Typography Guide: Definition, creation and advice

Typography: definition

The term typography encompasses three main concepts:

Typographic composition.

We speak of typography, typographic composition or even typographic layout to designate the way in which words and text are formatted using individual characters: letters, accents, punctuation, symbols, numbers and other special characters.

Typography, font, font.

The graphic design of these elements also falls under the term typography. We also hear the terms typo, font and font.

Typographic print.

Typography also encompasses the process by which, in printing, characters are reproduced on a document (generally on paper), using small moving lead parts (we speak of mobile type).

What is typography in graphic design?

Typography in graphic design achieves several key things: 

• It promotes readability. 
• Helps to communicate the messaging.
• Sets the tone and emotion.

It’s essential in both print and digital graphic design. 

It’s challenging enough to cut through the clutter and racket of the noisy media marketplace - using the wrong style of text only makes this harder. In a world of over abundant messaging, the importance of typography is paramount to help you to stand out. That’s why finding the right kind of typography is key.

A brief history of typography

Styles of fonts have gone through many evolutions over the years. Let’s look at some key stages of their development: 

• Pre-printing press era (Pre-15th century): Before the printing press, printed media was primarily handwritten. Scribes developed several scripts and letterforms, such as ‘Blackletter’ (also known as Gothic), which were used in manuscripts and inscriptions.
• 1440: Joannes Gutenberg invented the moveable type printing press to use ‘Blackletter’ as the first font. The design imitated the handwriting style monks used for transcribing manuscripts before the printing press.
• 1470: As good as ‘Blackletter’ was, the style took up too much space. Nicolas Jensen refined the process by creating simpler letterforms, which meant more text could fit on a page. This became known as the ‘Roman’ typeface. 
• 1501: Aldus Manutius and Francesco Griffo went one step further to fit more words on a page by inventing the Italic typeface. This is still used to this day, although it’s mainly for emphasising sections of text rather than for space saving. 
• 1734: The next pioneer of typeface was William Caslon. Whilst previous types were focused on smaller font spacing, their readability wasn’t great. Caslon created the ‘Old Style’ font, which had more strokes in each letterform. This made them more distinct from one another, improving readability. 
• 1757: John Baskerville invented the ‘Transitional’ typefaces, which had more distinct letterforms. The type was known for its thickness of strokes. 
• 1780s: Firmin Didot in France and Italy’s Giambattista Bodoni both created modern serifs with stark contrast between strokes. 
• 1815: Vincent Figgins creates the ‘Antique’ typeface, which was more attention-grabbing than the previous types. This was ideal for larger prints, such as posters.
• 1816: William Caslon IV introduced the ‘Caslon Egyptian’, used popularly in adverts.
• 20th Century onwards: This period saw Frederic Goudy’s ‘Copperplate Gothic’ and ‘Goudy Old Style’, Max Miedinger’s ‘Helvetica’, Paul Renner’s ‘Futura’ and Hermann Zapf’s ‘Optima’ become popular in the first half of the century. In the second half of the century, the Digi Grotesk and vector styles developed.
• 21st century: The Internet paved way for a necessary evolution of web fonts - 2009’s Web Open Font Format (WOFF) became widely available.

“You set the metal movable type by hand and use a press to print. This gave me a real appreciation and understanding of printing tools and letterpress printing.”

Dylan Todd

Why is typography important?

Below are some key reasons why typography and finding the right styles of fonts is so important:

• Sets the tone. Typography can influence the reader’s perception by communicating a mood.
• Legibility. Your font needs to be clear enough to read, otherwise your message will be lost.
• Visually appealing. The right choice of font can add an attention-grabbing look to your designs.
• Creates a consistent brand identity. Brands that use the same typography in their messaging throughout create a good sense of their brand image and embody a consistent corporate identity. 

Common styles of fonts and font spacing. 

The four main styles of fonts are:

1. Serif. Commonly used in books and other print media, it uses ‘serifs’ - small lines on the letters - which give it a natural look. The letter ‘I’ for example, has serifs in Times New Roman (I) but not in Arial (I). 
   
