Thinking With Type 2nd Edition Lecture

7/21/2019 Thinking With Type 2nd Edition Lecture

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Lecture based on Thinking with Type, 2nd Edition, 2010, available from Princeton Architectural Press


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type basics

Size and Scale


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When two typefaces are set in the same point size, one often

looks bigger than the other. Differences in x-height, line weight,

and set width affect the letters apparent scale.

Mrs Eaves rejects the twentieth-century appetite

for supersized x-heights. This typeface, inspired

by the eighteenth-century designs of Baskerville,

is named after Sarah Eaves, Baskervilles

mistress, housekeeper, and collaborator.The couple lived together for sixteen years

before marrying in 1764.

Do I look fatin thisparagraph?

32-P P 32-P 32-P 32-P

x-heights

The perceived size of a typeface is a function of its x-height as well as its cap height.


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Like his lovely wife,MR EAVES

has a low waistand a small body. His loose letterspacing also

makes him work well with his mate.

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The x-height of a typeface affects itsapparent size, its space efficiency,and its overall visual impact. Likehemlines and hair styles, x-heightsgo in and out of fashion. Bigger typebodies became popular in the mid-

twentieth century, making letterformslook larger by maximizing the areawithin the overall point size.

Typefaces with small x-heights, such as

Mrs Eaves, use space less efficiently than

those with big lower bodies. However, their

delicate proportions have lyrical charm.12/14

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32-P 32-P 32-P Mr. Big versus Mrs. &Mr. Little

x-heights

These texts are set in the same point size, but their perceived scale is completely different.


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THEWORLD

IS FLAT

THE

WORLD

IS FLAT

type crime

Minimal differences intype size make this

design look tentative

and arbitrary.

The strong contrast betweentype sizes gives this design

dynamism, decisiveness,

and depth.

scale

Scale is the relationship among elements within a composition or hierarchy.


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scale

revolver: zeitschrift fr

film (magazine for film)

Scale is the relationship between elements and their context. Here, big type sits on a small page.


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scale

()

Maps, 2009. Design: Harry Pearce and Jason Ching/ Pentagram . This series of posters

for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime uses typographic scale to compare drug

treatment programs, HIV incidence, and other data worldwide. The designers built simple

world maps from country abbreviation codes (GBR, USA, RUS, etc.). Note Russias highincidence of HIV and low availability of addiction rehabilitation programs.


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type basics

Mixing Typefaces


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What are the characteristics of each mode of alignment?Trilogy is a superfamily with Sans, Egyptian, and Fatface styles, inspired by 19th-century advertising.

mixing typefaces


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Noodles with Potato Sauce|Bl

56 75

type crime

These typefaces are from the

same family, but they are too

close in weight to mix well.

mixing typefaces


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type crime:

mixing typefaces


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mixing typefaces

: Design: Chris Dixon, 2010.

This content-intensive page detail mixes four different type families

from various points in history, ranging from the early advertising

face Egyptian Bold Condensed to the functional contemporary sans

Verlag. These diverse ingredients are mixed here at different scales to

create typographic tension and contrast.

+ :

,designed by

Adrian Frutiger, 1979. Thelarge scale of the letters is

counterbalanced by the fine line

of the stroke.

+ :

,

a Linotype font based on a

typeface from 1820. This quirky,

chunky face has been used

intermittently at New York

Magazinesince the publication

was first designed by Milton

Glaser in the 1970s.

Look for contrast when mixing typefaces.


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type basics

Leading/Line Spacing


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The distance from the baseline of oneline of type to another is called linespacing. It is also called leading, in ref-erence to the strips of lead used toseparate lines of metal type. The defaultsetting in most layout and imagingsoftware is 120% of the type size. Thus10-pt type is set with 12 pts of linespacing. Designers play with line spac-ing in order to create distinctive lay-outs. Reducing the standard distance

creates a denser typographic colorwhile risking collisions betweenascenders and descenders.

The distance from the baseline of oneline of type to another is called linespacing. It is also called leading, in ref-erence to the strips of lead used toseparate lines of metal type. Thedefault setting in most layout andimaging software is 120% of the typesize. Thus 10-pt type is set with 12 ptsof line spacing. Designers play withline spacing in order to create distinc-tive layouts. Reducing the standarddistance creates a denser typographiccolorwhile risking collisionsbetween ascenders and descenders.

