Typography communicates visually and works with the elements on the page to transmit messages, inform, and inspire. Type makes the experience of navigating the learning easier and more enjoyable for the student. It is not meant to be a decorative element to adorn the page. Typography exists to make the writing easier to read. Typography can be beautiful when done well. By being intentional with typography we can work to reduce cognitive load. For this book, we discuss the psychology of typography, how to select fonts, font categories, combining fonts, and how to set type in a more accessible way. Typography, like color, is a complex and nuanced subject. Do you want to be a high-quality designer or a “meh” one? Which do you think earns higher pay? Which do you think gets to work on more known products or bigger clients? Which do you think will stop a hiring manager in its tracks in a positive way? Those small details make a huge difference. This lesson isn’t about kerning per se, but knowing how to apply graphic design theory and being intentional with your choices sets you apart from the competition. I thanked him for the detailed feedback and his time, and quietly left the office. He opened up the portfolio again and pointed to the example. You see, your lowercase ‘a’ is too far away from the capital ‘W’, which means you let the default setting do the job and didn’t take the time to kern the letters in a space where every letterform counts.” In fact, when I got to your highway billboard example, I realized you weren’t putting in the level of detail we need at this firm. When I got none, I mustered enough courage to kindly ask what the next steps were in the interview process. I looked at him, waited for some sort of response or feedback. We conversed about my projects and work until he stopped at a page, frowned, and then shut the binder, zipped it up, and handed it back to me. As I watched the creative director turn the page, I saw him smiling. I literally watched him mentally tear it apart, all my vulnerabilities out in plain view for the world to see. (Yes, years ago, we used a leather-bound zipped-up binder with plastic sleeves to showcase our work.) Leather-bound portfolio cases were used to carry print ads and printed images of digital work.Īnyway, the slow act of a creative director turning the pages of my portfolio was enough to give me heart palpitations. I vaguely recall sitting in the office of the Chief Creative Officer as he flipped through my book. I took several semester-long classes in typography, yet I still didn’t consider myself a master and in fact, I was reminded of this embarrassingly on one of my first interviews. Legibility, readability, and human behavior all play a part in font selection and groupings. The typeface you choose makes a big difference in determining whether a design is considered good or bad. However, one can greatly improve their abilities with a few basic concepts, more awareness, and some practice. Typography is a nuanced art that many spend years perfecting. The practice of arranging type well is one of the biggest predictors that readers will engage with the text. Avoid line lengths that are too short or long and line lengths longer than 100 characters are split between two columns.Avoid hyphenated text, widows, and orphans.Fonts are emotionally and psychologically in line with the project, learner, and brand.Type is simple, readable, legible, and emotionally, technically, and functionally accessible able to be read by dyslexic, visually impaired, and aging adults.Negative tracking is avoided and positive tracking is applied when the font is too condensed.Bold and italics are used sparingly, never combined and underlined text is avoided.All caps are avoided unless in an H1 header and in 7 words or less.Fonts are at least 12pt in size and line height is at least 120% of the font size.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |