Typography is the study and process of typefaces; how to select, size, arrange, and use them in general. Traditionally, typography was the use of metal types with raised letterforms that were inked and then pressed onto paper. In modern terms, typography today also includes computer display and output.
#29353
Which Are More Legible: Serif or Sans Serif Typefaces?
In 1998 when Times New Roman was still widely used on the web, my then boss made sure we always designed our medical web sites with Arial, as she hated the look of serif fonts on the web. Was it the case that sans serif fonts were more legible, or was it just a matter of taste? In an effort to get at the truth, I reviewed over 50 empirical studies in typography and found a definitive answer.
Poole, Alex. Alex Poole (2005). Design>Typography>Research>Usability
#13330
Which Fonts Do Children Prefer to Read Online?
Children today are reading large amounts of text on computer screens, either in the classroom or for leisure. In fact, currently there is a drive to supplement or even replace some traditional pen and paper lectures and tests with computer-based ones. However, to date there has been no research specific to a younger population investigating preferences for different types and sizes of fonts for reading online. This study sought to address this need by examining four types of fonts at 12- and 14-point sizes in order to help determine the font combination that is perceived as most readable on computer screens and most preferred by children.
Bernard, Michael, Melissa Mills, Talissa Frank and Jan McKown. Usability News (2001). Design>Typography>Usability>Children
#25171
In this article, Fred talks about experiences with some of the greats of typography... and helps to answer the question with a quote from Jan White.
Showker, Fred. Design, Typography and Graphics (2004). Design>Typography>Graphic Design
#31235
As business communicators, our goal is typically to influence opinion or change behavior in order to achieve business objectives. To accomplish this, we must get people to interact with our message. A page of 12-point Times New Roman text is seldom compelling, so what you are left with to persuade people to read your publication is graphic design.
Canfield, Jocelyn. Communication World Bulletin (2007). Design>Document Design>Typography>Visual Rhetoric
#21180
A thousand-word GIF essay and a dump of ill-edited correspondence on units of measure for Web design.
Fahrner, Todd. Cleverchimp (1999). Design>Web Design>Typography
#20408
When setting type, most of us are very conscious of type style, size, width and line spacing. Many of us also pay attention to letter spacing and kerning, even if we’re not as confident in these areas. But word spacing--the space between words--is probably the most neglected of typographic attributes. This seemingly small detail plays an important role in the color, texture and readability of your type.
Strizver, Ilene. Upper and lowercase Magazine (2003). Design>Typography>Document Design
#20447
It was advertised as a revolution in typesetting, but, when I first saw it, I thought it was wrong, misguided, and verging on the blasphemous. And I’m usually an open-minded sort. What was it about Adobe TouchType, a now defunct typesetting program for the now defunct NeXT machine, that prompted my feelings of outrage and intolerance?
Kvern, Olav Martin. Upper and lowercase Magazine (1999). Design>Typography>Online
#29315
Read about em and en dashes in print and on the Web; specimen books; and the best way to convert quotation marks and primes from dumb to smart and back again.
Strizver, Ilene. Creative Pro (2007). Design>Typography
#30605
A zoom layout uses CSS (cascading stylesheets) to automatically reformat a page so it's easier for a low-vision user to read. Multiple columns become single columns, navigation gets simplified and put at the top, fonts become bigger, and (usually) colours are set to light on dark.
Clark, Joe. JoeClark.org (2005). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Typography
#32095
Understanding what really goes on where the eyeballs meet the photons.
West, Mike. MBWest.com (2006). Articles>Typography
#32101
The Rather Difficult Font Game
Have you a typographer's eye? Head on over to this site to test your skills.
I Love Typography (2008). Design>Typography
#32104
iLT is designed to inspire its readers, to make people more aware of the typography that is around them. We really cannot escape typography; it's everywhere: on road signs, shampoo bottles, toothpaste, and even on billboard posters, in books and magazines, online...the list is endless, and the possibilities equally so.
I Love Typography. Resources>Graphic Design>Typography>Visual Rhetoric
#32105
if you’re not a brilliant designer or a master calligrapher, well, don’t worry—you can still create some beautiful fonts with a little hard work, a lot of knowledge, and a little inspiration.
