SM2222: Information Design and Visualization Session 3: Typography 23 September 2005

1. SM2222: Information Design and Visualization Session 3: Typography 23 September 2005

2. what is typography? • the Greek words - typos = “form” , grapho = “write” • the art and technique of selecting and arranging type styles, point sizes, line lengths, line leading, character spacing, and word spacing for typeset applications. • the presentation of text in a manner that is not only easy to read but also visually engaging

3. Johannes Gutenberg (1398 –1468) • German metal-worker • inventor of movable type

4. Gutenberg Bibles. February 23, 1455

5. classifications of type • Black Letter • Roman • Old Style • Transitional • Modern • Egyptian • Sans Serif

6. classifications of type – black letter

7. classifications of type - roman

8. classifications of Type – old style • a style of Roman letter • less thick and thin contrast • typefaces: Garamond (1530), Caslon (1734), Palatino (1948)

9. classifications of Type – transitional • new letterform was developed in 1702 – 1737 • intermediate between Old Style and Modern • greater contrast between capital and lowercase letters • typefaces: Baskerville, Century Schoolbook

10. classifications of Type – modern • it was introduced in France in 1784 • extreme thick and thin contrast, no bracketed serifs • typefaces: Bondoni (1787)

11. classifications of Type – egyptian/slab serif • squared-off serifs were introduced • reflected the rigidness of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics • typefaces: Rockwell (1933), Geometric Slabserif

12. classifications of Type – sans serif • without the thick and thin line variations • without ornamentation • extreme thick and thin contrast, no bracketed serifs • typefaces: Futura (1927), Helvetica (1957), Univers

14. Timeline

18. a period of bauhaus (1919 – 1933) • established in German in 1919 • WWI 1914 - 1918 • founded by Walter Gropius • form follows function • to unify art, craft, and technology • architecture, furniture design, typography, graphic design

19. Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (1895 – 1946) “Typography is a tool of communication. It must be communication in its most intense form. The emphasis must be on absolute clarity...Legibility – communication must never be impaired by an a priori esthetics. Letters must never be forced into a preconceived framework…We want to create a new language of typography whose elasticity, variability and freshness of typographical composition”

21. Herbert Bayer (1900-1985) • omitted capital letters in 1925 • experimented with flush-left, ragged-right • design universal type to maximize legibility • extreme contrasts of type size and weight • bars, rules, points and squares were used

23. Jan Tschichold (1902–1974) • issued 24-page of “elementare typographie” in 1925 • demonstrated asymmetrical typography • the aim of typographic work delivers a message in the shortest and most efficient manner • type should be placed in motion rather than at rest • type should be elementary in pure form w/o ornament (such as Sans Serif)

27. Eric Gill (1882–1940) • Gill Sans designer • inspired by Edward Johnston’s alphabet • typefaces designed in 1928 - 1930

29. Paul Renner (1878-1956) • Futura designer • inspired by Bayer’s universal alphabet • typefaces designed in 1927

30. Union Pacific Railroad

31. Herb Lubalin (1918 - 1981) • space and surface • characters as both visual form and message communication • letterforms became images, images became letterforms • making type talk • phototypography

37. the anatomy of type

38. Upper & Lower case • Numbers : 0 – 9 • Punctuation marks • Special Characters: $,…

39. Ascender • Descender • X – height • Baseline • Serif • Stem • Counter

43. Point and Pica • 6 picas = 1 inch • 12 points = 1 pica • 72 points = 1 inch

45. leading

46. kerning

50. alignment