The Art and Impact of Typography

Volume 1, No. 5, October 2019

 

 

Typography is “the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed.” Simply put, good typography improves communication.

 

Typography is foremost an art. To master it requires serious study and a thorough understanding of best practices. With mastery, graphic designers can direct a reader’s eyes exactly where they want them to go.

 

When choosing fonts, designers often speak in esoteric terms because fonts have a feel. The design of the font, its size, weight, color, letterspacing, justification, and linespacing all contribute to the way a message is emotionally conveyed. Fonts can be “strong”, “upscale”, “fun”, “formal”, “gritty”, and be described in many other ways. Graphic designers take this into account when choosing what fonts to use in order to elicit the desired emotional response.

 

I recently read a compelling brief on the typography of the Democratic candidates for the 2020 Presidential election. The brief was 34-pages of exhaustive analysis of the campaigns' typographic choices for both logo design and website use.

 

In critiquing the typography, the author used adjectives ranging from “simple and direct” and “punchy and elegant”, to “boring”, “unbearable”, “unremarkable,” and even “amateurish”. The author even wrote that typography in an ad by one campaign, “makes it look like a pharmaceutical ad.” Campaign designers work hard to make sure that the typographic design elicits positive feelings that – even at a subliminal level – match the personality of the candidates they are designing for. In the opinion of the author of this brief, many failed miserably.

 

Political candidates understand that the effective use of typography can alter a voter’s perception of that candidate. In 2008, Barack Obama’s campaign employed the then “new” font, Gotham for his campaign. Almost single handedly, this led to the rise of the use of Gotham throughout the United States. The font is certainly modern, if not (dare I say) “hopeful”, which is exactly how the campaign wanted Obama portrayed. The power of effective typography should not be underestimated.

 

If you would like to learn more about how to use typography effectively, and tips for best practices, we have prepared a PDF entitled “A Typography Primer”, which you can download for free here. The primer also includes examples of Symmetre’s typographic design. The primer – and examples– may help you in your marketing efforts or in review of your own marketing.

 

We welcome your thoughts and the opportunity to respond to any questions you may have. Call Symmetre’s partners, Mark Scala and David Albinson at 201-689-2110, or Business Development Specialist, Jack Mizrahi at 914-258-1813. Click here to reach out via email. 

 

Next month we will take a look at logo design – why logos work in branding, and how an effective logo design is a well-thought-out journey from concept through execution.

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