Secrets of typography

Typography is an essential design component in corporate design development, editorial design (books, magazines) , various printed materials, etc. Therefore, the correct and professional use of typography by a trained graphic designer is essential. Here you will learn a few simple basics that will help you better understand the complex topic of typography.

How our brain perceives writing

Studies show that our eyes orient themselves by the top line of letters. This means that if the bottom half of a letter is missing, our brain automatically adds the missing half:

However, this does not work the other way around:

Even omitting letters in a word don't cause much difficulty for our brain – as long as the first and last letters remain the same. Here's an example of a word that's legible (find the solution at the bottom of the page) :

NWYRK MCRSFT LNDN BRCLNA

However, this theory doesn't apply to every word. Here's an example of words that are impossible to decipher (find the solution at the bottom of the page) :

DBI LMRDN ARBS PRS

Roman type vs. Grotesque

The biggest difference between fonts is Roman type vs. Grotesque:

Roman type fonts are particularly suitable for print, especially for long text, as they positively influence the reading flow. Serifs act as a kind of anchor that the human eye can orient itself upon. This makes it easier to stay on a line. Roman type fonts are read on average 3.8% faster than Grotesque sans-serif fonts.

Regional differences

In Central Europe, text is generally aligned to the left margin. In North America and Great Britain, indentations at the beginning of paragraphs are used, especially in letterpress printing (this was also the case in Central Europe in the past).

A special feature that Russia has to offer is the extremely generous use of majuscules (capital letters).

Mixing fonts

If you want to use multiple fonts in a text, not only the style but also the size must be paid special attention to. However, the pt size specification is not meaningful on a computer, as pt does not apply across all fonts. Here is an example of different fonts, all formatted in 18 pt:

Only graphic designers who are truly skilled in typography know how to mix different fonts using various techniques.

Resolution from above:

NWYRK (New York)

MCRSFT (Microsoft)

LNDN (London)

BRCLNA (Barcelona)

DBI (Dubai)

LMRDN (Le Meridien)

ARBS (Airbus)

PRS (Paris)