This document provides an overview of typography, beginning with early writing systems such as pictographs and evolving alphabets developed by Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans. It then discusses the role of typography in graphic design, noting that typeface, size, style, and layout can strongly impact a message. The remainder is devoted to typographic terminology, including measurements, typestyles, and principles of Gestalt theory as applied to visual perception and grouping of design elements. Key terms like serif, sans serif, baseline, and proximity are defined.

2. UNDERSTANDING TYPOGRAPHY
A brief history of written and
printed communication, the
function of typography in
graphic design and the
essential typographic
terminology.

3. EARLY WRITING SYSTEMS
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Earliest known attempts to
communicate with imagery
was around 25,000 B.C.
This was primarily pictorial
forms (i.e cave drawings) Early
humans used symbols to
communicate ideas

4. PICTOGRAPHS
Systems of symbols that represent
concepts in a consistent manner
Simplified drawings represent objects
Example is Egyptian system of
hieroglyphics
Advantage of this system is the ability to
communicate universally (no language
barriers)

5. PICTOGRAPHS
• Systems of symbols that
represent concepts in a
consistent manner
• Simplified drawings represent
objects
• Example is Egyptian system
of hieroglyphics
• Advantage of this system is
the ability to communicate
universally (no language
barriers)
Image Source: http://bit.ly/bHhnx3

6. EARLY ALPHABETS PHOENICIAN
The Phoenicians developed an
alphabet of 22 symbols around
1000 B.C
Symbols related to the sounds in
the language
Consonants only; no vowels
Eliminated the need for people to
memorize thousands of symbols
The term Phonetics comes from this concept

7. EARLY ALPHABETS GREEK
• Greeks expanded on
Phoenician alphabet
• Added vowels and named
each character
• First system for reading left to
right and top to bottom

8. EARLY ALPHABETS ROMAN
Romans developed the Greek alphabet
further
Modern alphabet that we now use
Added lowercase versions to letters,
condensed forms of text and cursive writing
that flowed more naturally by hand

9. WRITING DURING THE DARK AGES
Books were hand-produced for hundreds
of years
Primarily religious (illuminated
manuscripts)
Due to the painstaking effort (often years)
to create a single volume, books were
considered very valuable treasures
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10. INVENTION OF THE PRINTING PRESS
• German metal carver Johannes Gutenberg,
invented the printing press in mid 15th
century
• Letters carved onto a small metal plate,
punch
• Letters arranged to form blocks of text.
Molten metal poured over the top to make a
mold
• Used to print books in larger quantities than
had previously been possible
• This invention changed the world, allowing
rapid production and distribution of printed
ideas
• The Bible was first complete book ever

11. WHAT ROLE DOES TYPOGRAPHY
PLAY IN GRAPHIC DESIGN?
Helps clarify a message that the designer
sends to an audience
The properly selected font has a huge
impact on getting a message across to an
intended audience
A poorly chosen font or bad typographic
layout can detract from or even block the
message all together

12. Poor typography will prevent a reader from
connecting with a design, and at worst may
make your message illegible!

13. Typography can provide an element of
expression to accompany a message
A carefully crafted typography increases
emotional impact of a message much more
than just plain type by itself, adding
another dimension to a message
A well-conceived typographic composition
allows the designer to connect with the
reader

14. Letters and numbers can be arranged in a
clever way that strengthens the message

15. Of course, some of the most innovative
and creative typography breaks all of the
established rules!

16. Typeface: Refers to the upper and lowercase letters and numbers of a specific design/ font.
Examples: Helvetica, Times, etc.
Characters: The individual letters, numbers and punctuation used when setting type
Uppercase: The capital letters of the alphabet
Lowercase: The small letters of the alphabet
Typographic Terms

17. TYPOGRAPHIC TERMS
Baseline: An imaginary line on which the characters seem to be standing
Meanline: The imaginary line that runs along the top of most lowercase letters,
such as i, c, e, m, n, u,v, w and x
X-Height: The height of the body or main element of the lowercase letterform,
which falls between the meanline and the baseline
Cap Height: The imaginary line that runs across the top of capital letters and
ascenders in a line of type

18. SERIF VS. SAN SERIF LETTERFORMS
Serif: Letters with finishing
strokes, or brackets, that
project from letters
Gives letters finishedz
appearance
Letters flow together, making
serif typefaces easy to read
Often used in books,
magazines and newspapers
San Serif: Type with no serif
Also has no variation in the
width of its strokes; computer
generated look
Useful for signs and large-
scale text meant to be seen
from a distance

19. SCRIPT FONTS
Script fonts are decorative and suggest a hand written appearance.
Often used to suggest formality. Difficult to read in large bodies of text;
most effective when used as headings or sub headings in a layout.
Ex: Porcelain

20. DECORATIVE AND NOVELTY
General term used to describe fonts that can’t be easily categorized.
This includes dingbats and contemporary specialty fonts.
Dingbats used most effectively as a decorative element within a
layout or a heading/ sub heading to separate information on a page.

