In this exercise we will discover the ways that typography can be used in the look of a design. Using different typefaces and sizes create contrast and interest and add to the overall professional look. The example we will be using is an advertisement for the Titan Raga watch found on the company’s twitter page.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DvU-lf0UwAADwL2.jpg 

Oldstyle Type

The watch company model names are written in an Oldstyle font. Although this particular font is slightly artistic, you are able to categorize it by the use of serifs at the ends of the letter strokes (circled in yellow). This example is written in all capital letters, so it makes it a little more difficult to pick out the serifs (and accompanying brackets) that are very obvious in the lowercase letters by their slanted nature. Another clue that this font falls into the Oldstyle category are the moderate changes in the thickness of the strokes. The most obvious example is between the slanted stokes of the A’s, which are highlighted in red. It is also shown in the G which helps us find the diagonal stress in the font (shown in blue).

Script Type

The words “I am” have been changed to a script font. This is a simpler version than some script fonts that resemble calligraphy, but you can clearly see the efforts to make it look like handwriting with the non-uniformed size and shape of the letters. The lettering also has a loose alignment and the strokes are inconsistent, like most hand writing.

Sans Serif Type

The final font on this advertisement, shown in the hashtags, falls into the Sans Script category. This is characterized by the lack of serifs (shown in yellow) at the ends of the strokes and the consistent thickness of the lines.

Creating Contrast with Typography

Contrast is an important principle in design and can be also shown through manipulating the size of the fonts that are used. In this example each font has a distinct size change but upon closer investigation you can see that there is actually a different size in each line, which causes interest between those that look the same. Another change, shown easily in the last two lines, is a difference in weight. The bottom line has thicker or “heavier” strokes.  Form variety is shown through the overall shape that is created by each font. The first lines are typed in all capital letters forming a box shape while the bottom lines use lower case and expand the spacing between the letters.  The center line, “I Am”, is a great example of the use of direction as it is placed on an angle.

Summary

Understanding typography is useful in design to enhance your project, but there are certain rules that should followed to create a pleasing look. Using different fonts creates interest and a professional display, just be sure that you use ones that are in different font categories. This will create natural contrast and you will avoid having conflict in fonts that are too similar. Changing the size, weight, structure, form and direction ensures that you can convey the information in a way that is interesting to the reader. Using these tools, as well as incorporating color, gives you the ability to makes certain words stand out or create a certain feel. Even when using a single font a lot of variances can be made by applying these ideas. Many projects incorporate wording and using the lettering as part of the design is something that everyone should learn how to do.