   
2. Sans serif. This doesn’t have the serif font style, sans serif typefaces use less space and can be more efficiently used.
   
   
3. Script. A creative type of font used in unique design, but not ideal for use in main bodies of text.
   
   
4. Decorative. Eye-catching styles of fonts mainly used for advertising. 

 
Within these four broad categories, there are lots of different fonts for you to choose from. You can make your projects look more interesting by using multiple styles of fonts. However, a good rule of thumb is to use no more than two fonts, so your text remains readable. 

This doesn’t mean everything has to look the same. You can utilise a variety of weights, styles and sizes to add contrast without making things look confusing. For example, you could have some text in bold and some in italics, with different font sizes for emphasis.

Font spacing is also a key aspect of creating an effective design. If your text is too close together and cramped, people may decide quickly that it looks too hard to read. 

Use line spacing to ensure your text is well spaced out. You can also create the illusion of more space by changing the size, weight or style of your font - this will help break up long paragraphs of text into more readable, bite-sized chunks.

Key elements of typography. 

Some key things to keep in mind when it comes to making typographic decisions: 

Fonts and typefaces. 

The terms ‘fonts’ and ‘typefaces’ are often used interchangeably, although there are subtle differences between the two. Put simply, typeface refers to an entire family of fonts, which can be different weights. However, fonts refer to the individual weights, styles and widths that make up each typeface family when applied to lowercase letters, capital letters and numerals. 

For example, Helvetica is a typeface, but within that typeface there are numerous fonts, such as Helvetica Bold, Helvetica Oblique and Helvetica Light.

Kinds of typeface.

Sans serif, serif, script and decorative are the four main kinds of typeface. 

• Serif is also referred to as classic style, commonly seen in books and newspapers. This typeface is also a good choice for businesses that want to convey their professionalism, such as within the finance industry. Popular serif fonts include Times New Roman and Georgia. 
  
  
• Sans serif is a bolder and more contemporary typeface, often more attention-grabbing and easier to read quickly than serif fonts. This is more commonly used online. Popular sans serif fonts include Arial and Calibri. 
  
  
• Decorative fonts, as the name suggests, are designed to be aesthetically appealing without as much focus on being clear to read. These are most commonly used in branding elements like names and logos or as short titles. Use decorative fonts when you want to add character to your text and demonstrate uniqueness. Examples of decorative fonts include Gazpacho and Cooper Black. 
  
  
• Script fonts are designed to simulate handwriting and can make your text seem more personal and inviting. These can range from sophisticated calligraphy to edgier handwritten styles. A popular use of script fonts is greetings cards. Examples of script fonts include Allura and Parisienne.

Contrast.

While ideally you want your reader to absorb everything on the page, there will be elements that you want to emphasise and draw to eye to in your typography design. Contrast can mean using different colours, point sizes, type sizes and styles of fonts to make certain areas stand out more.

Leading, kerning and tracking.

Leading is space between lines of text, kerning is space between two characters and tracking is the overall letter spacing of a text. 

You may need to adjust all three of these before your text looks how you want it to on the page. Too much space can make it look like you don’t have much to say, while text that appears cramped will quickly put readers off.

Colour.

Blending the colour with the type of font can create stunning visual appearance - and it’s important to balance this against background colour to ensure your text doesn’t get lost. 

There are three key components to consider when thinking about colour: 

1. Hue
   
   
2. Value
   
   
3. Saturation

When these are balanced, the text will appear clear and easy to read. Viewing the text in greyscale can help you to see whether you need to make the text lighter or darker when placed against the background.

Hierarchy.

This refers to the order by which text appears on a screen. This can influence how people read your messaging. 

One of the most vital typographical principles is establishing a clear hierarchy. This helps readers to distinguish the most important pieces of text (typically headers, followed by sub-headers, then general text).  

Consistency. 

While using contrast can make your text look more interesting and exciting, maintaining some level of consistency is also important. You want your readers to understand your text, which is easier if there’s a consistent pattern to it. 

