typography it's everywhere we look in
the books we read on the websites we
visit even in everyday life on street
signs bumper stickers and product
packaging simply put typography is the
style or appearance of text it can also
refer to the art of working with text
something you probably do all the time
if you create documents or other
projects for work school or yourself
typography can be an intimidating
subject but it doesn't have to be you
only need to know a little to make a big
difference in the stuff you do every day
so let's get started first some common
types of fonts and what you need to know
about them serif fonts have little
strokes called serifs attached to the
main part of the letter because of their
classic look they're a good choice for
more traditional projects they're also
common in print publications like
magazines and newspapers sans-serif
fonts
don't have that extra stroke hence the
name which is French for without serif
this style is considered more clean and
modern than serif fonts also it tends to
be easier to read on computer screens
including smartphones and tablets
display fonts come in many different
styles like script black letter all caps
and just plain fancy because of their
decorative nature display fonts are best
for small amounts of text for example
titles and headers and more graphic
heavy designs in a way fonts have their
own language they all have something to
say beyond the words on the page they
can come across as casual or neutral
exotic or graphic that's why it's
important to think about your message
and pick a font that fits some fonts
come with extra baggage like Comic Sans
curls papyrus and many more there's
nothing particularly wrong with these
fonts they just have a certain
reputation for being outdated and
overused if you find yourself tempted by
them think twice and consider using
something else
there are many fonts with a similar look
and feel that are less likely to detract
from your message when deciding which
fonts to use less is more it's best to
limit yourself to one or two per project
if you need more contrast try repeating
one of your fonts in a different size
weight or style this trick is
practically foolproof for creating
interesting combinations that work
you've probably heard the saying
opposites attract well the same is true
for fonts don't be afraid to combine
font styles that are different but
complementary like sans-serif with serif
short with tall or decorative with
simple this can be challenging at first
but don't despair look to other designs
for inspiration and soon you'll get the
hang of it
maybe you've heard terms like kerning
letting tracking and hierarchy for those
with more experience these concepts are
essential for creating
professional-looking designs as a
beginner you don't need to know
everything about these terms just enough
to inform your work and help you talk
about design with more confidence
hierarchy is used to guide the readers
eye to whatever is most important in
other words it shows them where to begin
and where to go next
using different levels of emphasis
establishing hierarchy is simple just
decide which elements you want the
reader to notice first then make them
stand out high level items are usually
larger bolder or different in some way
remember to keep it simple and stick to
just a few complementary styles letting
is the space between lines of text also
known as line spacing if you're not sure
how much line spacing to use don't fret
the default is usually fine the goal is
to make your text as comfortable to read
as possible too much or too little
spacing can make things unpleasant for
the reader tracking is the overall space
between characters sometimes called
character spacing most programs let you
condense or expand this depending on
your needs in some designs you might
adjust your tracking to create a certain
artistic effect it can also help you fix
fonts that are poorly spaced to begin
with
kerning is the space between specific
characters
unlike tracking it varies over the
course of the word because each letter
fits together differently some fonts
have what we call bad kerning making
certain letters look and properly spaced
if a font you're using has bad kerning
it's best to cut your losses and choose
something else well-crafted text can
mean the difference between an ordinary
project and an extraordinary project
even if you're just getting started with
design all it takes is an interest in
typography and you'll start to notice
more see more and be able to do more in
your own work we hope you enjoyed
learning the basics of typography check
out the rest of our design topics
including color images and Composition
you