typ ogr aphy 1
ty po
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the s t appe yle, arra n aran ce o gement , f typ eset or matt
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4 ov ervie w 5 his tory 6 mi scon cept 7 typ io e 8 eth catego ns ri n 10 p ography es sych olog 12-1 y 4 vis u 15 s ourc al exam es ples 16 c olop hon
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Ty p
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Typography, simply put, is the arranement of type, often modified in a stylistic or an aesthetically pleasing fashion. Predominantly used by modern day graphic designers and what are referred to as ‘typographers,’ typography became an art form employed by typesetters, graffiti artists, cartoonists, etc. However, instead of utilized as a complementary incorporation of another dominant medium of art, such as comic book art, typography has been widely appreciated and analyzed heavily as an art form in itself. Many artists and typographers dedicate entire careers to studying typography in its shapes, forms, and their implied meanings. Type had always been a tangible art since movable type was founded by Bi Sheng in China, 1040 AD. Despite its advancements, Chinese kanji still utilizes the similar picturesque quality in its letters and hold a certain intuitive aspect of each of its characters. However, in the Western world, when Johannes
Gutenberg invented the printing press in the fifteenth century, metal type casts were created and type design became a vital aspect of printing, securing moveable type’s role in modern printing and progressiveness. Moveable type became a revolutionary concept after the Gutenberg Bible, and the metal type casts became more uniform and durable for multiple uses. This is what allowed consistency in type design, leading to the design of typefaces and fonts. Since type became less tangible and increasingly more manufacturable with the unmatched success of moveable type and major advancements in the printing revolution, type rapidly became more of an abstraction on paper than a tangible medium. More so did each individual character take place a shape or form than it did as a generic character. With the printing industry constantly developing, type design became incredibly dominant with type designers at the forefront of the printing revolution such as John Baskerville and William Caslon. Having type designs gave the typecasts more of a sense of permanence and demand.
Histor
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typefaces
mis con cep tions
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fonts
Typefaces are designed letterforms categorized in families.
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Futura
Fonts are derivatives of their typeface families, such as bold, italicized, or condensed versions of their “parent” typefaces.
• Futura
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Condensed Extra Bold
type categories 1
Modern
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Script
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Gothic
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Decorative
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Roman
E E
serif
sans serif
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Ethn
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phy
Ethnographic typography refers to typefaces that convey various meanings pertaining to different ethnographies and races. In the expansive collection of fonts and typefaces designed by type designers, there are bound to have ideas or implications attached to certain typefaces. More specifically, however, some typefaces have racial implications. For instance, stereotypical Chinese food takeout boxes often employ the same bamboo-imitating typeface, Shanghai. This typeface is clearly attempting to mimic what the type designer believed to be Asian or “oriental.� Consequently, the meanings attached to the design of the Shanghai typeface invites viewers to associate Asian influences to the product upon which the typeface is applied. Especially with the recurrence of such typefaces to which the implied ethnic group is attached, it makes it that much more likely for people to associate certain visual stereotypes to their supposed corresponding ethnic groups.
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Shanghai Figure 1.
Shanghai is an Asian-inspired typeface that is reminiscent of bamboo sticks. This “oriental� typeface is often seen on Asian take-out food boxes, which has become characteristic to Chinese food delivery, and thus, associates the typeface with the corresponding ethnic groups it supposedly is inspired from.
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Figure 2.
This typographic poster depicts the virtue of black empowerment, utilizing the strong, blocky type to abstract the red fist, the ultimate symbol of black power. This simple image implies many social, cultural, and political connotations simply due to its typographic treatment.
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Much like the emphasis on clear and concise verbal communication, visual communication is just as important in relaying messages to an audience. Visual symbols are perhaps the oldest and most universal form of communication, from Egyptian hieroglyphics to vectorized public restroom icons, graphic images are no exception in offering people the best aesthetics for its function. Therefore it is crucial to produce legible and readable typography to effectively convey a particular message without the potential for misinterpretation. Many instances in media, a phrase can be construed one way and an entirely different manner depending on the typeface and type treatment. Type treatment really works to set the tone of the message conceived by the viewer. People make very specific associations with the words they read, and the more visually appealing they are, the stronger the meaning would be attached to just simply words. In spite of the relationship between graphics and viewer, typography has become a largely influencing force in graphic arts.
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Figure 3.
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As programs continue to advance at rapid speeds, type treatments evolve just as quickly. Above is a threedimensional type treatment, challenging the limitless possibilities of typography.
Figure 4.
This image demonstrates the boundaries which typographers continue to push, in terms ot experimenting with letter form, shapes, and textures.
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Figure 5.
Many graphic designers and typographers utilize the medium to touch upon social or cultural issues, often using clever graphic techniques to create visual satire.
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sources
Burt, Cyril Lodowic. A Psychological Study of Typography: by Cyril Burt; with an Introd. by Stanley Morison. Cambridge: University Pr., 1959. Print. Carter, Harry. A View of Early Typography up to about 1600. Oxford: Clarendon P, 1969. Print. Dair, Carl. Design with Type. [Toronto]: University of Toronto, 1967. Print. Kenly, Eric, and Mark Beach. Getting It Printed: How to Work with Printers and Graphic Imaging Services to Assure Quality, Stay on Schedule and Control Costs. 4th ed. Cincinnati, OH: How Design, 2004. Print.
web
Halley, Allan. “They’re Not Fonts! — AIGA | the Professional Association for Design.” AIGA | the Professional Association for Design. 21 Oct. 2002. Web. <http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/theyre -not-fonts>. Ross, David Jonathan. Fonts, Typefaces and All Things Typographical — I Love Typography (ILT). Web. <http://ilovetypography.com/>.
images
Gube, Jacob. “Inspiring 3D Typography Artworks.” Design Instruct: A Web Magazine for Designers and Digital Artists. 21 Oct. 2002. Web. <http://designinstruct.com/visual-inspiration/inspiring-3d typography-artworks/>. Machol, Katie. “Green DIY: Transform Chinese Takeout Boxes into Pretty Paper Lanterns (video) | Daily Loaf.” Creative Loafing Tampa. Web. <http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2010/09/06/ green-diy-transform-chinese-takeout-boxes-into-pretty-paper-lanterns-video/>.
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