Typography: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:40, 10 February 2025

The art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing (leading), and letter-spacing (tracking), and adjusting the space between pairs of letters (kerning). The term typography is also applied to the style, arrangement, and appearance of the letters, numbers, and symbols created by the process.

History

The history of typography dates back to the first punches and dies used to make seals and currency in ancient times. The first known movable type system was created in China by Bi Sheng around 1040 AD, using ceramic materials. The oldest known book printed with movable metal type is the Jikji, printed in Korea in 1377.

In Europe, the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century revolutionized the production of books and the dissemination of knowledge. Gutenberg's press used movable type made of metal, which allowed for the mass production of texts.

Development in Europe

The development of typography in Europe was marked by the creation of new typefaces and the refinement of printing techniques. The Renaissance period saw the emergence of typefaces such as Garamond and Baskerville, which are still in use today.

Modern Typography

In the 20th century, typography evolved with the advent of digital typesetting and desktop publishing. The development of software like Adobe Illustrator and LaTeX has allowed for more precise control over typographic elements.

Techniques

Typography involves several techniques to ensure that text is both legible and aesthetically pleasing. These include:

Typefaces: The design of the characters, which can be serif or sans-serif.
Point size: The size of the type, measured in points.
Line length: The width of a block of text.
Leading: The vertical space between lines of text.
Kerning: The adjustment of space between individual letter pairs.
Tracking: The uniform adjustment of space between all letters in a block of text.

Related pages

References

Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. Hartley & Marks, 1992.
Meggs, Philip B. A History of Graphic Design. John Wiley & Sons, 1998.

Gallery

Specimen of the Trajan typeface
Metal movable type
Chinese movable type
Type from the Jikji

Type from the Jikji
16th-century printing press
Specimen by William Caslon
Oscar Wilde's The English Renaissance of Art
Example of LaTeX typesetting
Wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth
Plaque at Rydal Mount

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-'''Typography''' is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ([[leading]]), and letter-spacing ([[tracking]]), and adjusting the space between pairs of letters ([[kerning]]). The term typography is also applied to the style, arrangement, and appearance of the letters, numbers, and symbols created by the process. Type design is a closely related craft, sometimes considered part of typography; most typographers do not design typefaces, and some type designers do not consider themselves typographers. Typography also may be used as a decorative device, unrelated to communication of information.
+{{short description|The art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
-Typography is performed by typesetters, compositors, typographers, graphic designers, art directors, manga artists, comic book artists, graffiti artists, and anyone else who arranges type for a product. Until the Digital Age, typography was a specialized occupation. Digitization opened up typography to new generations of previously unrelated designers and lay users, and David Jury, head of graphic design at Colchester Institute in England, states that "typography is now something everybody does."
+'''Typography''' is the art and technique of arranging [[type]] to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting [[typefaces]], point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing (leading), and letter-spacing (tracking), and adjusting the space between pairs of letters (kerning). The term typography is also applied to the style, arrangement, and appearance of the letters, numbers, and symbols created by the process.
 ==History==
-The history of typography starts with the invention of movable type in East Asia and the printing press in Europe. Movable type was invented by Bi Sheng around 1040 AD, which made printing possible. The printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th century, which made the mass production of books affordable and much more efficient.
+The history of typography dates back to the first punches and dies used to make seals and currency in ancient times. The first known movable type system was created in China by [[Bi Sheng]] around 1040 AD, using ceramic materials. The oldest known book printed with movable metal type is the ''[[Jikji]]'', printed in Korea in 1377.
-==Types of Typography==
+In Europe, the invention of the [[printing press]] by [[Johannes Gutenberg]] in the 15th century revolutionized the production of books and the dissemination of knowledge. Gutenberg's press used movable type made of metal, which allowed for the mass production of texts.
-There are many different types of typography, including:
-* '''Body type''' is used for the main text in a printed work.
+===Development in Europe===
-* '''Display type''' is used for headlines and other large type.
+The development of typography in Europe was marked by the creation of new typefaces and the refinement of printing techniques. The [[Renaissance]] period saw the emergence of typefaces such as [[Garamond]] and [[Baskerville]], which are still in use today.
-* '''Script type''' imitates handwriting.
-* '''Decorative type''' is used for decoration and not for reading.
-==See also==
+===Modern Typography===
-* [[Typeface]]
+In the 20th century, typography evolved with the advent of digital typesetting and desktop publishing. The development of software like [[Adobe Illustrator]] and [[LaTeX]] has allowed for more precise control over typographic elements.
-* [[Font]]
-* [[Graphic design]]
+==Techniques==
+Typography involves several techniques to ensure that text is both legible and aesthetically pleasing. These include:
+* '''Typefaces''': The design of the characters, which can be serif or sans-serif.
+* '''Point size''': The size of the type, measured in points.
+* '''Line length''': The width of a block of text.
+* '''Leading''': The vertical space between lines of text.
+* '''Kerning''': The adjustment of space between individual letter pairs.
+* '''Tracking''': The uniform adjustment of space between all letters in a block of text.
+==Related pages==
 * [[Printing press]]
 * [[Movable type]]
+* [[Typeface]]
+* [[Calligraphy]]
 ==References==
-<references />
+* Bringhurst, Robert. ''The Elements of Typographic Style''. Hartley & Marks, 1992.
+* Meggs, Philip B. ''A History of Graphic Design''. John Wiley & Sons, 1998.
+==Gallery==
+<gallery>
+File:Trajan typeface specimen.svg|Specimen of the Trajan typeface
+File:Metal movable type.jpg|Metal movable type
+File:Chinese movable type 1313-ce.png|Chinese movable type
+File:JikjiType.gif|Type from the ''Jikji''
+File:Pressing-16th century.jpg|16th-century printing press
+File:A Specimen by William Caslon.jpg|Specimen by William Caslon
+File:Oscar wilde english renaissance of art 2.png|Oscar Wilde's ''The English Renaissance of Art''
+File:Latex example type.svg|Example of LaTeX typesetting
+File:John Wilkes Booth wanted poster new.jpg|Wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth
+File:Rydal Mount Plaque - geograph.org.uk - 895220.jpg|Plaque at Rydal Mount
+</gallery>
 [[Category:Typography]]
-[[Category:Graphic design]]
-[[Category:Printing]]
-{{stub}}