Typography is the art of making text not only beautiful, but also easy to read. It is important that the character of the publication or a certain information message is reflected in the style of the letters. Typography is the ability to bring visual harmony to printed text or a website page. It is not limited only to the choice of content font, paragraph indents and alignment. Typography is the art of expressing the meaning of what is written not only through words, but also through their display. It is a very interesting, deep and complex discipline. In this article, we will talk about it.
What is typography?
Many graphic designers consider typography to be the science of how text is presented. However, the use of the word "science" is not entirely logical to use next to "typography". The problem is that all the rules and laws of typography are not strictly enforced. Is notmore than recommendations for the correct and visually pleasing arrangement of text, its words and individual characters.
Let's talk about the importance of typography in today's world
If the text located on the page of a site or a book is hard to read for whatever reason (the font is too small, there is a small indent between words or lines), then the reader will leave your site or close the book, going to look for information in in another place, or he will suffer, perceiving information, but he will most likely remember not at all what he wanted to know or not the idea that you wanted to convey to him, since all attention was focused on the difficulties of reading.
Typography is what plays a crucial role in understanding the content - if it is properly organized, the page will keep the reader's attention on the information that he should perceive from the text, while not requiring any volitional effort from him.
What do you need to know to organize text correctly?
To create the right visual hierarchy, you need to understand how people perceive visual information, which explains the principles of gest alt quite well. They claim that people tend to organize page visuals into groups based on the following parameters.
Proximity. If characters or elements of text are nearby, people tend to perceive them as a whole.
Resemblance. If the characters are similar in size, color, shape or shape, they are also perceived as a whole.
Integrity. Human perception tends to perceive information in a holistic and simplified way.
Closedness. A person tends to visualize the figure in such a way that it takes on a complete form.
Background and figure. If you correctly correlate the background and figures, this will positively affect the accuracy of perception.
Now, if you decide to put into practice the principles of Gest alt theory, you should use these provisions. Particular attention should be paid to the principle of similarity: if you need to highlight and draw the reader's attention to something specific, this something needs to be made different from the rest of the text.
Typography: Book Design Book
A lot of works have already been written on the topic of interest to us. Here are some of them:
- “Typography. Font, layout, design" by James Felici.
- "New typography. A Guide for the Modern Designer" by Jan Tschichold.
- "Sample Fonts" by Jan Tschichold.
- “Typography. Order and Chaos” by Vladimir Laptev.
- "Live Typography" by Alexandra Korolkova.
- "Typography of color. Workshop. How to choose a font" Timothy Samara.
Profession of a graphic designer
The job of "graphic designer" is a speci alty for creative people. It is important to remember that neither architectural nor textile design is their responsibility. Their field of activity is various printed products, be it books, magazines, newspapers, websites and computer programs, as well asadvertising.
What is this job? A graphic designer develops fonts, draws pictures, creates collages and decorates shop windows.
To design a book or website, a designer uses text, photos, and graphics that are made by others. This division of labor allows you to achieve the best possible result due to the fact that work is carried out with high quality materials. A designer is not a photographer or a writer of texts. In addition, he does not even need to understand computer or HTML layout.
Universal specialists - do they exist?
It's a completely different story that during full computerization, even directly designing without knowing such a tool as a computer is simply unthinkable, especially considering that both the site and printed materials are initially created using programs.
If you want to create something with a computer, you need to know how this "something" can be created. In addition, modern computer software is improving every day and provides a wider and wider range of opportunities. And if you are not familiar with this spectrum, then you are unlikely to succeed in designing at a high level, since there will be no opportunity to create a product that can compete with the best samples.
Of course, the level of proficiency in computer programs of a graphic designer will significantly exceed the level of an ordinary user. Graphic designer is first and foremostpainter. However, the connection between the artist and the "geek" is more than tangible: for example, the basics of style in typography and design solutions that are created using certain software.
Who do graphic designers work with?
To create a full-fledged website, a graphic designer needs to cooperate with at least a programmer. Especially if you create a multi-level resource that will contain many interactive features. However, a small average site is able to pass even one designer, without needing the help of a webmaster or programmer.
In life, there is almost no ideal chain, consisting of a creative, designer and layout designer. Often all these three functions are performed by a single person who has a higher art education, knows most of the necessary graphic programs, docks on the Internet and a computer, and also gives out original ideas without spending a lot of effort. In addition, such a versatile person will imagine the design of the future magazine, all the controls for a new, not yet created site page, and what kind of advertising will be located there.
Where are graphic designers trained?
In the profession of a graphic and web designer, like in no other, it is extremely important not even a desire, but a constant desire to bring your ideas to life - and this can be said with confidence.
In this profession, much knowledge is acquired through constant practice in the workplace. It needs to be drawnsuch a button on the site page - I'll hurt myself, but I'll do it. Perhaps this is why graphic designers often quickly stop learning in the classic sense of the word, that is, attending an institute or college every day. Their training takes place for the rest of their lives in the workplace, while solving everyday tasks.
It is believed that you can become a graphic designer without studying at all in a higher or secondary specialized educational institution. For quite a few years, constantly engage in craft and art (such examples are also known). At the same time, a person works hard and analyzes his own and other people's work.
True, graphic designers with vast experience and a complete lack of specialized education exist only in Russia. In other conditions, people who want to work in this speci alty need a higher art education, as well as knowledge of software and hardware.
Of course, elementary skills in working with graphics programs can be obtained both on your own and in short-term courses, but this will only help to patch up the hole, but will not give you the thorough knowledge that you can get at the university.
