Have you ever taken the time to notice the typography around you? Most likely, your answer is no. I hadn’t given it a single thought until 5 months ago. During my typography class, we were given the assignment to take photos of the type that we see daily. Whether it’s good or bad, we should capture it. This project has transformed the way I interact with type.
When I started college, I was not good at typography. I always struggled with choosing the correct fonts. I was entranced by the variety of offering on adobe fonts and would get overwhelmed by the choices. The fonts that I tended to choose were bold and wild. I was tired of the average options like Times New Roman and Helvetica, but my lack of knowledge caused me to pick clashing typefaces which created a chaotic design.
The first glimmer of hope for my design future was my Type I class. I learned about sans serif and serif options that expanded the basics. Avenir and gill sans opened up opportunities to add originality in a clean and sophisticated manner. I could still add bold typefaces, but I learned about pairing and legibility.
One of the first type fundamentals I learned was kerning and leading. At first, I thought it was silly. When I was typing a paper, I never had to ensure the letters were distanced. However, I soon learned that typefaces are not perfect. In fact, as designers, we should be noticing the mistakes and rectifying them using the Adobe Suite. It was not until I started taking photos of typography that I realized this lesson is often forgotten by businesses.
A surprising amount of type has issues. Whether it is a bad font pairing or incorrect kerning, the design is slightly off. I promise, once you start noticing these issues it is impossible to stop.
I started to wonder, “why is type so overlooked?” Oftentimes, type is used to present information or context. If the text is legible, the actual layout isn’t a concern for consumers. Most individuals would fail to notice the imperfections. But that does not mean that it should be forgotten.
What should designers do?
- Start Paying Attention To Type
I highly recommend that any designer (novice or professional) attempt the real-life type picture project. For a set time, consciously notice the type that surrounds you. Whether it is packaging, menus, or logos, all types are important to analyze. The skills you gain during this time will remain after you stop taking photos.
- Practice Type Basics
Designers can grow rusty if a certain skill is not exercised. Therefore it could be beneficial to spend time advancing your existing skills. There are tons of resources online that can help you practice your typography basics. One of my favorites is Kern Type since it checks your kerning ability.
- Appreciate Good Type
One of my favorite aspects of the project was finding really strong typography. I walked around Barnes and Noble and fell in love with a bunch of the book covers. Plus, I started a conversation with a hand-lettering artist once I saw her work. There are examples of good type around us and oftentimes they tell a story. Additionally, appreciating strong examples can give you inspiration for future projects.
Typography is everywhere, let’s do our job and make it look good.