The distance from the baseline of one

line of type to another is called line

spacing. It is also called leading, in ref-

erence to the strips of lead used to

separate lines of metal type. The

default setting in most layout and

imaging software is 120% of the type

size. Thus 10-pt type is set with 12 pts

of line spacing. Designers play with

line spacing in order to create distinc-

tive layouts. Reducing the standard

distance creates a denser typographic

colorwhile risking collisions between

ascenders and descenders.

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(7 pt type with 7 pts line

spacing, or set solid)

6/7.2

(Auto spacing; 6 pt type

with 7.2 pts line spacing)

6/8

(6 pt type with

8 pts line spacing)

The distance from the baseline of one

line of type to another is called line

spacing. It is also called leading, in ref-

erence to the strips of lead used to

separate lines of metal type. The default

setting in most layout and imaging

software is 120% of the type size. Thus

10-pt type is set with 12 pts of line spac-

ing. Designers play with line spacing

in order to create distinctive layouts.

Reducing the standard distance creates

a denser typographic colorwhile risk-

ing collisions between ascenders and

descenders.

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(6 pt type with

12 pts line spacing)

line spacing

Designers adjust line spacing to create different textures.


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Book spread, 2008.

Designer: Vanessa Barbara with Elaine Ramos and Maria

Carolina Sampaio. Publisher: .

line spacing: experimental

Staggered lines with extreme spacing allow lines of type to show through from the other side.


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:

. Book, 1970. Design: Paolo

Soleri. This classic work of postmodern

design uses ultra-tight line spacing to create

dramatic density on the page. Produced

long before the era of digital page layout,this book exploited the possibilities of

phototypesetting and dry transfer lettering.

The designer has created an extreme texture with ultra-tight line spacing.


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:

Book, 1990. Designers:

Katherine McCoy, P. Scott

Makela, and Mary Lou

Kroh.

A complex yet readable effect is created by experimenting with line spacing.

line spacing: experimental


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type basics

Alignment

alignment


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alignment

Text is an ongoing sequence of words, distinct fromshorter headlines or captions. The main block isoften called the body, comprising the principalmass of content. Also known as running text, it canflow from one page, column, or box to another. Textcan be viewed as a thinga sound and s turdyobjector a fluid poured into the containers of pageor screen. Text can be solid or liquid, body or blood.As body, text has more integrity and wholeness thanthe elements that surround it, from pictures,captions, and page numbers to banners, buttons, and

menus. Designers generally treat a body of textconsistently, letting it appear as a coherent substancethat is distributed across the spaces of a document.In digital media, long texts are typically broken intochunks that can be accessed by search engines orhypertext links. Contemporary designers and writersproduce content for various contexts, from the pagesof print to an array of software environments, screenconditions, and digital devices, each posing its ownlimits and opportunities.

Text is an ongoing sequence of words, distinct fromshorter headlines or captions. The main block is often

called the body, comprising the principal mass ofcontent. Also known as running text, it can flow

from one page, column, or box to another. Text can beviewed as a thinga sound and sturdy objector a

fluid poured into the containers of page or screen. Textcan be solid or liquid, body or blood. As body, text hasmore integrity and wholeness than the elements that

surround it, from pictures, captions, and pagenumbers to banners, buttons, and menus. Designers

generally treat a body of text consistently, letting itappear as a coherent substance that is distributed

across the spaces of a document. In digital media, longtexts are typically broken into chunks that can be

accessed by search engines or hypertext links.Contemporary designers and writers produce content

for various contexts, from the pages of print to anarray of software environments, screen conditions, and

digital devices, each posing its own opportunities.

