The Language of Letter Design
ographic expression, made for a certain application b and texture, in order to convey a centain attribute, ing drawn letter shapes. These letterforms are not fon ain. Rather, they are custom-created for one particul to an illustration - an illustration consisting of letter
LETTER DESIGN
The term lettering refers to a unique, personalized typ ombining shapes and graphic elements, such as color message, or idea. Lettering, in short, tells a story by us hat can be brought and simply used over and over ag piece and purpose. In this sense, they can be compared
The Language of Letter Design
pographic expression, made for a certain application r and texture, in order to convey a centain attribute, sing drawn letter shapes. These letterforms are not fo gain. Rather, they are custom-created for one particu d to an illustration - an illustration consisting of lett
LETTER DESIGN
LANGUA
FOR The
COMMUNICATION
L
Visual Design st
AGE Type If we think about it, our days are full of letters. We see them on the front of the bus, on the bakery’s facade, on the keyboard we write on, on our cell phones -everywhere.
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LETTER tyle of
CCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCA C O N CCCCCCCC CCCCCCCC T E N I CCCCCCCC T S _ D CCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCT CCCCCCCC 06
Understanding the Language of Letter
The Letterform Message
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24 28 32
The Language of Letterform Basic Terminology Characteristics of Letters
The Language of Letter Design
A Multidimensional Language Visual Equations Function and Expression
AN INTRODUCTION What is About Lettering Design?
Letter design is the art and process of designing typefaces. It is often used synonymously with the term “font design”; technically, font design is the rendering of a typeface design into an entire available family of keyboardable characters, while letter design is the shaping of individual glyphs, albeit with an eye to the eventual incorporation as a font. For the purposes of this article, the term typeface design will include the design of fonts. A typeface differs from other modes of graphic production such as handwriting and drawing in that it is the mechanical storage and dispensation of alphanumeric characters. Each of the characters is stored in a master archetype form and then a user, by means of hand picking (handset metal type), a keyboard (linotype and desktop publishing) or other means (voice recognition) selects individual characters to “set” into the text.
The design of a legible text-based typeface remains one of the most challenging assignments in graphic design. The even visual quality of the reading material being of paramount importance, each drawn character (called a glyph) must be even in appearance with every other glyph regardless of order or sequence. Also, if the typeface is to be versatile, it must appear the same whether it is small or large. Because of optical illusions that occur when we apprehend small or large objects, this entails that in the best fonts, a version is designed for small use and another version is drawn for large, display, applications. Also, large letterforms reveal their shape, whereas small letterforms in text settings reveal only their textures: this requires that any typeface that aspires to versatility in both text and display, needs to be evaluated in both of these visual domains.
A beautifully shaped letter may not have a particularly attractive or legible texture when seen in text settings. Spacing is also an important part of letter design. Each glyph consists not only of the shape of the character, but also the white space around it. The type designer must consider the relationship of the space within a letter form (the counter) and the letter spacing between them. Designing type requires many accommodations for the quirks of human perception, “optical corrections” required to make shapes look right, in ways that diverge from what might seem mathematically right. For example, round shapes need to be slightly bigger than square ones to appear “the same” size (“overshoot”), and vertical lines need to be thicker than horizontal ones to appear the same thickness. For a character to be perceived as geometrically round, it must usually be slightly “squared” off (made slightly wider at the shoulders). As a result of all these subtleties, excellence in type design is highly respected in the design professions.
The Language of Letter Design
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C H A P T E R 0 1 Understanding the Language of Letter 10 14 18
The Language of Letterform Basic Terminology Characteristics of Letters
Letterform Letterform Language The advertising world is well-versed in using and exploiting the visual language of typography to convey messages that go beyond the overt, verbal language on the page Cal Swan, author of Language and Typography, says, “These two distinct areas often come together in practice as there is clearly a very strong relationship between the conception of the words as a message and their transmission in visible form.” Nowhere is this more important than in messaging. There have been numerous critical analyses of letters, their visual meanings and how those meanings either enhanced or detracted from the core values and messages of the character. In our daily life, we saw the visual message and language collide in a very effective and strong way, bringing many letter design on par with the best of advertising logo/brand design. The strong use of typography, color and visual elements to communicate a youthful, forward-thinking, progressive, simple letterform message was highly effective and immediately identifiable.
