Jost Huchuli - Detail in Typography

Key Information

• Modern typography is primarily based on theories from the 20s and 30s 
• Mallarme and Rimbaud in the 19th century and Apollinaire in the early 20th century that generated new ideas and understanding paving away creating new possibilities for typography to inherit.
• The gird is used as an ordering system 
• Constructive design is a capable analysis and reproduction that can influence the taste on society and how we conceive form and colour 
• Constructivist design means the conversion of design laws into practical solution. 
• Working with the grid system - submitting to laws of universal validity 
• All visual creative work is a manifestation of the character of the designer.
• The grid layout divides a two dimensional space into smaller fields or a three dimensional space. The fields may be the same or varying sizes.  However they must correspond in depth to a specific number of lines of text and width of the fields is identical with the width of columns.
• Depths and widths can be indicated in typographic measures e.g. by points 
• The grid is mainly used to determine the constant dimensions of space. 
• There are no limits to the number of grid divisions 
• The rule: “The fewer the differences in the size of illustrations, the quieter the impression created by the design. As a controlling system the grid makes it easier to give the surface or space rational organisation.”
• The grid system requires the designer to come to terms with the problem at hand and analyse it for solutions. 
• If text and imagery are laid out systematically the priorities stand out more clearly 
• Macrotypography - the typographic layout is concerned with the format of printed matter e.g. size and positions of columns of type and illustration 
• Detail typography - concerned with individual components e.g. letters and letter spacing.
• The reading process - we read with our eyes jerkily moving along lines through brief movements known as saccades, and alternate within fixed time periods lasting between 0.2-0.4 seconds. 
• A line can be read by a series of saccades followed by a large saccade as the eye jumps back to the start to read the next line. 
• A more experienced reader will have shorter fixed periods and bigger saccades.
• Visual and linguistic structure play a role in the eye’s movements during reading.
• Letters have grown over time adapting to writing techniques and tools such as production techniques and styles.
• Changes have mostly occurred over long periods of time unnoticed.
• Typography is seen in two ways the perceived succession of letters, or the  act of reading itself and as visual perception. 
• Typefaces must meet demands and fulfil functions, therefore a typeface can not be defined as good or bad and likewise useful or useless. 
• Some typefaces are used purely for decorative purposes however types that are more difficult to read can catch the attention of a reader or observer e.g to shock or provoke. 
• Typefaces with designs that are too extravagant may be easily forgotten like special types designed by German Type Artists before and after WW1
• The viewers eye must not be distracted by an unfamiliar for and the whole alphabet must have the same style but be clearly differentiated.
• Lower and Uppercase must combine to create harmonious type with dynamic characteristics such as the flow of handwritten forms.
• The right proportions of capital and lowercase also ensures legibility and they should not deviate far from their archetype.
• Type both lower and uppercase must have a good relationship between both size and weight.
• If legibility of a typeface was solely dependent on differentiation in design such as the upper half of an x height this would put most simple sans serif faces eg. ‘a’ at a disadvantage to other classic typefaces. 
• The basic structure of capitals is static and lapidary whereas lowercase letters are dynamic.
• If the upper half of an x height is removed it is difficult to read the text whereas if the lower half is removed it is slightly more legible even with parts of each character missing we can still translate or read text subconsciously.
• Upper halves of a, q and g of sans serif face (Futura Book) are identical this shows how letters cannot always be differentiated in the absence of lower halves of characters.
• Small type sizer need to be proportionally wider than larger sizes essential aspect for optimum legibility.
• Kerning can enable letters to be spaced more tightly or loosely.
• Italics obvious characteristic can be recognised at a glance the slight slope of the type. Italics need less space due to leaner proportions.
• A few sans serif fonts have ‘false’ italics  e.g. Linotype Univers 430.
• Text in capitals is actually more difficult to read and requires a large amount of space.
• Clear differentiate in design of ascenders and descenders is important.
• The positioning of a letter in its own space is known as fitting although some locations require more or less space than provided by standard setting.
• Rule for word spacing “as much as necessary as little as possible.” 
• Word spaces after abbreviations points generally appear too large whereas reduced spaces keep words better grouped.
• Colons between characters may appear too close if they are un-spaced.
• The hyphen (-) used to divide two broken words 
• Dash used to link phrases 
• En dash indicates spans of distance or time 
• x can also be recognised as a multiplication sign.
• Numeral - graphic sign that represents a number 
• “Typography can be defined as the art of rightly disposing printing material in accordance with specific purpose; arranging letters, distributing space and controlling type to aid the maximum of the reader’s comprehension of the text.”