Text is an ongoing sequence of words, distinct fromshorter headlines or captions. The main block is oftencalled the body, comprising the principal mass ofcontent. Also known as running text, it can flowfrom one page, column, or box to another. Text can beviewed as a thinga sound and sturdy objector afluid poured into the containers of page or screen. Textcan be solid or liquid, body or blood. As body, text hasmore integrity and wholeness than the elements thatsurround it, from pictures, captions, and page numbers

to banners, buttons, and menus. Designers generallytreat a body of text consistently, letting it appear as acoherent substance that is distributed across thespaces of a document. In digital media, long texts aretypically broken into chunks that can be accessed bysearch engines or hypertext links. Contemporarydesigners and writers produce content for variouscontexts, from the pages of print to an array ofsoftware environments, screen conditions, and digitaldevices, each posing its own limits and opportunities.

Text is an ongoing sequence of words,

distinct from shorter headlines or captions.

The main block is often called

the body,

comprising the principal mass of content.

Also known as running text,

it can flow from one page, column, or box to another.

Text can be viewed as a thing

a sound and sturdy object

or a fluid poured into the containers of page or screen.

Text can be solid or liquid,

body or blood.

Each basic mode of alignment has distinct characteristics and typical uses.

alignment


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alignment

alignment


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alignment

What forms of alignment do you see? What is their purpose?

alignment


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alignment

Justied text usually looks bad on the web.

alignment


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alignment

On this web page, rules create clean columns on the page without requiring justied text.

alignment: experimental


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: : Book spread, 2002. Designer: Stephen Farrell. Author: Steve Tomasula.


alignment


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: , , Book, 1989. Designer: Richard Eckersley.

Author: Avital Ronell. Compositor: Michael Jensen. Publisher: University of Nebraska Press. Photograph: Dan Meyers.

alignment

The designer has deliberately created typographic rivers in order to create cracks or ssures in the text.



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: Book, 2002.Designer: Januzzi Smith.Author: Cecil Balmond.Photograph: Dan Meyers.




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: Book, 2003. Designers: COMA. Photograph: Dan Meyers.


vertical alignment


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,

v

er

ti

go

v

er

ti

gotype crime

vertical alignment

Capitals stack more comfortably than lowercase letters.


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Photographs by Andrea Marks. Sign painters in Mexico create letters that stack well, such as squared-off Os and Gs.


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Poster for the Public Theater, 1994.

Designer: Paula Scher/Pentagram.Type set on a

vertical baseline creates movement across the poster.

The theaters logo, which also employs a vertical

baseline, can be easily placed on street banners.

Instead of stacking letters, designers often change the orientation of the baseline to make vertical lines.


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( ) Poster, 1997. Designer:

Gerwin Schmidt. Publisher: Art-Club Karlsruhe.

The axes of type and landscape intersect to create

posters that are simple, powerful, and direct. The text

is mirrored in German and French.

Instead of stacking letters, designers often change the orientation of the baseline to make vertical lines.


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type basics

Enlarged Capitals

enlarged capitals


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. Book page, eighteenth

century.

. Newspaper page, 2009. Art director:

Nicholas Blechman. Illustrator: Ellen Lupton.

enlarged capitals

Dropped capitals are a traditional page device, especially for opening chapters in a book.

enlarged capitals


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enlarged capitals

a

cut into the text block is called a

drop capital ordrop cap. This example was produced us-

ing the Drop Caps feature in a page layout program. Thesoftware automatically creates a space around one or more charac-

ters and drops them the requested number of lines. Adjusting the

size and tracking of the capital allows it to match the surrounding

text. Similar solutions can be implemented on the web in CSS. The

space around the capital is rectangular, which can be visually awk-ward, as seen here with the sloping silhouette of the letter A.

, the worst of times, or just

Times New Roman? The drop capital used here (Thesis

Serif Bold) was positioned by hand as a separate element.A text wrap was applied to an invisible box sitting behind the capital.

Thus the text appears to flow around the intruding right prow of the

W. Likewise, the left prow extends out into the margin, making the

character feel firmly anchored in the text block. Hand-crafted solu-

tions like this one cant be applied systematically.

enlarged capitals


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enlarged capitals

Designers use traditional devices in non-traditional ways.

the drop cap convention

for other purposes. An illustration or icon can appear in

place of a letterform. Purely typographic alternatives arealso possible, such as inserting a title or subtitle into space carved

from the primary text block. Such devices mobilize a familar page

structure for diverse and sometimes unexpected uses.


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Dropped capitals can be styled in CSS. Design: Jeffrey Zeldman.


