Typography workbook: a real-world guide to using type in graphic design

241 Pages·2011·59.783 MB·English

by  Samara, Timothy

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T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
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The Typography Workbook
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Typography
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Workbook
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TimothySamara
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Typography Workbook
contents
Typography Fundamentals 10
A TypeMechanics|
12
The Visual Tool Kit
Letterform Basics 14
Up Front
The Foundation of Typographic Design
AlphabetVariation 22
Typography Is Everywhere|
6 The Optics of Spacing 26
Foreword Form and Counterform within Text
The Spatial Mechanics of Paragraphs 32
Talking Type|
8
Paragraphs in Sequence 40
T T
A Discussion with Philippe Apeloig
B Form andFunction| T T
44
Building the Bigger Picture T T
Space:The Typographic Frontier 46 T T
Typographic Color 52
T T
The Visual Texture of Language
T T
Point,Line,and Plane 56
The Expanded Typographic Repertoire
Appendixes T T
Developing Hierarchy 60
T T
Index of Contributors Clarifying the Content
238
The Typographic Grid 66 T T
Bibliography
240 Creating Architectural Space
T T
About the Author Breaking the Grid 76
240
Alternative Organizational Approaches T T
Acknowledgments
240 Typographic Systems 80 T T
C Expressing theUnspoken| T T
82
Image and Emotion in Typography T T
Integrating Type and Image 84 T T
Type as Image 96 T T
Transforming Words into Pictures
T T
Color in Typographic Expression 102
T T
T T
T T
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0 Typography in Practice 110
featuring interviews with:
Typeface Design|
112 Stein Øvre and Frode Slotnes
Creuna Design|Norway
Book Design|
122 Fons Hickmann
Texts and Covers Fons Hickmann m23 |Germany
Collateral Texts|
136 Woutde Vringer and Ben Faydherbe
Brochures and Annual Reports Faydherbe/DeVringer|Netherlands
Website Design|
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T 1T48 T T T TDenTise KoTrn T T T T T T T T T T T T T
Korn Design|USA
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
Ephemera|
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T160 T T T T T TDavTid PidTge onT T T T T T T T T T T T T
Announcements,Promotions,and Advertising Gollings+Pidgeon|Australia
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Posters|
T T T T T T T T T T T T T 1T70 T T T T T T TLeonTardoT So nnToli T T T T T T T T T T T T
CODEsign|Italy
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Type in Motion|
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182 Daniel Boyarski
Animations and Film Titles Carnegie Mellon University|USA
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T T T T T T T T T T VTisuTalT IdTenTtityT| T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
194 Frank Rocholl
Logos and Corporate Identity Systems KearneyRocholl|Germany
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T T T T T T T T T T ETnvTiroTnmTenTtaTl TTypeT|T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
208 Giorgio Pesce
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T T T T T T T T T T PTubTlicTatiTonsT| T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
218 Michael Ian Kaye
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Packaging|
228 Taku Satoh
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T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
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Type surrounds Tus aTtevTeryT moTmeTntoTf ouTr wTakinTg hTourTs—fTromT thTe mTundTaneT T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
I S E
line items on the bills we pay and the labels on our food to transcendentexplosions
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of alphabetic experience in posters,on the Web,and on TV.We pass thousands
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of typographic messagesevery day,mostof which we discard or fail to see atall.
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Typography stands attheT crossTroad Tof theT beauTtiful aTnd TDesTigningT withT type TmeansT undeTrstandTing thTe ineTscapabTle Tthe hTumanT brainT does Twith tThat inTformaTtion uTponseTeingT T T T T
the useful.Like a painting,itis something to look atand functionality of its nature:a functionality defined not it.Like itor not,for example,a darker form will appear
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thing concretely functional since itis meantto be read. mechanism of human perception. world is genetically hardwired in us.Working effectively
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It’s helpful to think abouttype as being like architecture— with typography depends on mastering ways to manipulate
Over thousands of years,humanity discovered a way to
designing a house is ultimately useless if,in the end,the perception objectively on its ownterms,and typographic
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house falls down or fails to keep outthe rain.Typography designers can explore these visualcodes to expand the
thatall its members,now and in the future,understand
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the banal gray texture thatstark imperative would seem
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understanding as the foundation of the words we speak. levels of quality.How do we estimate the quality of some-
potential for deeply meaningful and emotional expression.
When thatunderstanding is codified for visual transmission, thing thatseems ultimately subjective? The metaphor of
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we further rely on shared assumptions aboutthose visual architecture or,better yet,a car,is useful in looking for an
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brains to interpretthem.The rules thatgovern typographic a cheap get-around or a luxury sports sedan,butthe luxury
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thatsome would have us believe.They are simply objective
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T T T T T T T T T Foreword
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A P H Y
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S E V E R Y W H E R E.
