TYPOGRAPHY | Everything I know about Type in 10 Minutes

Summary

This video offers a comprehensive yet concise overview of typography basics, focusing on key concepts and terminology like font vs. typeface, serif vs. sans serif, and typography properties such as weight, line height, and kerning. It provides actionable tips for improving your typographic skills, including font pairing, creating contrast, and establishing a type scale. The video also introduces timeless fonts and offers practical advice on how to refine your designs with careful attention to detail. Whether you're a beginner or an intermediate designer, this video helps you elevate your typography to the next level.

Takeaways

• 😀 Understand the difference between a font and a typeface: A typeface refers to the family of fonts, while a font refers to a specific style, weight, or size within that typeface.
• 😀 Serif fonts have small lines at the ends of characters (e.g., Times New Roman), while sans-serif fonts are clean and without these lines (e.g., Helvetica).
• 😀 Key typography terminology includes baseline (the line text sits on), x-height (height of lowercase letters), cap height (height of capital letters), and ascenders/descenders (parts of letters that rise or fall beyond the baseline).
• 😀 Font properties like weight (thickness of the font), line height (vertical spacing), kerning (spacing between two specific characters), and tracking (overall character spacing) are essential to good typography.
• 😀 Ligatures combine two characters into one glyph to improve visual flow and readability (e.g., 'fi' becomes a single character).
• 😀 A good measure (line width) should have between 10-14 words per line. Longer lines make reading more difficult, and rag (uneven text edges) should be carefully managed.
• 😀 Avoid widows (single words left at the end of a paragraph) and orphans (starting a new paragraph with a single word) as they create awkward breaks in text.
• 😀 A typographic scale helps maintain consistent proportions across text elements. Starting with a base size and scaling other text elements relative to it ensures harmony in design.
• 😀 Timeless fonts like Garamond, Helvetica, Futura, and Times New Roman can be relied upon for clean, professional designs.
• 😀 Follow these hard and fast typography rules: Always justify text to the left, limit the number of fonts to one or two, create contrast with font weight, and stick to a consistent type scale throughout your project.

Q & A

What is the difference between a typeface and a font?

A typeface refers to the overall design of a collection of fonts, such as Helvetica or Futura. A font, on the other hand, refers to a specific style, weight, size, or variation within that typeface, like Helvetica Regular in 9-point size.

Why are there two main categories of fonts: serif and sans-serif?

Serif fonts have small decorative strokes (serifs) at the ends of their letters, a feature that originated in printing presses. Sans-serif fonts, on the other hand, lack these strokes and have a cleaner, simpler appearance.

What are ascenders and descenders in typography?

Ascenders are parts of letters that rise above the x-height (like the top part of a 'h' or 'k'). Descenders are parts of letters that extend below the baseline (like the bottom part of 'p' or 'y').

What is the importance of line height (or leading) in typography?

Line height (also called leading) refers to the vertical space between lines of text. It is essential for readability, as it determines how comfortably text lines are spaced, preventing them from appearing too cramped or too spread out.

What is the difference between kerning and tracking?

Kerning adjusts the spacing between two specific characters to improve visual balance, while tracking adjusts the spacing between all characters in a text block to achieve a uniform appearance.

What are ligatures in typography?

Ligatures are combinations of two or more letters joined together to form a single glyph. They are often used to improve the visual flow and legibility of text.

What is the significance of the measure and rag in typography?

The measure refers to the width of a text block, which should generally be between 10 to 14 words per line for optimal readability. The rag is the uneven edge that results from left-justified or right-justified text, which should not be overly ragged to maintain a clean visual.

What are widows and orphans, and why should they be avoided?

A widow is a single word or part of a word left alone at the end of a line, while an orphan is a word or part of a word that starts a new paragraph. Both can create awkward spacing and disrupt the flow of text, so they should be avoided.

What is a typographic scale, and why is it useful?

A typographic scale is a system that helps in creating a harmonious and consistent typography hierarchy by scaling text sizes based on a base size. It ensures that all typography elements are proportionally related, making designs more aesthetically pleasing and readable.

What are some timeless fonts that are great for design?

Timeless fonts include classics like Garamond, Bodoni, Century Expanded, Futura, Times Roman, and Helvetica. These fonts are versatile and can be used in a wide range of design contexts to achieve a professional and elegant look.