Julien, Alec. I Love Typography (2008). Design>Typography
#32106
A Guide to Web Typography. The Basics
Typography for the Web has come a long way since Tim Berners-Lee flipped the switch in 1991. Back in the days of IE 1.0, good web typography was something of an oxymoron. Today things are different. Not only do we have browsers that support images (gasp!), but we have the opportunity to make our web pages come to life through great typography.
I Love Typography (2008). Design>Web Design>Typography
#32107
We owe it to the reader not to hinder their reading pleasure, but to aid it; second, we owe a responsibility to the typeface or typefaces we employ. Good typefaces are designed for a good purpose, but not even the very best types are suited to every situation.
I Love Typography (2008). Design>Typography
#32108
Identify a Font. Font and Typeface Identification Tools
Ever seen a typeface (font) you like but couldn’t identify it? I once knew an Art Director who seemed to be able to identify just about any typeface I showed him. However, in recent years, even he responds with, I don’t have a clue.So where to turn? Well, rather than publishing my Art Director friend’s email address here, I’ll introduce a few resources to get you started. Although none of the following resources is infallible, they will definitely give you a head start.
I Love Typography (2008). Articles>Typography
#32109
Who Shot the Serif? Typograpy Terms
learning just a little about the terminology will help you to have a greater appreciation for type; it will also help you to identify different typefaces and fonts — and that in turn will help you make better, more informed choices about the fonts you use. Oh, and lastly, you’ll learn what fish scales and serifs have in common.
I Love Typography (2007). Articles>Typography
#32110
typoholism. noun. A disorder characterized by the excessive consumption of and dependence on type, leading to physical and psychological harm and impaired social and vocational functioning. Also called typographical abuse, font dependence.
#32111
Fifteen Excellent Examples of Web Typography. Part 1
I have spent the last month searching, stumbling, noting, bookmarking and analysing in a quest to find 15 Excellent examples of Web Typography. I’ve chosen them because they make excellent use of type. Some of the examples mimic the typography of print, while others actually leverage web technology, smart CSS and delicious HTML to make their pages not only aesthetically pleasing, but legible, user-friendly and easily navigable.
I Love Typography (2007). Design>Web Design>Typography
#32112
Fifteen Great Examples of Web Typography. Part 2
What better way to start the year than with a little typographic inspiration. Last year I published 15 Excellent Examples of Web Typography, and owing to its popularity and people’s sateless appetite for lists, here are another 15.
I Love Typography (2008). Design>Web Design>Typography>Case Studies
#32113
Arial Versus Helvetica. How To Tell Them Apart. Is Arial Just a Poor Copy?
Today we’re going to de-robe two popular typefaces, namely Arial and Helvetica — faces that are often confused, and often the subjects of mistaken identity.
I Love Typography (2008). Design>Typography
#32114
Every subject, from dentistry to dog handling has its own vocabulary — terms that are peculiar (unique) to it. Typography is no exception. Learning the lingua franca (lingo) of type will make typography that much more accessible; and that will, in turn, lead to greater understanding, and hopefully a greater appreciation for all things 'type.'
I Love Typography (2008). Design>Typography>History
#32263
Typotheque is a type foundry, run by Peter Biľak (who is responsible for the fonts and website in general), and Johanna Biľak, (who is responsible for other products, such as books and t-shirts). We also work with a number of freelance designers, writers, and programmers who assist in some of our current projects.
Biľak, Peter and Johanna Biľak. Typotheque. Resources>Graphic Design>Typography
#32408
Seven Tips for Replacing the Font Tag
Replacing font tags with semantic code and CSS isn’t as terribly difficult as it might seem at the outset. To help you along your way, here are a few tips on how to tackle the project.
Glazebrook, Rob L. CSSnewbie (2008). Articles>Web Design>Typography>CSS
#32436
In this article I’ll look at exactly why typography is limited on the web (compared to print design) and present some tips to follow for good web typography, along with an example web page that demonstrates some of these tips. Don’t worry if you don’t understand the CSS and HTML code at this stage—the point here is to make you think about design. While you are going through the article, it might be an idea to have a pen(cil) and paper by your side so you can start to sketch ideas about text layout.
Haine, Paul. Opera (2008). Articles>Web Design>Typography
