1. unit 4 – typography

2. 
What is typography?

Typography is the art and technique of
arranging type in order to make language
visible. The arrangement of type involves the
selection of typefaces, point size, line
length, leading (line spacing), adjusting the
spaces between groups of letters (tracking)
and adjusting the space between pairs of
letters (kerning[2]). Type design is a closely
related craft, which some consider distinct
and others a part of typography; most
typographers do not design typefaces, and
some type designers do not consider
themselves typographers.[3][4]

In modern times, typography has been put
into motion—in film, television and online
broadcasts—to add emotion to mass
communication.[5]

Typography is performed by
typesetters, compositors, typographers, graph
ic designers, art directors, comic book
artists, graffiti artists, clerical workers, and
anyone else who arranges type for a product.
Until the Digital Age, typography was a
specialized occupation. Digitization opened
up typography to new generations of visual
designers and lay users, and David Jury states
that "typography is now something everybody
does.―

3. 
history of typography

Typography traces its origins to the first punches and
dies used to make seals and currency in ancient times.
The uneven spacing of the impressions on brick stamps
found in the Mesopotamian cities of Uruk and Larsa,
dating from the 2nd millennium BC, may have been
evidence of type where the reuse of identical
characters were applied to create cuneiform text.[7]
Babylonian cylinder seals were used to create an
impression on a surface by rolling the seal on wet
clay.[8] Typography was also realized in the Phaistos
Disc, an enigmatic Minoan print item from Crete,
Greece, which dates between 1850 and 1600
BC.[9][10][11] It has been proposed that Roman lead
pipe inscriptions were created by movable type
printing,[12][13][14] but German typographer Herbert
Brekle recently dismissed this view.[15]

The essential criterion of type identity was met by
medieval print artifacts such as the Latin Pruefening
Abbey inscription of 1119 that was created by the same
technique as the Phaistos disc.[16][17][18][19] The silver
altarpiece of patriarch Pellegrinus II (1195−1204) in the
cathedral of Cividale was printed with individual letter
punches.[20][21][22] The same printing technique can
apparently be found in 10th to 12th century Byzantine
reliquaries.[23][21] Individual letter tiles where the words
are formed by assembling single letter tiles in the desired
order were reasonably widespread in medieval
Northern Europe.[24][25]

4. 
history of typography

Modern movable type, along with the
mechanical printing press, is most often attributed
to the goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg, who
independently ivented the technology in mid-15th
century Germany.[29][30][31][32] His type pieces
from a lead-based alloy suited printing purposes
so well that the alloy is still used today.[33]
Gutenberg developed specialized techniques for
casting and combining cheap copies of
letterpunches in the vast quantities required to
print multiple copies of texts.[34] This technical
breakthrough was instrumental in starting the
Printing Revolution and printing the world's first
book (with movable type) the Gutenberg Bible.

Computer technology revolutionized typography
in the 20th century. Personal computers in the
1980s like the Macintosh allowed type designers to
create types digitally using commercial graphic
design software. Digital technology also enabled
designers to create more experimental typefaces,
alongside the practical fonts of traditional
typography. Designs for typefaces could be
created faster with the new technology, and for
more specific functions.[8] The cost for developing
typefaces was drastically lowered, becoming
widely available to the masses. The change has
been called the "democratization of type" and
has given new designers more opportunities to
enter the field.[35

5. Typefaces vs. Fonts: Difference?

A lot of people use the terms ―typeface‖
and ―font‖ interchangeably. But they’re
two very distinct things. Before we get
started talking about typography, let’s get
our terms straight.

A typeface is a set of typographical
symbols and characters. It’s the letters,
numbers, and other characters that let us
put words on paper (or screen). A font, on
the other hand, is traditionally defined as
a complete character set within a
typeface, often of a particular size and
style. Fonts are also specific computer files
that contain all the characters and glyphs
within a typeface.

When most of us talk about ―fonts‖, we’re
really talking about typefaces, or type
families (which are groups of typefaces
with related designs).

