RELATIONS: VERTICAL HORIZONTAL FAUX ITALICS FF META & FF META SERIF
ALTERNATIVE TYPE STYLES
special characters
456 789
LIGATURES
NUMBERS
An elegant expression of typographic fondness,
ligatures create a single character out of two.
XO
SWASH CHARACTERS On occasion, some typographers prefer Make sure to always activate
characters with a little more style and flourish SMART QUOTES and LIGATURES
in your application preferences.
than those set in straight letterforms. Used in
moderation, these alternate or swash characters
are a great way to dress up boring type.
TIME TO COMMIT
font licensing and font creation
039 MAKING IT LEGAL
licensing a typeface
When you’re sure you’ve found the one, you gotta lock it
down. Licensing a font sounds like a big commitment,
but making it official supports the development of the
next generation of beautiful type. Do it for the kids.
A
B AI
up first. Many type day forward until death do us part. Amen.
CH
foundries offer a
try-before-you-buy Congratulations! You’ve just committed to a
option. Preview
single-user font licence. Luckily, type foundries
before you purchase
your favorite fonts at are also open to less traditional relationships and
FONTSHOP.COM. will gladly license their fonts to multiple users.
NINE MONTHS LATER 040 41
type creation
i
background patterns or busy styles in your project. The old
fade, refer to this handy list of interventions. We never photos behind your type. adage ‘two’s company—three’s
said it would be easy, we only said it would be worth it. a crowd’ works with type.
POINT SIZE Always choose the
body copy size first, and make WIDOWS & ORPHANS Show
everything else work with it. compassion to orphans (words
abandoned at the beginning
NUMBERS When set in body HEADLINES Tighten up of a column) and widows
FONT SELECTION Make sure
the typeface and everything copy, numbers can look large. the letter spacing when (words left alone at the end
associated with it is appropriate Try reducing the point size of using large type. of a paragraph).
for your project. There is nothing the numbers slightly so they
worse than dating someone who blend in better. LEADING The bigger the body
is stuck in the seventies when CONTRAST Squint at your layout
everyone else has moved on to
copy, the smaller the leading, to see the type color. If everything
the eighties. READABILITY Columns that are especially if you use all caps. is gray, add emphasis somewhere.
too short or too wide are hard
to read. An ideal measure is BOREDOM Consider adding
60–70 characters per line, or drop caps, rules, or other
40 when romancing online. graphic devices into the mix.
IT DOESN’T HAVE TO END THIS WAY 044 045
FontShop resources
FontStruct fontstruct.com
Hate the game? Make the typeface of your dreams with this
online font generator. You don’t even have to wait for a visa!
FOLDSTRUCT
IT ONLY GETS SWEETER 046
more FontShop resources
“Baby, if you were on a page, they’d call you fine print.”
TheFontFeed fontfeed.com
Impress them with your typographic knowledge. This über blog has it all:
interviews, eye candy and new typefaces, all gleaned from sources worldwide.
FontShuffle apple.com/iphone/apps-for-iphone
Say goodbye to boring dates! Bust out this handy app when your date just isn’t
cutting it. Just don’t let him catch you drooling at all the other FontFont hotties.
FontCase fontshop.com/products/fontcase
It’s hard to keep track of them all, so let this award-winning font manager keep
your fonts organized and at your fingertips.
Books Websites & Blogs ALIGNMENT 028 JUSTIFIED 028 SLAB SERIF 012
Designing Type by Karen Cheng 100types.com ASCENDER 009 HIERARCHY 026 SMART QUOTES 034
Designing With Type: The Essential Guide to Typography aiga.org
BASELINE 008 KERNING 030 SPECIAL CHARACTERS 034
by James Craig, William Bevington, Irene Korol Scala bitique.co.uk
Stop Stealing Sheep by Erik Spiekermann dailydropcap.com BLACKLETTER 013 LEADING 030 SWASH CHARACTERS 034
The Complete Manual of Typography by Jim Felici designobserver.com CAP HEIGHT 008 LETTER SPACING 030 SYMBOL 013
The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst designworklife.com
CENTERED 028 LIGATURE 034 TERMINAL 009
Thinking With Type by Ellen Lupton formfiftyfive.com
Type: The Secret History of Letters by Simon Loxley friendsoftype.com CLASSIFICATION 012 NON WESTERN 013 TEXT FACE 021
grafikcache.com COUNTER 008 NUMBERS 034 TYPE CREATION 040
Magazines ilovetypography.com DESCENDER 009 POINT SIZE 010 TYPE DISTORTION 032
Communication Arts commarts.com ministryoftype.co.uk
DISPLAY FACE 013 SANS SERIF 012 TYPEFACE 007
Creative Review creativereview.co.uk tdc.org
Eye eyemagazine.com thinkingwithtype.com FLUSH LEFT 028 SCREEN FONT 021 TYPE FAMILY 014
HOW howdesign.com thevisualdictionary.net FLUSH RIGHT 028 SCRIPT 013 TYPE PAIRING 022
Idea idea-mag.com typographer.org FONT 007 SERIF 012 TYPE SELECTION 018
Print printmag.com typographica.org
FONT LICENCE 039 SET WIDTH 009 X-HEIGHT 009
typophile.com
welovetypography.com