by J. Butler, Content Development Specialist
ty·pog·ra·phy noun
- Pronunciation:
- \tī-ˈpä-grə-fē\
- 1 : letterpress printing
- 2 : the style, arrangement, or appearance of typeset matter
Good typography, on the other hand, is virtually invisible. You can observe it, especially if you know what you're looking for. But the best typography is something you never have to think about--it reads effortlessly, doesn't set off any inner design alarm bells and most times, never gets the attention it deserves.
Until now! Here are Applecore's favorite examples of typography, whether it's print, web or graphic design.
Beginning in the 1960s, when Volkswagen first applied the minimalist principles popular in German design to their American print campaign, heads definitely turned. The simplistic, no nonsense ads made generous use of white space and straightforward copy (usually 30 words or less). In the process, the success of Volkswagen's approach is largely considered to be the father of the postmodern age of advertising--not to mention convincing America that a small car was also a great buy.
Hands down, the site for typography fans. Informative, constantly updated, and always inspiring, this blog serves up not only fonts but also the designs they inhabit.
When Transport for London set out to design the face of its underground subway system, they turned to Edward Johnston. He then designed the distinctive sans-serif typeface in 1916. It's still the font you see today, albeit modified; it was substantially retooled in 1979 by Eiichi Kono and renamed "New Johnston."
A great tool when you have a general idea of what you want--say, an elegant script typeface for a romantic logo, or a bold sans-serif for an eye-catching header.
Founder Allen Lane had a simple goal when Penguin Books began in 1936: to remove the stigma from cheap paperback novels and make reading readily available for anyone. Design took on an essential role in what would become the "Penguin" brand. The basic design was simple: three horizontal bands in colors assigned by genre (orange and white for fiction, green and white for crime fiction, etc)-- with none of the gaudy, lurid photography that gave paperbacks a bad reputation in the first place. In the 1940s, under Swiss typographer Jan Tschichold, a set of rules and design principles was compiled as the Penguin Composition Rules, a four page booklet of typographic instructions for editors and compositors. Maybe that's why the brand is still easily recognizable, even today, and retains a classic, clean look that most designers envy.
More favourite typography links:
Beautiful Blackletter and Script (via retinart)
From modernist magazine spreads to book art from the 1920s and 1930s, this blog can always be counted on to provide beautiful examples of typography that are motivated by passion but chosen by skill.
From modernist magazine spreads to book art from the 1920s and 1930s, this blog can always be counted on to provide beautiful examples of typography that are motivated by passion but chosen by skill.
A somewhat technical but still very useful guide to modifying your typography mindset for display on the web.
From the conventional to the truly unusual, this list of new fonts in the past year or so show that the art of the typeface is in no danger of slowing down.
And just for fun:
JOKE! Comic Sans walks into a bar. The bartender eyes him suspiously, and when the font tries to order a drink, the bartender points to the door and says, "We don't serve your type in here."
ALSO! Check out College Humor's video on what happens when the fonts get together for their annual convention....
Or play the Deep Font Challenge, where you put you knowledge of the in and outs of fonts to the test!
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