21. TYPESTYLES
Roman: Upright letterforms; represents the
majority of typeset copy
Italic: Slanting version of a typeface;
meant to accompany Roman style letters
Usually slants at a 12–15 degree angle
Oblique: Type that is simply slanted to the
right

22. TYPESTYLES
Regular: The standard weight of a typeface (also called lnormalz)
Light: A thinner/ lighter version of the regular typeface. Also called lthinz
Bold: A thicker, heavier version of the regular typeface

23. TYPESTYLES
Condensed: A narrower version of the regular typeface to fit letters into small space;
also called compressed
Extended: A wider version of the regular typeface; also called expanded
Type families: A combination of all typestyles (roman, bold, italic, etc) of a font
Typestyles share common characteristics (design, x-height, etc)

24. TYPOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS
Two basic units of measurement used to describe type:
Points: Very small units used to measure both type sizes and the spaces in
between the lines of type.
Picas: Larger unit of measurement. 12 points= 1 Pica (6 picas in 1 inch)
72 point type = 1 inch

25. TYPOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS
Text Type: Refers to smaller sizes of type, usually between 5 and 14 points
Used to print books, magazines, newspapers, etc.
Display Type: Refers to the larger sizes of type used to call attention, such as
newspaper headlines or posters; usually 16-72 point type or larger

26. LETRAS Y FIGURAS
Letras y figuras
(Spanish, "letters and figures"), is a genre of painting pioneered by
José Honorato Lozano during the Spanish colonial period in the
Philippines. The art form is distinguished by the depiction of letters of
the alphabet using the contoured shapes of human figures, animals, plants,
and other objects. The letters depicted spell out a phrase or a name, usually
that of the patron who commissioned the work. The paintings are done
in watercolor on Manila paper. The earliest example of this art form dates
from 1845; the latest existing specimens were completed during the latter
portion of the American period in the 1930s during the administration of
the Commonwealth of the Philippines.

28. LETRAS Y FIGURAS INFLUENCE

29. GESTALT AND TYPOGRAPHY
Gestalt is a form of psychology that focuses on cognitive
behaviors. Designers are influenced by the visual perceptual aspect of
this, particularly the theory that the whole is greater than the sum of its
parts. The mind copes with the visual confusion of our everyday world by
consolidating objects into groups in order to simplify input. For instance,
when our eyes see a tail, paws, legs, a body, fur, a collar, ears and nose,
our mind brings these parts together to register a cat. The mind
effectively simplifies the parts by making it into a single object. Applying
this theory to design creates unity within a piece. The stronger the
relationship between elements on a page, the better the communication.
This theory also helps the designer influence the viewer by controlling
how the design is viewed.
It refers to theories of visual
perception developed by German
psychologists in the 1920s. These theories
attempt to describe how people tend to
organize visual elements into groups

30. “The Whole is different from the sum of its
part”

31. FIVE DESIGN PRINCIPLES DERIVE FROM THE
GESTALT THEORY: PROXIMITY, SIMILARITY,
CONTINUITY, CLOSURE AND FIGURE/GROUND
Proximity occurs when elements are placed close together. They tend
to be perceived as a group.

32. LOGO USING LAW OF PROXIMITY

33. LOGO USING LAW OF SIMILARITY
Similarity The law of similarity captures the idea that when we look at
objects that are similar to each other, we tend to group them
together
Similarity occurs when objects look
similar to one another. People often
perceive them as a group or pattern.

35. LOGO USING LAW OF CONTINUITY
Continuity Continuation occurs when the eye is compelled to move
through one object and continue to another object.

36. Continuity & Similarity

37. LOGO USING LAW OF CLOSURE
Closure The law of closure captures the idea that when we see
incomplete elements in a visual, our brains tend to fill in the
gaps and see it as a whole.

39. LOGO/IMAGES USING LAW OF FIGURE/GROUND
Figure/ground
The word is clearly perceived as figure with the
surrounding white space ground.
In this image, the figure and ground
relationships change as the eye perceives
the form of a shade or the silhouette of a
face.