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T T T T T mTate riaTls useTd andT the engineering are clearly of greater subjectby focusing to a greatdegree on the relationship— Left to right:
value.Good typography is differentfrom bad typography optical and conceptual—between the crafting of typo- Animation stills
dTe T T T T inT m uchTthe sTame Tway—aside from being basically more graphic form and the meaning thatform carries.Novices Qwer Design |Germany
functional and expressive,itoffers a greater level of sensi- can follow a progression from basics to experimentation
Web page
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ate tivity in its craft,from its overall composition down to the and then practical application;working designers can like- Rocholl Projects |Germany
c spacing of its punctuation.Good typography is easy to wise reacquaintthemselves with familiar ideas and also
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use,beautiful to look at,and pays attention to the way its find new ways of working.The goal of the typographic Poulin+Morris |New York
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g metaphor is the comparison of fastfood to three-star covering how the word and the image become one. Taku Satoh Design Office |Japan
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e- Poster
is likely to be more nutritious and richer in experience.
f Stereotype Design |USA
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n There are many books abouttypography.This one is a guide
Book jacket
vTe T T T T foTr n aviTgatingT throTugh the mass of detail thatmakes up Gary Fogelson,PrattInstitute
ry typographic form—the shapes of letters,the spaces between (ScottSantoro,Instructor) |USA
T T T T T wTord s,lTigaturTes,ragTs,and grids—and bringing those pieces
together to create a visual whole thatis far more than
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8 9 T T T T T TTypogTraphyT WorkTbookT T T T T T T T T T
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Talking Type|
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A Discussion with Philippe Apeloig
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Philippe Apeloig is a graphic designer whose extraordinary T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
typographic sensibility is internationally recognized.Fusing
a Modernistapproach thatnecessitates clarity and function T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
with an abstract,three-dimensional,and often kinetic or
pictorial space,Apeloig’s work in branding and posters marks T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
him notonly as an innovator,butalso one who knows his
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craftinside and out.Within the luminous,textural,and
painterly typography of his projects,a core understanding
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of how type works—and why—is evident.With this solid
knowledge of typographic form and function,its optical and T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
perceptual capabilities—as well as its limitations—Apeloig is
able to manipulate type in astounding ways without T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
sacrificingitsinformational utility.
Apeloig heads his own studio in Paris,France.Upon graduating
from the École Supérieure des Arts Appliqués,he interned with
Total Design in Amsterdam and April Greiman in Los Angeles,
before returning to Paris as a designer,then artdirector,for
theMusée d’Orsay (1985–1987).During the 1990s,he taught
typography atENSAD(the École Nationale Supérieur des Arts
Décoratifs);in 1996 he became a consultantto the Louvre
Museum,and its artdirector in 2001.From 2000 to 2002,he
was curator of the Herb Lubalin Study Center for Typography
and Design atNew York City’s Cooper Union—where he was
also full-time faculty—and is a member of AGI (the Alliance
Graphique Internationale).
Transport Fluvialposter
Philippe Apeloig |France
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T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T Talking Type:A Discussion with Philippe Apeloig
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T T T T TMaTny deTsigneTrs areT fasciTnatedT by tyTpograTphy.WThatT TexploTrationTw ithT type.TAfterT all,itis a way of expressing is evoked by the perspectiveeffectof the title text,which
inspired your interest? Why is typography such a my ideas by using visual elements.Later,I was introduced becomes smaller and smalleras itapproaches the horizon
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profound componentof your work,as opposed to other to the computer.This way of working with extraordinary line.The subtitle is found on the horizon,inside boxes that
kinds of image and symbol? Typography is a perfect speed and versatility really expanded my horizons.There are evocative of containerswaiting to be loaded.I chose
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balance between shapes,images,and significations.I am is a long history behind typography.And this history is to use black for the textand softcolors for the background
T T T T TfasTcinateTd by Tthe wTay letTters cTan woTrk in TunlimTited T TenricThed eTver ydTay by Tnew tTechnological advances.Now, to create a stark tension between the two,which also points
combinations to create form and meaning.The playfulness everythingis possible.However,while this new technology to the powerful impactof modernity on the environment.
