The 'language' of Graphic Design allows one to be able to extract meaning from use of type and/or image. It gives the viewer the ability to interpret the image or type based on their context.
An understanding of the 'language' leads a designer to be able to communicate a message as effectively as possible including their understanding of visual communication as a whole.
What is typography?
It is most important in terms of type to be readable and functional as text. Typography is essentially illustration which has become a universally accepted and acknowledged set of symbols, allowing them to become a language.
There are 6 material origins of all typefaces:
1. Stone - a natural serif as it had to create smooth lines so as not to chip the stone
2. Sable - fluid and smooth brush lettering
3. Bone - used quills which afterwards created hand rendered typefaces.
4. Wood - block wooden letters with straight lines and exacting curves. Was a big turning point in typography.
5. Lead - essentially letter press, allowing type to be cast which allowed letters to take new forms introducing new typefaces - resulted in typewriters.
6. Silicone - computer chip - explosion of typographic possibilities as the digital age starts. Allowed for old typefaces to be revolutionised in their digitalisation.
In terms of time, type can again be split into 5 categories:
1. Classical
2. Transitional
3. Modern
4. Swiss/Bauhaus
5. Contemporary
In this session we each brought in 5 different typefaces and found ways to categorise the type.
Initially they fell into the categories serif, sans serif, traditional, script, modern and transitional. We then came up with another list which identified the characteristics of each font which fell into the groups regular italic, bold italic, light italic, bold, regular, light and ultrabold.
We went on to look at points and picas in relation to each other:
1 point = 1/72 inch = 25.4/72mm = 0.3527
12 points = 1 pica
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