THE GRID
"The grid represents the basic structure of our graphic design, it helps to organise the content, it provides consistency, it gives an orderly look and it projects a level of intellectual elegance that we like to express." (Vignelli, 2010)
"For the design of a book the grid provides again a structure and continuity from cover to cover." (Vignelli, 2010)
LEGIBILTY
'The quality of being clear enough to read.'
"Legibility is not communication; but in order to communicate type has to be legible" (Spiekermann, 1995)
FASSET 'S THEOREM OF LEGIBLE LINE LENGTH
"Line length that contain 45 to 65 characters (characters include letters, numerals, punctuation and spaces) are legible. Line lengths exceeding these limits challenge legibility.
Typeface/
Serif or Sans
x-height
READABILITY
The ease with which a reader can understand a written text.
The way in which words and blocks of type are arranged in a layout.
Tracking/Kerning
Leading/Line Height
Type Size
Contrast
Hierarchy
TYPE SIZE/CONTRAST
Basically we stick to more than two types of sizes on a printed page, but there are expetations.
We like to play off small type with larger type - usually twice as big (for instance, 10pt text and 20pt headings). In preference, its better to keep it the same size for the heads and subheads in a text, and just make them in bold, with a line space above and none below, or two line spaces above and one below according to the context.
ALIGNMENT
"Most of time we use flush left. This type of the alignment derives from metal composition, particularly in Linotype. Formerly it was faster to keep the alignment on the left side rather than having to kern the slug for every line. It also makes more sense since in our culture we read from left to right and it is better for the eye to go to the next line than having to cope with hyphens all the time. However, it is important to control the shape of the rugged side by shifting sometimes the text from line to line to obtain a better profile. This maybe time consuming but aesthetically rewarding." (Vignelli, 2010)
Rag
Flush
Centred
Justified
RIVERS
ORPHANS & WIDOWS
A widow is a very short line - usually one word, or the end of a hyphenated word - at the end of a paragraph or column. A widow is considered poor typography because it leaves too much white space between paragraphs or at the bottom of a page. This interrupts the reader's eye and diminishes readability. Fix them by reworking the rag or editing the copy.
Like the widow, an orphan is a single word, part of a word or very short line. Except it appears at the beginning of a column or a page. This results in poor horizontal alignment at the top of the column or page. The term "orphan" is not as commonly used as "widow," but the concept is the same, and so us the solution: fix it!
OPINIONS
"I don't think that type should be expressive at all. I can write the word 'dog' with any typeface and it doesn't have to look like a dog. But there are people that [think that] when they write 'dog' it should bark." (Vignelli, 2010)
"Don't confuse legibility with communication. Just because something is legible doesn't mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn't mean it communicates the right thing." (Carson, 2007)
"The grid represents the basic structure of our graphic design, it helps to organise the content, it provides consistency, it gives an orderly look and it projects a level of intellectual elegance that we like to express." (Vignelli, 2010)
"For the design of a book the grid provides again a structure and continuity from cover to cover." (Vignelli, 2010)
LEGIBILTY
'The quality of being clear enough to read.'
"Legibility is not communication; but in order to communicate type has to be legible" (Spiekermann, 1995)
FASSET 'S THEOREM OF LEGIBLE LINE LENGTH
"Line length that contain 45 to 65 characters (characters include letters, numerals, punctuation and spaces) are legible. Line lengths exceeding these limits challenge legibility.
Typeface/
Serif or Sans
x-height
READABILITY
The ease with which a reader can understand a written text.
The way in which words and blocks of type are arranged in a layout.
Tracking/Kerning
Leading/Line Height
Type Size
Contrast
Hierarchy
TYPE SIZE/CONTRAST
Basically we stick to more than two types of sizes on a printed page, but there are expetations.
We like to play off small type with larger type - usually twice as big (for instance, 10pt text and 20pt headings). In preference, its better to keep it the same size for the heads and subheads in a text, and just make them in bold, with a line space above and none below, or two line spaces above and one below according to the context.
ALIGNMENT
"Most of time we use flush left. This type of the alignment derives from metal composition, particularly in Linotype. Formerly it was faster to keep the alignment on the left side rather than having to kern the slug for every line. It also makes more sense since in our culture we read from left to right and it is better for the eye to go to the next line than having to cope with hyphens all the time. However, it is important to control the shape of the rugged side by shifting sometimes the text from line to line to obtain a better profile. This maybe time consuming but aesthetically rewarding." (Vignelli, 2010)
Rag
Flush
Centred
Justified
RIVERS
ORPHANS & WIDOWS
A widow is a very short line - usually one word, or the end of a hyphenated word - at the end of a paragraph or column. A widow is considered poor typography because it leaves too much white space between paragraphs or at the bottom of a page. This interrupts the reader's eye and diminishes readability. Fix them by reworking the rag or editing the copy.
Like the widow, an orphan is a single word, part of a word or very short line. Except it appears at the beginning of a column or a page. This results in poor horizontal alignment at the top of the column or page. The term "orphan" is not as commonly used as "widow," but the concept is the same, and so us the solution: fix it!
OPINIONS
"I don't think that type should be expressive at all. I can write the word 'dog' with any typeface and it doesn't have to look like a dog. But there are people that [think that] when they write 'dog' it should bark." (Vignelli, 2010)
"Don't confuse legibility with communication. Just because something is legible doesn't mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn't mean it communicates the right thing." (Carson, 2007)
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