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What the Font?

What the Font? A quick & helpful guide for professional typography usage {for emerging graphic designers, solopreneurs, and small businesses} What's the difference? FONT vs TYPEFACE There's a general acceptance of the terms font and typeface can be used interchangeably, even among typography professionals and graphic designers. But what is the difference you should know? NEWS Technically speaking, way back in the old days of analog printing, blocks of letters were used to create bodies of text. A font was used to describe a subset of blocks in a certain family typeface, such as Helvetica or Arial-but each font could be a different size or weight. NEWS Helvetica, Arial FONT TYPEFACE As you are aware, fonts are no longer thousands of tiny blocks of movable letters; they have become digital computer files that you can manipulate however you wish. We likey! News! Font or typeface? We say toh-may-toh, you say toh-mah-tah. KNOW YOUR TYPEFACES What's a serif? Typefaces have their own personality. Choosing a typeface is similar to choosing a photo or color: you need to determine what kind of ideas or emotions you want to provoke, what your message is, and who your target audience is. To help you with that, here is the breakdown of common typefaces and their characteristics: serif Serifs have tiny "feet" at the ends of the letterforms; small lines tailing from the edges. Serif fonts are mainly used in print materials such as magazines, books, and legal documents because they are easier to read in galleys, and less likely to cause eye fatigue. DESCRIPTIVE KEY WORDS: reliable, corporate, respectiable, formal, traditional, comfort, impressive, classy, timeless, conservative, safe, established San Serifs do not have the "feet" at the ends of the sans serif letterforms; they are "without serifs". A These fonts have become widely popular on the web since you are reading pixels, not printed text; and Sans Serif is easier on the eyes at that size. Designers also favor them for print with their versatility and clean style. DESCRIPTIVE KEY WORDS: modern, informal, youthful, friendly, stable, clean, neutral, playful, universal, happy, fresh slab serif The stepsister of the Serif is the Slab Serif. With it's chunky "feet", and thick, block-like lines, the Slab Serif adds a modern or strong style to headlines, displays, logos or names of products. It's a high-contrast, horizontally-biased typestyle not only very legible, but also produces well-defined lines of text. DESCRIPTIVE KEY WORDS: friendly, playful, modern, bold, solid, strong, confirmed, fresh script Script typefaces are derived from the fluid and varied stroke originally created by handwriting, and it can be categorized as formal cursive writing or a looser, more casual writing. A The formal style can be found in headings on wedding invitations, certificates, and diplomas-anything that needs an offical look. Whereas the casual style can be seen just about anywhere-greeting cards, logos, captions, or websites as a design element. DESCRIPTIVE KEY WORDS FOR FORMAL STYLE : elegant, affectionate, feminine, official DESCRIPTIVE KEY WORDS FOR CASUAL STYLE : relaxed, personal, unique, playful, creative display The name pretty much sums it up. Display faces were created to be shown at large "display" sizes (typically 36 points or larger) like a major headline, or on a book cover. 24 Most people associate this face as decorative type, but not necessarily so. Basic Serif or Sans Serif fonts at larger sizes can be labeled as display. Just like script typefaces, these are never used in galleys of text. DESCRIPTIVE KEY WORDS: visually driven, informal, custom, friendly, expressive, a plethora of emotions So, who shot the Serif? {good ol humor of designers} How do I decide? CHOOSE YOUR TYPEFACES WISELY The typeface[s] that you choose will have an impact on your readers, whether in emails, resumes, brochures, menus, logos, or websites. With this knowledge, success is near. Readers may not even realize that they react psychologically to the appearance of a text. The wrong font could cause the opposite reaction than intended. THIS IS A HEADLINE This is a subhead - usually in bold or italics, several point sizes smaller than the headline. This is body text, typically a different font than the headline, and sometimes the subhead. The most legible size is about 12pts. Design a visual hierarchy so viewers can easily scan your content; ie headline, subhead, body text, callouts, quotes, etc. The use of type is a very important tool to create a visual hierarchy, whether it's the size, color, weight, or placement. Be careful to not mix fonts of the same family, variant or style at the same level of your hierarchy. Each level should be specific and unique. Aim for adequate contrast in typefaces. If they look similar, even at different levels, they could come across as confusing and unclear in presentation. Combine Serifs and Sans Serif, or different weights and styles of one kind of typeface. Focus on readability and legibility: use accurate point sizes, leading, kerning and tracking. Too small of a point size will be unreadable, especially in print. Bad leading, kerning and tracking can ruin an otherwise stellar piece of copy. It's all about balance. Rule of thumb: good typography is subtle, yet stylish. SOURCES http://www.designmantic.com/blog/Infographics/ten-commandments-of-typography/ http://blog.crazyegg.com/2013/07/05/psychology-of-fonts-Infographic/ http://www.coolnfographics.com/blog/2010/4/30/what-font-do-l-use-a-typeface-decislon-flowchart.html http://designinstruct.com/roundups/10-Infographics-that-will-teach-you-about-typography/ http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/choosing-the-right-font-a-practical-gulde-to-typography-on-the-web--webdesign-15 http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/Impulse/201404/the-hidden-power-the-font http://degreed.com/blog/psychology-fonts/ http://blog.templatemonster.com/2012/05/16/font-psychology/ http://www.fastcodesign.com/3028971/whats-the-difference-between-a-font-and-a-typeface http://Visual.ly/serif-vs-sans-flinal-battle http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/09/perfect-web-typography-with-slab-serifs/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Script_typeface BROUGHT TO YOU BY: dezinegirlV creative studio lifestyle brand design DEZINEGIRLCREATIVE.COM 8+ Bē

What the Font?

shared by JoieBrand on Sep 22
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A quick and helpful guide to professional typography usage created for emerging designers, solopreneurs and small businesses who cannot afford to outsource to professionals.

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