T T T T TanTd powTer of dTes ignTing wTith leTtters tTo giveT readeTrs anT TcreaTtes a Tsen seT of freTshnesTs and freedom in design,
Whose typographic design has influenced you the most?
unexpected,conceptual dimension is also very important I have always found thatthe mostremarkable design is
T T T T Tto Tme.I fTirstbTeca meT interTestedT in typTograpThy whTen T Talso Tthe siTmp lesTt. T T Russian Avant-Garde,Dutch De Stijl,and Modernistdesign
have influenced me for decades.I am also very moved
I learned aboutcalligraphy in artschool.Later,in Holland,
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T TDescTribe yTou r aTpproaTch toT typography in general. by A.M.Cassandre’s [a French designer active inthe
while working atTotal Design,I discovered Dutch modern
Typography is my starting pointfor design.Every concept 1920s and 1930s] creative use of typography in many of his
typography,which echoed my earlier fascination for the
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T Tis invTentedT w ithT type:Tthe seTlection of a font,the shape of posters.I also find influences in architecture.The way
abstraction of type.I still remember the strong impression
the letters,and of course,the type’s semantic dimensions. architects deal with three-dimensional space is similar to
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I see type as abstractshapes carrying a lotof meaning. the way graphic designers deal with the two-dimensional
Malevitch of the SuprematistMovementand Mondrian’s
Itmustfirstattractthe attention of the viewer and then surface of a printed page.
T T T T TpaTintingTs of thTe D e TStijl pTeriod.TItwasT a greTatmoTmentT T T T T T T
communicate.Each person uses and transforms type in
of enlightenment.The simple shapes,organized with a How do you feel aboutrules in typography? Are there
T T T T TmaTstery Tof lighTta ndT geomTetric TdynamTism,Thad aT poweTrful This oTwn wTay, anTd itshTows tThe designer’s personality— any thatshould never be broken? The readability of
itis individual and unique.
effecton me,something thatI had never feltbefore. type should always be the foremostconcern,evenifitis
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The discovery of modern typography opened up a whole A designer’s specific typographic concerns vary among pushed to the very edge of being legible.To me,creating
T T T T TneTw worTld forT me . T T T T T T T TprojTects.WTh atiTs impTortanTtto you (typographically) a poster thatis impossible to read or be understoodis a
when you design a poster? Typography is central to the failure on the partof the designer.
I have little interestin illustration,which lacks a kind of
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T TdesigTn of aT p ostTer.BotTh theT form and function of the type
transcendental quality.Itis too literal.I find typography
mustcome together in a poster.The type mustbe lively,
more straightforward,conceptual,and appealing,with its
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T TreadTable,eTxp resTsive,vTisuallTy arresting,and never neutral
strictgeometric vocabulary.There is a bridge between
or merely decorative.Itmustalso relate to context—type
typographic design and fine art,especially since typogra-
in a poster,for example,mustalso be bold and striking.
phy possesses a complex subtlety.The idea,the method,
Posters existin public places over which designers have no
and the honesty in expression are central to a designer
control.They are looked atfirstfrom afar.The experience
who works with type.While following these principles
of looking ata poster is communal,notpersonal the way
and realizing the goal of communication,I try to go
books are experienced.Posters live in the streets as pieces
beyond pure functionalism of type in my work to create
of artthatcan speak and interactwith their audience.
something thatis fresh and liberating.
Describe your thoughtprocess for the poster entitled
Describe the kind of training in typography you had—
TransportFluvial(River Transport). TransportFluvial was
whatkinds of things did you learn? I learned about
commissioned by the company Voies Navigables de France
calligraphy even before I touched upon typography in an
(Navigable Roads of France).Itwas designed to promote a
artschool in Paris,the École Supérieure des Arts Appliqués.
conference aboutriver transportation and its economic
I was trained in the traditional way;there was no computer
development.This mode of transportis still very much
atthattime.We designed all the letters by hand.Later,
useful today despite its fierce competition with air,railway,
we learned aboutthe composition of the letters:serifs,
and road transportation.I looked atports along rivers.
sans serifs,lowercase and uppercase,bold and lightweights,
The flatlandscape surrounding the river is expansive,and
among other components.We learned to copy the letter
the river is pregnantwith possibilities.I wanted my poster
shapes and to observethe design of their countershapes.
to evoke a feeling of being immersed in the landscape
Our teacher taughtushow to see the white spaces inside
withoutthe use of decorative or figurative elements.At
the letters and betweenthe letters.There are so many
the same time,the economic challenge and the implications
issues to focus on in typography:its technical,historical,
of the redevelopmentof the river transportation should
stylistic,and semantic dimensions mustbe taken into
be presentthroughoutthe poster.I strove to achieve this
account.The curriculum atthe school was very well struc-
goal by using the mostminimal elements,with no images,
tured,from the basics to the more complex.Through my
illustrations,or boats.This sense of space and ambiance
experience atschool,I learned to be open and daring in the
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