The typography is a branch of Graphic Design. It provides the aesthetic and relevant use of different fonts. It cares about the individuality of each font, the way it looks, its impact and readability. Also is responsible for the objective characteristics like size of the letters, length of lines and space between them, space between letters, distances and proportions between upper-case and lower-case letters, location and size of the squiggles. Typography as a practice dates back to the invention of writing. Twentieth and twenty-first century are considered to be the developing graphic refinement of fonts. Massive penetration of computers and their generic use expands the field of typography. At the beginning of the twenty-first century there have been hundreds of professional and non-professional organizations, associations and groups that actively develop and promote typographical work. This work includes all aspects of letter’s design – font design, hand-writing and calligraphy, graffiti, signs and architectural print, poster design and other large scale fonts like those on billboards, business communications and printed promotional materials, advertising, trade marks and logotypes, typography in cinema and television. After the imposition of the digitise range of application of fonts extend. It now appears on clothing, dash, portable video games, pens and hand-watches, web sites.
Nevertheless, most typographic images follow the same format using repetition, contrast, proximity and alignment. These four principles are often used in typography.
Here are presented some basic tips to improve your web design typography.
Have to respond to the content of the text and be relevant. Choose a readable and clear font. The titles can be written with decorative fonts but for the body it is most appropriate to use the traditional Helvetica, Arial or Times New Roman.
- Font size of the letters:
As a rule, the font size for the body text is between 12 and 16 pixels. Users can view the site from mobile devices so the text should be readable in different screen resolutions.
According the font size of the body text it is recommended to create a hierarchy for the fond size of the other text like for the remaining blocks of text and large titles and subtitles. Use the rule of the hierarchy for every other page of the site.
- Length of lines:
Usually the length of the lines is between 40 and 80 symbols. In the optimal case they are 65. This is important because if the line is too short the contend will seems desultory. In the other case, if they are too long, it will be harder to read and understood the meaning.
- Spacing between lines:
It is also important foe the readability and overall aesthetics of the site. Usually this space is twice to five times bigger than the font size of the body text. The choice depends on the font used, of its size and style, and the length of the rows.
Better alignment of the text is a prerequisite for the impression that the site will leave. Page should be divided into systems of columns, paragraphs, menus, headers and footers side.
- Empty spaces:
The empty spaces between different parts of the page permit the whole content to “breathe”. Generally speaking, the shape of the site with a smaller number of elements and more free space looks much more attractive than the pages that are packed contents.
Sometimes it is good to use some methods to make a word or phrase accentuated. The appropriate way to do such a thing is using italic, bold, underline, changing the font size or colours of the body text. Once selected a certain style to accentuate the words or phrases it is desirable to stick to it for all pages of the site.
The traditional advice in such an articles is to be free and calm to break the rules. Doing the design you have to know the main rules for effective typography, own innate talent and eye for the beauty. Being brave and determined will create you and your site unique. This way the innovations and unusual sites are born.
Featured Image: Creative Commons – Attribution by Jeremy Keith
Article by Brandon Bradshaw
Brandon Bradshaw is a writer and blogger passionate about graphics and web design. With over seven years of experience in web design, Brandon has lots of knowledge to share with her readers. Check his latest typography idea at http://www.endoftenancycleanerslondon.com.