What is Typography? Initial Research

Quite simply Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make written language that is both readable and appealing. Typography performs a utilitarian function, this function is based upon the ethical theory utilitarianism, in which an individuals moral decisions are purely based upon creating the greatest amount of happiness. Typography also has an aesthetic component as typographers aim to create the most beautiful design possible.

5 Key Concepts of Typography

1. Size- All typefaces are different. Some are wide tall, others are thin and small. This means that different typefaces will take up a different amount of space on the page. A characters height is know as its 'x-height' this is a because its based on the letter x. The width of each character is known as the 'set-width' and this covers the entire body of the letter along with a space that acts a buffer between letters. The point system is the most common way to measure the size of typeface and this is illustrated below.

2. Leading- Leading refers to the distance between the baselines of successive lines of type. Leading is often used to enhance the readability of a page or block of text. The standard leading used in print is normally +2 for mechanically set body text, or +20% in digital typesetting, e.g. for a 10pt font the standard leading is 12pt.  Below you can see an example of leading along with the problems caused by poor leading.

3. Tracking and Kerning- Kerning is the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a proportional font in order to achieve an aesthetically pleasing result. Tracking or letter spacing is a consistent degree of increase (or decrease) of space between letters in order to affect density in a line or block of text. I have included an image to better explain the impacts of tracking and kerning below. 

4. Measure- In typography the term 'measure' describes the width of a block of text. The measure of a typeface is crucial for typographers as they attempt to achieve the optimum reading experience. If the lines of a typeface are too short then the text becomes disjointed, however if they are too long then the content will lose rhythm as the reader has to search for the start of each line. 

5. Hierarchy and Scale- Typographic hierarchy is a system for organizing type that establishes an order of importance within the data, this allows the reader to easily find what they are looking for and navigate the content. Within the Typographic hierarchy headings are usually large, sub-headings are smaller and the body of text is smaller still. Size is not the only way to define hierarchy- you can also use colour, spacing and weight. You can see an obvious example of the typographic hierarchy below. 

Typographic Terminology

1. Apex- The point at the top of a character such as the uppercase A where the left and right strokes meet is the apex. The apex may be a sharp point, blunt, or rounded and is an identifying feature for some typefaces.

2. Glyph- The shape given in a particular typeface to a specific grapheme or symbol. Most commonly glyphs are letters and numerals, but punctuation marks and symbols and shapes (e.g. ITC Zapf Dingbats) are also glyphs.

3. Fleuron- A fleuron is a typographic element, or glyph, used either as a punctuation mark or as an ornament for typographic compositions. Fleurons are stylized forms of flowers or leaves; the term derives from the Old French word floron for flower.

4. Serif- A serif is the little extra stroke found at the end of main vertical and horizontal strokes of some letterforms. Serifs fall into various groups and can be generally described as hairline (hair), square (slab), or wedge and are either bracketed or unbracketed.

5. Dingbat- A dingbat is an ornament, character, or spacer used in typesetting, sometimes more formally known as a printer's ornament or printer's character often employed for the creation of box frames.