Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. It involves the selection of typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, leading (line spacing), and letter spacing (kerning and tracking). Effective typography is crucial for user experience, influencing readability, visual hierarchy, and overall aesthetic appeal.
Key Concepts
- Typeface: A design for a set of characters (e.g., Helvetica, Times New Roman). Often used interchangeably with “font,” though a font is a specific style and size of a typeface (e.g., Helvetica Bold 12pt).
- Font: A specific weight, style, and size of a typeface.
- Serif: A small line or stroke attached to the end of a larger stroke in a letter. Often associated with traditional and formal aesthetics, and commonly used for body text in print.
- Sans-serif: A typeface without serifs. Often associated with modern, clean, and minimalist aesthetics, and commonly used for headlines and digital displays.
- Baseline: The imaginary line upon which the text rests.
- X-height: The height of lowercase letters without ascenders or descenders (e.g., ‘x’, ‘a’, ‘c’). A larger x-height generally improves readability at smaller sizes.
- Leading (Line Spacing): The vertical space between lines of text. Proper leading is essential for comfortable reading.
- Kerning: The adjustment of space between individual characters to improve visual balance and readability.
- Tracking: The adjustment of space for a group of characters or an entire block of text, affecting the overall density of the text.
- Hierarchy: The visual arrangement of elements to show their order of importance. Typography plays a key role in establishing hierarchy through variations in size, weight, and style.
- Readability: How easily a reader can distinguish individual characters and words.
- Legibility: How easily a reader can understand the meaning of the text.