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The Language of Letter Design
I a d f t t f b
If we think about it,our days are full of letters.We see them on the front of the bus, on the The Language of Letter Design
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The Language of Letter Design
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The Language of Letter Design
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Basic Terminology When working with letters, we need to speak a common language by using a specific terminology. We don’t talk about the “feet of the letters,” for example, but about “serifs,” and we don’t talk about a “round thing hanging from the a ” but a “drop terminal.”
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The Language of Letter Design
Lowercase letters are mainly contained between the baseline and the x-height, some have ascenders and descenders
The Language of Letter Design
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Stem: The main vertical stroke of a letter Tail: The descending stroke on the letter Q or R and g, j, p, q and y. Counter: The counter is the either partially or fully enclosed space of a letter. Descender: The portion of letters that extends below the baseline. Ear: A small element that extends from the upper corner of the g or r. Loop: The enclosed counter below the baseline such as the double storey g. Terminal: a curved ending to a letter. Ascender: The portion of lowercase letters that extends above the x-height. Bowl: The enclosed round part of a letter. Shoulder: A curved part of the letter that extends from the stem. Serif: The small detail attached to the end of a stroke. 18
The Language of Letter Design
If we think about it, our days are full of letters. We see them on the front of the bus, on the bakery’s facade, on the keyboard we write on, Ear
Ascender
Loop
Shoulder
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Characteristics of Letters The alphabet consists of twenty-six letters, each of which has evolved over the centuries to a unique place within this system of signs. This evolution has occurred gradually. It is no accident that the individual shapes of letterforms have developed out of a need to improve the communication process. As the alphabet has evolved, it has become a flexible system of signs in which all letters are distinct, yet all work together harmoniously as visible language. In spite of the innumerable variations of size, proportion, weight, and elaboration in letterform design, the basic structure of each letterform must remain the same. For example, the capital A always consists of two oblique strokes joined at the top and connected by a horizontal stroke at their midsection. Sufficient contrast must exist between the letters in a font so that they can be easily distinguished. Letters can be clustered into four groups, according to their contrasting properties. These are letterforms with strokes that are vertical, curved, a combination of vertical and curved, or oblique. Obviously, letters with similar characteristics are more likely to be confused, while letters with distinct qualities provide contrast within a word. Letters within a word are most legible when they are taken, in equal number, from each group.
As the top stroke of the letter a rises to become the ascender of the d, intermediate forms are not easily deciphered by the reader.
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The Language of Letter Design
If we think about it, our days are full of letters. We see them on the front of the bus, on the bakThe upper halves of words are read with ease, while the lower halves are less legible.
The Language of Letter Design
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As with the changing position of the dancer, subtle changes in the drawing of the forms and counterforms significantly affect perception.
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The Language of Letter Design
DANCER
DANCER
DANCER
G
DANCER DANCER G The Language of Letter Design
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C H A P T E R 0 2 The Letterform Message 24 28 32
A Multidimensional Language Visual Equations Function and Expression
If we think about it, our days are full of letters. We see them on the front of the bus, on the bakery’s 26
The Language of Letter Design
A Multidimensional Language The letterform message could be verbal, visual, and vocal. While letter is read and interpreted verbally, it may also be viewed and interpreted visually, heard and interpreted audibly. It is a dynamic communication medium. In this sense, early twentieth-century typography became a revolutionary form of communication, bringing new expressive power to the written word. By hearing the sounds while viewing the typographic forms, the typographic message is strengthened. Significant departures from the use of conventional typographic forms occurred in Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century. During this activist period, experimentation in all the visual and performing arts was affected by potent social and philosophical changes, industrial and technological developments, and new attitudes about aesthetics and modern civilization. Lettering design was pulled into this artistic revolution as poets and visual artists realized that both meaning and form could be intensified in typographic communications.
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Effective typographic messages result from the combination of logic and intuitive judgment. Only the neophyte approaches this process in a strictly intuitive manner; a purely logical or mechanical procedure undermines human expression. 28
The Language of Letter Design
The Language of Letter Design
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As a dynamic rep verbal language, communicate. Th role is fulfilled w er of a letterform and accurately un is in the mind of 30
The Language of Letter Design
presentation of letterform must This functional when the receivm message clearly nderstands what f the transmitter. The Language of Letter Design
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Visual Equations Language, in any of its many forms, is a self-contained system of interactive signs that communicate ideas. Just as elocution and diction enhance and clarify the meaning of our spoken words, typographic signs can be manipulated by a designer to achieve more lucid and expressive typographic communication. Signs operate in two dimensions: syntactic and semantic. When the mind is concerned with the form of a sign, it is involved with typographic syntax. When it associates a particular meaning with a sign, it is operating in the semantic dimension. All objects in the environment can potentially function as signs, representing any number of concepts: a smog-filled city signifying pollution, a beached whale representing extinction, and confetti implying celebration—each functions as a sign relating a specific concept.
