Typography

07/10/2014

Typography

Typography is an arrangement of text on a page. Typography can be used everywhere on leaflets, brochures, signs, name shops, bill boards and in web. It can be used as well as artistic statement. The design of the typography can make a huge difference to the reader, example bright colours and fonts that are difficult to read.

Typography has different fonts but it is a type of communication. Typography has been developed from Johannes Gutenberg that has invented and improved movable type mechanical printing system in Europe. But its roots are in hand written letterforms. Calligraphy, digital type and type on web pages are all under the category of typography.

Typography is in different fonts and spaces through them to create a whole design. There are six types of typefaces on webpages these are: serif, sans serif, monospaced, cursive, fantasy and script. Type faces are a family of fonts. The choice of typeface can make a big difference with layout, grid, colour scheme and design theme. Each typeface has its size. The height is known as x-height.

The size of fonts is very important for the readers, for example when it comes to newspaper the headlines need to be larger with a different font to instantly draw your eye. The paragraphs need to be in a form of a grid to help the reader to read clearly.

Chinese Calligraphy

Calligraphy is handwriting but it looks more like a painting. The roots of calligraphy are ancient; cave paintings symbols represent a sound rather than an idea or picture. The genres of painting and calligraphy emerged simultaneously, sharing identical tools-namely, brush and ink.

Johannes Gutenberg

The first book that has been printed was known a “Diamond Sutra” that was printed in China in 868 CE. Johannes Gutenberg has invented technology that changed the world of printing. In 1440 has created the printing press, a hand

press, in which ink was rolled over the raised surfaces of movable hand-set block letters held within a wooden form and the form was then pressed against a sheet of paper. The first book that Johannes Gutenberg has printed with the movable type was the “Gutenberg Bible”. During the time technologies has developed like the offset printing.

References:

Operations, , Last accessed 7th October 2014. What Is Typography? - Typography Basics, Available at: http://webdesign.about.com/od/fonts/qt/typography-basics.htm

grosz, d, Last accessed 7th October 2014. What is Typography? (with picture), Available at: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-typography.htm

Art, T, Last accessed 7th October 2014. Chinese Calligraphy | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chcl/hd_chcl.htm

Operations, , Last accessed 7th October 2014. Johannes Gutenberg - Printing Press, Available at: http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventors/a/Gutenberg.htm