- Many designers feel inadequate
when typography rears its head.
It's complicated.
I've heard many designers young and old say,
I don't know what typeface to choose.
There are rules that I don't know or understand.
How do I know if it's right?
All of these are relevant issues.
Typography is one of the hardest skills we master.
There are so many possible options of
typeface, sizes, placement and color.
Pair that with centuries of tradition
and it's a real job.
But in the end, typography is simply pictures of words.
If we use the same process to determine the right image,
typography can become a living and vital element.
For decades in the 20th century,
a minimal and functional sans serif style
dominated design.
In the 1960's designers rediscovered the possibilities
of more expressive typography.
This opened the door for designers
to use type to express concepts,
define space in an unexpected way and play.
This can take the form of typography replacing the image
by adopting a specific shape.
This isn't easy to do.
It takes skill with letterform drawing
and lots of practice.
Expressive typography can replace parts of an image.
A classic assignment in typography
is to photograph a street scene.
I'll start with this photograph from my hometown,
Reno, Nevada.
Now replace the signs in the image
with typography in one typeface
matching the sizes in the photograph.
For the next step, add text to identify
the content of the photo.
Simplify the type sizes proportionately
and align the items to a grid.
Now, remove the image entirely
and let the typography do the work alone.
If you're really adventurous,
add some perspective to the typography also.
It's an unconventional approach
but the process can be used as the start of any composition.
The fact that the typography makes words
is an added benefit.
Words can be taken apart or emphasized to change meaning.
Consider a poster for a clock manufacturer summer sale.
I can show a nice clock
and headline that reads Summertime Sale
or I can eliminate the image
and highlight the part of Summertime
that reads Time.
The result creates a puzzle that the viewer solves.
Solving the problem creates a sense of joy
and the viewer remembers the message.
The choice of a unique typeface and unexpected usage
can create meaning.
This advertisement by Lou Dorfsman for CBS television
expressed the idea that CBS had
the largest ratings in comedy.
The choice of a whimsical, custom typeface
in three sizes stating ha, ha, ha,
communicates comedy in scale.
The large black and white typography
is distinctly different from other ads
featuring the traditional layout of images and headlines.
When working with expressive typography in a composition
don't forget the world of lifts and typographic punctuation.
These are especially helpful to create images,
in this example, a group of faces.
This exercise can feel more like a jigsaw puzzle
than a purposeful design.
But you'll feel pretty good when you realize
a parenthesis can be a mustache.
When working with typography to create meaning,
turn off the side of the brain that whispers,
it must always be this way.
That's the voice that keeps us
from doing something unexpected.
It wants us to play by the rules
and maintain the status quo.
This work requires breaking rules, risking failure
and, most of all, the sense of play.