Objectives of Good

Typography
 Introduction

 The aim of good typography is to select easy to read, familiar typefaces that
will help readers read faster than he would with less legible typefaces.
 Legible typefaces spur readers to read more of the text when there are few
obstacles impeding them.
 Virtually all typefaces produced for text setting in books, magazines/n/papers
are legible.
 But display types, say, from 18 points and above, may or may not be legible,
especially when set in long lines.
 Ad copies may opt for unusual typefaces in one or two-word h/line if there’s
ample white space to make it legible.
 Objectives of Good Typography Cont’d

 But the same typeface may be difficult to read in n/paper h/line without
ample white space because the amount of air around the text affects
legibility.
 The main difference between legible and illegible types has more to do with
whether readers are familiar with them.
 Familiar typefaces quicken easier and faster reading.
 Using unusual typefaces forces readers to stop and look at the uniqueness of
the letter shapes and thus slows down reading.
 Note too that reading all caps letters is about 12 percent slower than the
same words appearing in caps and lower case letters.
 Remember that the amount of white space around type affects legibility.
Objectives of Good Typography Cont’d

 Finally, two questions to ask yourself when working with typography are:
 Does the type look good? If it doesn’t look good, it isn’t. So drop it as it may
hinder text legibility.
 Is the type easy to read? If it isn’t easy to read, or you just suspect it might
not be easy to read, then it isn’t. Choose another typeface.`
 Type is like fashion. What is considered fashionable and interesting varies
over time. To keep abreast of trending type, keep an eye on the kinds of
typefaces in use in the mass media – tv, movies, n/papers, magazines, books
and the internet.
 Width of Line

 The width of line or the length of a typed line can either enhance or hinder
reading.
 This is why n/papers and magazines go for short columns to spur faster
reading e.g. most n/papers come in six or seven grid format to reduce eye
sweeps while reading.
 Long lines of type with less space makes reading difficult, just as extra white
space between long lines of type can help the reader keep his place and
easily move to each succeeding line.
 Avoid extremely short or wide lines because they’re difficult to read.
 Correct Type Usage

1) Avoid using roman, italic and bold typefaces in the same line to reduce too
much contrast, which makes reading difficult.
 For good typography, stick to either roman and italic or roman and bold
typefaces in the same line.
2) Avoid too short or too long line width because it’s difficult to fit many words
into the former.
 Conversely, a width line of over 30 picas should be avoided to reduce too
many eye sweeps across the page to quicken reading.
 The only exception here is when the type being used is set in 18 points and
above.
 Correct Type Usage Cont’d

3) For h/lines, avoid using many different type sizes or faces on the same page.
4) Use agate (5.5 points) only for box scores of athletic games and long list of
names, say, as in a graduating class. Never use it for body text.
5) A typeface change of pace for headlines can be attractive if not overdone.
 Thus, an italic or an ultra-bold face h/line may be used on a page dominated
by roman typeface h/lines.
6) While contrast is the key to beautiful typography, such contrast must be
relatively strong or not too obvious.
 When different h/line typefaces clash on a page, such page appears like a
‘wrong font’ rather than contrasting h/lines.
7) Note that narrow word-spacing is easier to read than wide word spacing.
 Some Typographic Terms

 Agate – this is the old name for 5.5 point type. It’s also a printer’s unit of
measurement for depths of n/paper ads.
 Agate line – this is a measurement standard for depth of columns of ad space –
14 agate lines equal one column inch.
 Ascending letters – these are letters which, like l, b, d and h, occupy the
upper three quarters of the body type. The rising strokes above the x-height
of such letters are called ascenders.
 Block letter – this is a letter that is sans serif or gothic.
 Bold face – this is a type that is heavier in face than the text that goes with
it. It’s also called black-face or full-face.
 Case – this is a partitioned, wooden tray for storage of metal types and other
materials in the era of relief press.
 Typographic Terms Cont’d

 Composing room – this is a section of printing press where type is set and forms
locked up for the press.
 Composition – setting types either by hand or machine.
 Condensed type – a type that is narrower than normal or standard type.
 Descenders – the downward strokes of x-height of letters like g, j, p, q and y are
called descenders. They make up three-fourths of the type body.
 Display type – any type over 14 points falls into this category, as distinct from
text or body type.
 Expanded type – its width is greater than normal. It’s like stretching a rubber to
gain width, while losing height in the process.
 Face – this is the printing surface of a metal type. The term is also used for type
style.
 Typographic Terms Cont’d

 Flush – type is flush when it is set even with the column rule or margin, or without
indentation either on the left or right hand side of a copy.
 Flush-and-hang – a normal paragraph style indents the first line only. The flush-and-
hang doesn’t indent the first line (so the line remains flush left), but it indents all
the rest of the lines (hanging them). It’s often used for numbered or bulleted lists.
 Font – this is a complete assortment or font of any size and style of type, which
contains all the characters – capitals, small caps, lower case letters, numerals,
punctuation marks, ligatures, etc. needed for ordinary composition.
 Italic type family – this is a letter family of calligraphic form which inclines to the
right from the vertical position.
 Justifying – this occurs when spaces are placed between words of a line of type to
fill or justify the column measure. The term also refers to spacing between lines of
paragraphs of a column or page to fill a given space.
 Typographic Terms Cont’d

 Ligatures – these are two or three letters cast on one slug or body with a
connecting stroke e.g. fi, ff, ffi etc.
 Light typeface – this is lighter in face than the text or body copy.
 Modern-face type family – this is a family of letters characterised by a vertical
emphasis and fine-backed bar serifs. It is an engraved rather than a
calligraphic letter.
 Pica – this is a printer’s unit of measurement; 1 pica equals 12 points, 1 pica is
1/6 inches.
 Point – this is a printer’s unit of measuring type height. One point is
approximately 1/72 of an inch.
 Typographic Terms Cont’d

 Script type family – script is any face other than italics, cut to resemble
contemporary, informal handwriting. Ad copy writers dote on them.
 Sans serif – this is a modern typeface family characterised by the absence of a
serif.
 Serif – a hairline or serif is a light line or stroke crossing or projecting from
the end of a main line or stroke in a letter, as at the top and bottom of the
letter II.
 Set solid – this is composing a text without leads between the lines.
 Space out – this occurs when spaces are inserted between words or letters in
order to make a line of type a specified measure.
 Typographic Terms Cont’d

 Three-line initial – this is an initial letter, usually at the beginning of a story,