Tools for Typography
Today, several applications provide essential tools for typography:
Adobe InDesign is a prime choice for typographers, ideal for arranging and laying type on the page.
Adobe Photoshop enables the manipulation of type, adding effects, and more.
Adobe Illustrator shines in creating bespoke type styles and fonts, giving you full control over each character’s design.
Fonts
InDesign comes equipped with an array of preexisting fonts. But, if you ever desire additional fonts, several resources provide an abundance of options. These include:
- FontSquirrel.com
- FontSpring.com
- GraphicRiver.net/category/font
- GoogleFonts
To identify a particular font, use ‘Whats The Font’ from myfonts.com. This tool is also a great way to discover fonts similar to custom ones, often used by businesses. For a more comprehensive understanding, consult ‘Thinking With Type’ for in-depth definitions and examples.
A Brief History of Typography
The essence of typography remains largely unchanged since the Renaissance period. The birth of typography traces back to 15th century Germany with Johann Gutenberg, who revolutionized the concept of movable type through his innovative printing press.
The first typographic style was Black Letter, popular at the time in Germany, and used to mimic the prevalent calligraphy style. This style was the foundation of typographic rules that we use to this day.
As the printing revolution swept across Europe, each country developed its own fonts. Over time, printers transitioned from Gothic type to more elegant font faces, known as Roman. Some of these enduring typefaces include:
- Garamond – Designed by Claude Garamond in France in 1530
- Caslon – Designed by William Caslon in England in 1722
- Baskerville – Designed by Jon Baskerville in England in 1757
- Fournier – Designed by Pierre Fournier in France in 1740
By the 1800s, typographers began creating modern typefaces, characterized by vertical shading and non-bracketed serifs. Among these were:
- Didot – Ferman Didot in France in the late 1800s
- Bodoni – By Gian Bodoni in Parma, Italy in 1798
The progression of printing allowed for rapid developments, including many fonts we use today, like Times New Roman, designed by Stanley Morrison in England in 1932.
The advancement of technology also revolutionized the printing process. By the 1960s, the Letter Press Printing was superseded by Offset Lithography Printing.
Typography and fonts reflect the times and conditions in which they are developed and utilized.
The Endurance of Typeface
Many modern typefaces are the perfect balance between legibility and elegance, with planned spaces between characters, known as tracking. This is the essence of typography as an art form – a seemingly simple task, but an exercise in design perfection.
The Evolution of Typography
The 20th century ushered in the age of the poster, directly leading to modernism and the Swiss style. Modernism is a term encapsulating a set of styles that dominated design, characterized by art deco, cubism, and more.
In the 1920s, a group of Swiss designers advocated for “Form Follows Function,” focusing on minimalism, uniformity, geometry, and layout grids. They particularly favored sans-serif fonts, concentrating on Helvetica’s use. By the 60s, Swiss designers were revered as the best-of-class, with their designs and principles considered the apex of modern design. This period is also known as the International Style movement.
The Art of Typography: Components and Considerations
Typography’s art encompasses various rules and considerations, from the grid and typeface selection to formatting and alignment. These guidelines serve as a roadmap to designing individual typographic styles.
Type with Personality
Modern typographers have championed typography as a significant part of our lives, shaping our emotional response to print communications. Different typefaces can invoke different feelings, and subtle tweaks to typography can have an outsized impact on viewers, often subconsciously.
The Rise of Digital Typography
Digital typography is just as much of an art and skill as its print counterpart, applying the same principles and rules. But it requires adapting to new ways of rendering type to audiences. As the quality of web design improves, understanding digital typography becomes increasingly important.
Creating Your Own Fonts
Creating your own fonts is more accessible than ever before, thanks to software programs like FontLab’s Font Studio, FontForge, Robofont, and Glyphs. These tools give designers the resources needed to create their own font libraries.
Conclusion
Typography, an art form continually reinvented over centuries, is picking up speed in the digital world. The future of typography is indeed digital, with new advancements propelling the field forward. As you navigate your typographic journey, remember that the principles established in print ensure your designs convey their information correctly, whether in print or digital form.