When using different hierarchy levels, try to establish a unifying consistent hierarchy. For example, use one font for all your headers, one for all your sub-headers and one for your general text.

White space. 

White space (or negative space) is essentially any part of the page that doesn’t have text on it. You can utilise white space to make your text more readable, so it doesn’t look cluttered. This can include using margins, line spacing, line length, padding or simply blocks of space on the page with no text.

How to choose the right typography for you.  

Looking to find the right typography for your designs? There are a few things to keep in mind. 

Scope.

This relates to whether it’s for a big project or on a single deck. There’s more flexibility on a single deck, but a larger project will need more consistency throughout.

Mood.

Mood relates to the sentiment behind the messaging. Multiple factors can affect how a reader will feel when reading your text. Some of this will come from the content of the text, but a lot will come from how the text appears visually on the page. 

For example, you can choose a serif font when you want a reader to know you’re serious and professional or a sans serif font when you want to be less formal. Tighter spacing can invoke a feeling of urgency, while a bold font emphasises confidence.

Functionality.

Does the typography fit the purpose? The project you’re working on will have unique typographical considerations, so take into account these before choosing a typeface or font. 

Body text, for example, should almost always be of the same weight throughout, as this makes it easier to read. Do your headings stand out in your chosen font and weight? Does the typeface convey the correct message? 

Versatility.

Different styles of fonts work best on different media - what works in print won’t necessarily work online. Take some time to experiment with a few different fonts and typefaces before you finalise your project, so you can see how they look on the page or screen. 

Message.

Different typefaces can help you accurately represent what’s being conveyed. You can also utilise typefaces and fonts to embody a corporate identity or brand identity into your text. Think about not only what you want to say, but how you want to say it and use fonts that capture your message accurately.

Readability.

Is it easy to read? Look at factors such as spacing, contrast and hierarchy from the point of view of the reader. In most cases, you want the reader to be able to see immediately what your content is about. 

You also want them to be inspired to keep reading. Most people have short attention spans and are overwhelmed by long chunks of text in the same style, weight and font. Just as you might break up sentences in your content, try breaking up the spacing and contrast within your typography. 

Think about who your readers are and how you can motivate and engage those people using text.

Languages.

Not every font works with every language. For example, some fonts that work on the Latin alphabet-based languages won’t necessarily work with Cyrillic, as it’s a different alphabet. CJK characters (Chinese, Japanese and Korean) can often convey entire words or sentences in what appears to Western readers to be a single letter. 

This will affect factors such as emphasising things in bold or italics, for example. Consider each language your text will be translated into when thinking about how to set it out.

Style.

Sans serif, serif, script and decorative are the four main categories of typefaces. Within these, there are hundreds of different fonts to choose from - each with certain defining characteristics. Your chosen style needs to reflect the message you want to convey, your personal or brand identity, the tone of voice and more. 

Examples of successful typographies

Attractive colours, significant contrasts, carefully chosen fonts: here are typographic compositions for posters that are more than attractive.

Attractive colours, significant contrasts, carefully chosen fonts: here are typographic compositions for posters that are more than attractive.

Attractive colours, significant contrasts, carefully chosen fonts: here are typographic compositions for posters that are more than attractive.

It is possible to create elegant typography, whether with or without serifs.

Fancy fonts, like comic book typographies, offer a lot of creative freedom and are a lot of fun to design.

Typography FAQS.

What’s the difference between a letter and a character?

A character is a general term that covers letters, numbers, punctuation, accent marks and other symbols. A letter is just a letter on its own, with no digits or punctuation - just the letters of the alphabet. 

What does serif mean?

A serif is a small line or stroke attached to the end of a larger stroke in a letter. 

What is an accessible typeface?

This is a typeface that is readable for most people, across different mediums. Letters should be clearly distinct from one another with clear font spacing.

Adobe partners specialising in typography.

Dylan Todd is an art director and designer specialising in pop culture and based in Las Vegas. Find some of his work on this page.
Robin Casey is a graphic designer and illustrator specialising in typography based in Portland. Take a look at their creations on Instagram account.