The Tribune

Is ty­pog­ra­phy an art? This question is like ask­ing if pho­tog­ra­phy is an art. Cer­tainly, there are pho­tog­ra­phers and ty­pog­ra­phers whose ideas and tech­niques raise their work to the level of art.

But at their core, both pho­tog­ra­phy and ty­pog­ra­phy per­form a util­i­tar­ian func­tion. The aes­thetic com­po­nent is sep­a­rate. Be­ing an ef­fec­tive ty­pog­ra­pher is more about good skills than good taste.

Ultimately, ty­pog­ra­phy is an­other word for font. Fonts are part of ty­pog­ra­phy, but ty­pog­ra­phy goes be­yond fonts.

Typography is a central component of design. It gives us an understanding of the heritage behind our craft. It is one of the primary ways we pass on information to others. Imagine a website, a magazine or even TV without text. Typography is a subject that raises passions and it can become a consuming obsession.

From a descriptive and simplistic viewpoint, typography is the arrangement of type. It can mean different things depending on whom you ask. How typography is used in a design is deeply rooted in its overall theme, tone and message.

It works with your layout, grid and colour choice to create a well-rounded design. Your choice of typefaces, and your technique of setting type, gives your composition its character, pace and style. Not only does it give the copy legibility, it also helps the reader gain a greater insight into the subject of the design.

Ty­pog­ra­phy has to be ori­ented to your ac­tual read­ers, not ide­al­ised ones. Writ­ers of­ten get at­tached to ide­al­ised read­ers be­cause those read­ers are eas­ier to please. But it is wise to see your text as an ac­tual reader will. You will not get it per­fectly right, but a rough ap­prox­i­ma­tion is bet­ter than no ap­prox­i­ma­tion at all.

Here are some of the most important typographic considerations that designers can take into account:

Hierarchy and scale:

If all type was the same size, then it would be difficult to know the most important information on the page. In order to guide the reader, headings are usually large, sub-headings are smaller, and body type is smaller still. Size is not the only way to define hierarchy; it can also be achieved with colour, spacing and weight.

Leading:

Leading describes the vertical space between each line of type. It is called this because strips of lead were originally used to separate lines of type in the days of metal typesetting.

For legible body text that is comfortable to read, a general rule is that your leading value should be greater than the font size - anywhere from 1.25 to 1.5 times.

Tracking and kerning:

Kerning describes the act of adjusting the space between characters to create a harmonious pairing. It is similar to, but not the same as, ‘tracking’. This relates to the spacing of all characters and is applied evenly.

Measure:

The term ‘measure’ describes the width of a text block. If you are seeking to achieve the optimum reading experience, it is clearly an important consideration.

Legibility:

This is the ease with which one letterform can be distinguished from the next. It feeds into, but is not the same as, readability.

Orphan:

The first line of a new paragraph stranded at the bottom of a page. This is considered to be as bad as the name suggests.

Despite these simple illustrations of how influential typography can be, despite having the same text with different typefaces, it still has a level of integration and theme that makes it one of the most powerful tools in the designer’s toolbox. Until we meet again, fill your life with memories as opposed to regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game.

• NB: The columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com

ABOUT THE COLUMNIST: Deidre Marie Bastian is a professionally trained graphic designer/marketing co-ordinator with qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. Ms Bastian has trained at institutions such as: Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success Training College, the College of the Bahamas, Nova South Eastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International and Synergy Bahamas.