What is Typography?

Simply put typography is the art of print. In our daily lives we are constantly surrounded by it. Typography includes greeting cards, books, posters, newspapers, just about anything you can imagine. As simple as it may seem typography subtly combines communicative and artistic elements to create a print both pleasing and easy to read.

Clear communication and good design

A small font or one that is fuzzy is obviously hard to read which makes the intended message difficult to understand. Good typography is not only clear and legible but easy and pleasant to read. Typographers achieve this by selecting the right fonts, lettering and print types.

A typographer also makes sure that the right lettering design has been chosen to convey the intended effect of the print. For example newspapers, being a source of news and facts, typically have a straightforward, black print fonts, while on the other hand wedding invitations are more ornate and elegant in accord with the happy occasion they announce.

The world of typography

Typography is an enormous field that has both digital and physical applications. Jobs in this field include everything from graphic designers who choose type and position them on the page to type designers that craft letter styles. Modern day typography includes more and more digital work related to the internet and other computer-related projects.

For print lettering to be successful it must complete two basic roles: it must clearly communicate the intended message and do so in a visually effective way that takes into account the design element. A print type that can do those two things is readable, artistic and attractive.

Sources: desktoppub.about.com, lundhumpries.com, wikipedia.org, proximasoftware.com