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The Language of Letter Design
Signs may exist at various levels of abstraction. A simple example will illustrate this point. Let us consider something as elemental as a red dot. It is a sign only if it carries a particular meaning. It can represent any number of things: balloon, ball, or Japanese flag. The particular syntactic qualities associated with typographic signs determine a specific meaning. A series of repeated letters, for example, may signify motion or speed, while a small letter in a large void may signify isolation. These qualities, derived from the operating principles of visual hierarchy and ABA form, function as cues, permitting the mind to form concepts. Simple syntactic manipulations, such as the repetition of letters or the weight change of certain letters, enable words to visually mimic verbal meaning.
If we think about it, our days are leav e full of letters in ter val We see them on diet the front of the ststutter bus, dro on the bakp ery’s fa cade, on the keyboard we The Language of Letter Design
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The Language of Letter Design
The letter E has been visually altered, relating it to the meaning of specific descriptive words and it expresses a variety of concepts. The Language of Letter Design
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Letter signs are both verbal and visual 36
The Language of Letter Design
In language, signs are joined together to create messages. Words as verbal signs, grouped together in a linear fashion, attain their value vis-à-vis other words through opposition and contrast. Words can also evoke meaning through mental association. These associative relations are semantically derived. Since typography is both visual and verbal, it operates in a linear fashion, with words following each other in a specific sequence, or in a nonlinear manner, with elements existing in many syntactic combinations. The letterform message is derived from the mental associations formed by contrasting typographic signs. Two terms important to the understanding of signs are denotation and connotation. When considering the meaning of letter signs, denotation refers to objective meaning, the factual world of collective awareness and experience. The associations formed between the verbal and visual attributes are verbal/visual equivalencies, which are found in a variety of configurations. These reveal the associative nature of signs composing the letterform message and help us further understand its multifaceted attributes.
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If we think about it, our days are full of letters. We see them on the front of the bus, on the bakery’s fa cade, on the keyboard we write on If comfort in the design of a chair is defined as plushness and cushiness, an upholstered automatic recliner complete with footrest might satisfy the criteria of a functional chair.
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The Language of Letter Design
Function and Expression Functionalism is a term used to describe the utilitarian and pragmatic qualities of designed objects. During the early twentieth century, functionalism was generally equated with designed objects of clarity, purpose, and unornamented simplicity. However, it has since evolved as a subjective notion that varies widely according to the needs of the audience and the objectives of the designer. In contrast to the automatic recliner is the red/blue chair, a central artifact of the de Stijl movement, designed in 1918 by Gerrit Rietveld. Members of de Stijl sought a restrained expression and a new philosophy for living. With its hard, flat surfaces, the red/blue chair appears very uncomfortable; however, Rietveld’s desire was for the chair to promote alert mental activity through rigid support. The seat and backrest planes are attached at only one edge, enabling the pliable wood to adjust to the user’s weight.
In this regard, the chair functions according to Rietveld’s intentions. In an interior environment, Rietveld’s red/ blue chair has the presence and visual harmony of a piece of sculpture. The needs for a functional object and for aesthetic experience are fulfilled in this one object. In letterform, function is the purposeful communication of information to a specific audience. Although the range of possible letter design solutions is infinite, the appropriateness of a solution always depends upon the purpose for which it was intended. Varying degrees of formal reduction or elaboration can be effective when solving specific typographic problems.
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Formal reduction can be used to create optimum clarity and legibility, presenting complex information, such as news or scientific data, in a clear and straightforward manner. Orderly presentation guides the eye from one element to another, preserving reader and attention.
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The Language of Letter Design
FUNCTION AND EXPRESSION FUNCTION AND EXPRESSION FUNCTION AND EXPRESSION FUNCTION AND EXPRESSION FUNCTION AND EXPRESSION FUNCTION The Language of Letter Design
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Colophon This brochure was designed and set in type by Xiao Jia. The typefaces used are Helvetica Neue and Adobe Garamond Pro. The brochure was printed on Epson Premium Presentation Matte paper. It was bound by Imagink in San Francisco.
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The Language of Letter Design
The term lettering refers to a unique, personalized typ combining shapes and graphic elements, such as color message, or idea. Lettering, in short, tells a story by u hat can be brought and simply used over and over ag piece and purpose. In this sense, they can be compared