6. Classifying Type

There are a number of different ways to
classify typefaces and type families. The
most common classifications are by
technical style: serif, sans-serif, script,
display, and so on. Typefaces are also
classified by other technical
specifications, such as proportional vs.
monospaced, or by more fluid and
interpretational definitions, such as the
mood they create.

Serif

Serif typefaces are called ―serifs‖ in reference
to the small lines that are attached to the
main strokes of characters within the face.
Serif typefaces are most often used for body
copy in print documents, as well as for both
body text and headlines online. The
readability of serifs online has been debated,
and some designers prefer not to use serifs for
large blocks of copy.

7. Classifying Type

Sans-Serif


Sans-serif typefaces are called
such because they lack serif
details on characters. Sans-serif
typefaces are often more
modern in appearance than
serifs. The first sans-serifs were
created in the late 18th century.
There are four basic
classifications of sans-serif
typefaces: Grotesque, Neogrotesque, Humanist, and
Geometric. Grotesques are the
earliest, and include fonts like
Franklin Gothic and Akzidenze
Grotesk. These typefaces often
have letterforms that are very
similar to serif typefaces, minus
the serifs.

8. Other Typefaces

Script


Display


Scripts are based upon handwriting, and offer very
fluid letterforms. There are two basic classifications:
formal and casual. Formal scripts are often
reminiscent of the handwritten letterforms
common in the 17th and 18th centuries. Some
scripts are based directly on the handwriting of
masters like George Snell and George Bickham.
There are modern creations, too, including
Kuenstler Script. They’re common for very elegant
and elevated typographical designs, and are
unsuitable for body copy.
Display typefaces are probably the broadest
category and include the most variation. The main
characteristic is that they’re unsuitable for body
copy and are best reserved for headlines or other
short copy that needs attention drawn to it.
Display typefaces can be formal, or informal, and
evoke any kind of mood. They’re more commonly
seen in print design, but are becoming more
popular online with the use of web fonts.
Dingbats

Dingbats are specialty typefaces that consist of
symbols and ornaments instead of letters.
Wingdings is probably the best-known dingbat
font, though there are now thousands, often
created around themes.

9. Other Qualities

Proportional vs Monospaced


Mood



In proportional typefaces, the space a character takes up is
dependent on the natural width of that character. An ―i‖ takes up
less space than an ―m‖, for example. Times New Roman is a
proportional typeface. In monospace typefaces, on the other
hand, each character takes up the same amount of space.
Narrower characters simply get a bit more spacing around them to
make up for the difference in width. Courier New is one example of
a monospace typeface.
The mood of a typeface is an important part of how it should be
used. Different typefaces have strikingly different moods.
Commonly used moods include formal vs. informal, modern vs
classic/traditional, and light vs dramatic. Some typefaces have very
distinct moods. For example, Times New Roman is pretty much
always going to be a traditional font, which is why it’s so commonly
used for business correspondence. Verdana, on the other hand, has
a more modern mood.
Some typefaces are more transcendent, and can convey almost
any mood based on the content and the other typefaces they’re
combined with. Helvetica is often considered one such font.
Weights and Styles


Within the majority of typefaces, you’ll find more than one style
and/or weight. Weights are often classified as ―light‖, ―thin‖,
―regular‖, ―medium‖, ―bold‖, ―heavy‖, or ―black‖. Each of these
refers to the thickness of the strokes that make up the characters:
There are three general styles you’ll find with many typefaces: italic,
oblique, and small caps. Small caps are often used for headings or
subheadings, to add variety to your typography if using a single
typeface.

10. COPY THE ABOVE 

11. 
Part 1
Follow the anatomy of a
typeface and the typeface
qualities (style, weight etc.)
Design a complete font
(typeface set A – Z, a – z, 0
– 9)
Design multiple styles for the
typeface (bold, SMALL CAPS,
italics, bold-italic)
1.
2.
3.
Part 2

Repeat the above steps for
at least 3 different fonts that
you have created
Create a:


▪
▪
▪
Sans-serif
Serif
Dingbats or display