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type basics

Paragraphs

paragraphs


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Page detail, c. 1500. This

beautiful arrangement features contrast

between the dense, unbroken text

column and a flurry of surrounding

details, including a drop cap, marginal

notes, and triangular chapter summary.

This early typographic book uses a symbol to divide paragraphs, creating a dense column.

paragraphs


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Pheasants,Partridges,

and Grouse;Buttonquail

Americas , , , and are not generally considered real beauties, being known more as drab browngame birds. But the main family of these chickenlike birds, Phasianidae, with

a natural Old World distribution, contains some of the globes most visuallystriking larger birds, chiefly among the pheasants, like the Silver Pheasant,Crested Fireback, and Common Peafowl illustrated here. Te most historicall y

(and gastronomically) significant, if usually unheralded, member of the groupis Asias Red Junglefowl, the wild ancestor of domestic chickens. All chickenlike birds (except buttonquail) are contained in orderGalliformes. In the past, most (excluding the megapodes and curassows)

were included in family Phasianidae, but more recently, the grouse (treatedhere), which occur over North America and northern Eurasia, have been

separated into their own family of species, Tetraonidae, and the NewWorld quail into their own family (treated on p. ). Phasianidae itself nowcontains species, including partridges, francolins, junglefowl, Old Worldquail, and pheasants. Severa l Old World species, such as Chukar, GrayPartridge, and Ring-necked Pheasant, were introduced to North America

as game birds and are now common here.

Birds in these groups are stocky, with short, broad, rounded wings;long, heavy toes with claws adapted for ground-scratching; short, thick,chickenlike bills; and short or long tails, some of the pheasants having tailsto feet (. m) long. Some small quails, such as the Harlequin Quail, are

only about inches ( cm) long. Many species, particularly among thepheasants, are exquisitely marked with bright colors and intricate patterns,

Distribution:Old World

No. of LivingSpecies:

No. of SpeciesVulnerable,Endangered: ,

No. of Species ExtinctSince :

, , ; Classic indentedtext blockDesign: Charles Nix

paragraphs


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Too many signals?

paragraphs: experimental


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: Book spread, 2004. Designed by Franc Nunoo-Quarcoo and Karen Howard.

paragraphs: experimental


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Book spread, 2004. Designed and edited by Jan van Toorn.

Lines and blocks of text slide into the margin to mark changes of voice in an ongoing conversation.

paragraphs


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On the web, paragraphs are usually marked with a skipped line, wasting lots of vertical space.


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type basics

Hierarchy

hierarchy


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angel

archangel

cherubim

seraphim

pope

cardinal archbishop

bishop

work

chapter

section

subsection

I Division of angels

A. Angel

B. Archangel

C. Cherubim

D. Seraphim

II Ruling body of clergy

A. Pope

B. CardinalC. Archbishop

D. Bishop

III Parts of a text

A. Work

B. Chapter

C. Section

D. Subsection

Division of angels

Angel

Archangel

Cherubim

Seraphim

Ruling body of clergy

Pope

CardinalArchbishop

Bishop

Parts of a text

Work

Chapter

Section

Subsection

Angel

Archangel

Cherubim

Seraphim

Pope

CardinalArchbishop

Bishop

Work

Chapter

Section

Subsection

, ,

, ,

, ,

Scale, leading, alignment, type choice, indentation, and other elements combine to express hierarchies.

hierarchy


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One text, different expressions, with emphasis placed on different elements of the text.

Crime Blotter

6:00AM | EAST VILLAGE

Noun Found Smothered by AdjectivesMessage lost in dense cloud of confused signals.

11:30AM | UPPER EAST SIDE

Missing the point, revenge is sought by victim.

7:00PM | WILLIAMSBURG

Flood of Clichs Wreaks HavocHipster kicks bucket after biting bullet.

Katie Burk, Paulo Lopez

Callie Neylan, Betsy Martin


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Hierarchy dened in CSSDavid Wright, Nelson Hsu

These typographic variationswere generated in CSS using the

structural hierarchy presented

above.

hierarchy


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Posters, 20032006. Designers: Michael Bierut and team/Pentagram.


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Thinking With Type 2nd Edition Lecture

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