Graphic design in itself can be a powerful tool of conveying a message through graphic means, however, some things still need to be said blatantly. When this is the case, choosing the correct font and typeface is of grave importance. Speaking of graves, you wouldn’t inscribe details on a tombstone using Comic Sans, right? On the other hand, when designing a children’s birthday card, you definitely wouldn’t use cursive. See the point? Choosing the correct typeface and font can make a world of difference in terms of user impact.
First of all, we need to cover the basics, what the terms mean, and how they are different. Here’s vital to keep in mind several things. Typography is the art of arranging typeface in terms of font, size, shape, spacing, etc. Typography entails several different elements, each of which had its purpose and role. One of them is typeface. In the simplest terms, typeface is a text style. Think Calibri or Arial. These are typefaces. Within a typeface, all the elements are predefined – spacing between the characters, length of characters in relation to each other, etc. Font refers to the size of text, together with style (Bold or Italics). To recap, you write text using a typeface in a specific size font (Calibri (typeface) 12 (font) bold (style), for instance).
Now with basics out of the way, we need to tell why we think typography is important. There are several reasons why.
1|Helps convey the message
Good typography highlights your design. With the right typography, your designs get the ability to convey the right emotion too. This is precisely why we used the tombstone example above; Comic Sans just doesn’t convey the necessary emotion of somber. Trial and error proved that choices in typography influence the audience tremendously.
The means through which typography subconsciously influences readers are colors, fonts, and shapes of characters. Remember, we are still in the realm of graphic design, so even though what you essentially do with typography is, well, type, it is of utmost importance to make your text look appropriate, not only read well.
2| Keeps the readers interested
We are just going to make a big assumption here and say that the majority of designers and marketers are not world-class writers. While writers are able to create unparalleled textual intricacies, designers rely on visual means to keep their readers’ attention. Once again, designers depend on choosing correct colors, fonts, and styles. This means that even if the text is superficial or mundane, good design can make it appear important. This, in turn, will influence the consumer and keep their attention on your design, which is the bottom line – you want people to consume your content as much as possible.
3| Establishes information hierarchy
Unlike all men from the US Declaration of Independence, not all content is created equal. By this, we mean that titles and subtitles, for instance, are not of the same importance as the general text. There is a reason why titles are often bold and written in a larger font. The information they convey is simply more valuable than general information.
By playing with typography, you can influence the reader in such a way for them to absorb the important information even if they fail to read everything. Through various fonts and styles, you’re able to highlight focal points and make the text easier to navigate. This way, your readers will know intuitively what pieces of information they should pay more attention to.
4| Helps create harmony
Graphic designers use typography also to establish harmony in their design. Determining one of two fonts, aligning them together, and creating a continuous, uninterrupted flow of information, both written and visual, helps set up a unit. This harmony is an artistic touch that visually encapsulates the whole design.
When it comes to harmony, designers need to keep in mind all the designer elements of the text – colors, sizes, shapes, and everything else. By making sure the visual presentation of the text has a certain flow, the text itself gains a more structured look.
5| Builds recognition
When stepping into the world of business, brand recognition is one of the most important details you need to focus on. By developing typography custom to their clients’ needs, designers push the branding of the product in the right direction.
To explain this point a little bit more, think Pinterest, for example. The cursive-like typeface the “P” on the logo is written in, together with the colors and full name written in the same manner, really do establish the brand itself. No matter where you see the same typeface again, you’ll instantly be able to recognize it as “Pinterest cursive.” This is precisely the point; to make a subconscious connection between the typeface, font, and all the other design elements with the brand that you’re developing.
Conclusion
As you could see in this post, typography is a huge part of modern graphic design. Whether you’re developing a digital product, like a blog, or branding for a new physical product, there are so many things to pay attention to, one of which is typology too. Make sure to do your research and study your competitors. Also, as a designer, sometimes you may wish to play with your audience’s emotions. Colors, sizes, and shapes are the way to go.
All this together, you can see why typography is crucial. It gives your design character and personality. Other than merely conveying the written message, if used well, it helps convey emotion, ideas, and the whole “mood” of using the product, which can be the one factor that distinguishes your product from the others. On the other hand, if done poorly or not at all, it can cause confusion and repel the readers from even attempting to read the text. This can cause quite significant losses for the brand you’re helping grow, so be careful what you do and how.
This is the significance of typography in design, so make sure to be creative and innovative when designing new typographical solutions.
The post Typography: Meaning and Role in Graphic Design first appeared on CSForm.
The post Typography: Meaning and Role in Graphic Design appeared first on CSForm.