Basics Typography 03 Understanding Type

Whether you specialize in typography as a subject in itself or use type within your graphic or communication designs, understanding more about what type is and how it works will inform your practice and improve your work. If you want to know more about the difference between Bodoni and Bembo; why Arial is not the same as Helvetica and what alternatives to consider; what types to respect and what types to avoid, then you will discover the answers here. This book is about looking closer at what most take for granted. Once hooked, you will never see type in the same way again.

Basics Design: Typography, follows on from Format and Layout to examine a third, fundamental area of graphic design. Typography is the means by which a written idea is given a visual form. The selection of this visual form from hundreds, if not thousands, of typefaces can dramatically affect the legibility of the written idea and a reader’s feelings towards it. Effective use of typography can produce a neutral effect or rouse the passions, symbolise artistic, political or philosophical movements, or even express the personality of a person or organisation. Typefaces vary from clear and distinguishable letterforms that flow easily before the eye and are suitable for extended blocks of text, to more dramatic and eye-catching typefaces that grab attention and are used in newspaper headlines and advertisements. This book’s aim is to impart a comprehensive understanding of typography, to explore its history, theory and practice. Aimed at both students and practising designers, it provides a thorough examination of how typography informs other aspects of creative design.

Using Type outlines the principles of typography and shows examples of historically important work as well as that of contemporary practice.

"The Fundamentals of Typography (Second Edition) introduce the fundamental principles of typographic theory and practice. It covers a wide range of subjects, including the history of typography, typographic detailing and the use of creative typography across a range of media. Packed with clear explanations, expanded illustrations and historical and contemporary examples from leading practitioners around the world. The second edition includes considerable new and revised content from the authors, including new case studies and student exercises."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

This book serves as an introduction to the key elements of good design. Broken into sections covering the fundamental elements of design, key works by acclaimed designers serve to illustrate technical points and encourage readers to try out new ideas. Themes covered include narrative, colour, illusion, ornament, simplicity, and wit and humour. The result is an instantly accessible and easy to understand guide to graphic design using professional techniques.

Basics Typography: Virtual Typography addresses a fundamentally new way of typographical communication. The book explores the visual interpretation of verbal language and reveals how virtual typography can help in the presentation of words, and avoid misinterpretation, by including type in an image.

Basics Typography: Virtual Typography addresses a fundamentally new form of typographical communication. The book explores the visual arrangement of words and letters in the context of multimedia. Here, this arrangement is not simply a spatial positioning of text information it is also bound by time. The increasing use of moving, virtual type can help to harmonise this time-based presentation of words on screen. The book touches on work from a variety of designers, including Channel 4 and Pentagram Design. This will provide an excellent introduction to the latest methods in typographical and visual communication.