It takes a few seconds for you to realize that the sentence you just read is displayed in different ways. Although the words were understandable, their visual language might have appeared rather confusing at first glance.
From instruction booklets to Instagram posts, typography is all around us and it’s a well-known fact that nothing makes the text stand out more than a perfect combination of the right fonts and colors with just the right sizes. Even the most mundane choice of words can attract attention if the typography is on point. But what exactly is it? Let’s dive into exploring the main aspects that help designers deliver the right visual style of words and help brands bring across their message.
In short, a typography designer arranges a sentence in a readable and aesthetic composition. They need to go on a marathon of typefaces, choosing the suitable sizes, adjusting line spacings, appropriate colors, and many other details which we will go through shortly. The design has to be visually attractive that is clean and easy for the eyes because if a design is busy and confusing readers will not bother to get through the rest of the text.
Hitting all the checkpoints of visually appealing typography requires a solid understanding of basic principles.
How to design text wisely.
Designing typography isn’t just a copy and paste job. Doesn’t matter if you’re designing a logo, website page, or infographic the struggle of finding the best typography is the same. When the time comes to choose your type, the number of options can be overwhelming.
With the proper strategy and an eye for aesthetic visuals, it’s possible to achieve the purpose. On a fundamental level, the strategy takes into account the following elements: Typefaces, Fonts, Hierarchy, Alignment, Color, etc. Indeed there is more to that, however, for now, let’s go through some of the major ones.
Typeface & Font
You might come across many instances where Font and Typeface are mixed with each other. Mind you, they do not mean the same thing. A typeface is a family of fonts, while a font is a variation of a typeface – typically bold, italic, or both combined.
As a rule of thumb, it’s better to avoid pairing two different fonts or typefaces with very subtle differences; there needs to be a visible contrast between the two. One more side note – A bold font creates better contrast which works when writers want to emphasize something.
Hierarchy
Even without any knowledge of how typography works, the term “Typographic Hierarchy” should already make sense. In a wider context “Hierarchy” is defined as a system in which members of a group are ranked according to relative status or authority. The same goes when it comes to typography – some words and phrases are more important than others. Thus, we can make them stand out and prioritize information by for instance manipulating font size.
Let me quickly demonstrate the concept of hierarchy:
Text Alignment
If you are a social media user, there’s a high probability that you have come across this humorous image:
The issue presented here is connected to our next objective – Text Alignment. It is all about organizing elements relative to a line or margin. When used correctly, margins and spaces between words provide unity and consistency, which makes it easier and clearer for readers.
Color
Colors are essential in marketing because you can influence what your audience feels with the different colors you use. Various meanings are ascribed to each color and it shouldn’t be an overstatement to say how important color is for establishing a visual identity. You can read more about the importance of the most common colors in one of our previous blogs. Here is a demonstration of how different companies have used color to attract cutomers.
Overall
Typography is the heart of high-quality design. The most famous brands have all developed their visual identities that are indelible in people’s minds. So, every brand should aim to discover a well-studied pattern of typefaces, colors, and texts that will clearly communicate their product’s value to audiences.
