{"id":16,"date":"2026-01-05T13:56:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T13:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp460\/?page_id=16"},"modified":"2026-01-05T13:56:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T13:56:05","slug":"typography","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp460-s26\/typography\/","title":{"rendered":"Typography"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is Typography?<\/h2>\n

“Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed.”<\/p>\n

https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Typography<\/em><\/p>\n

Typography is all around us:on street signs, books, our social media feeds, text messages, emails, posters etc. The way the text looks on any of these media was a deliberate choice on the part of a designer.<\/p>\n

Choosing the right font for your project is very important \u2013 the right font can help set the correct tone\u2026 while the wrong one can dilute or even corrupt your message. In this workshop we will review basic typography terminology and concepts to help you choose the best fonts for your projects.<\/p>\n

\n

Font vs. Typeface<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Before we go any further, let’s clarify the subtle but important difference between two terms often used interchangeably:<\/p>\n

A typeface<\/strong> is a particular set of characters that share a specific design (i.e: Times New Roman is a well known typeface).<\/p>\n

A font<\/strong> is a particular set of characters within a typeface (i.e: 12 point Times New Roman is a font, and 10 point Times New Roman is a separate font within the same typeface).<\/p>\n

\n

Classification<\/h2>\n

Typefaces can be broken up into two main categories serif and sans serifs (literally without <\/em>serifs).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"
Serif \u00a0(left) vs sans serif (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The content in Italic below is from: https:\/\/www.adobe.com\/creativecloud\/design\/discover\/serif-vs-sans-serif.html<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Serif Fonts<\/h3>\n

Serifs are the small lines attached to letters. Their origins are a mystery; one theory suggests they arose when scribes using brushes or quills left small marks with the writing implement as they finished each stroke. This evolved into deliberately adding smaller strokes in more regular, artful ways, and those decorative strokes became an expected part of the letters.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Serif fonts can look authoritative, professional, and suggest the weight of history or experience. Serif typefaces like Times New Roman are suggestive of typewriters\u2019 old style \u2014 The New York Times and other reputable institutions that have existed for over a century still use this font. \u201cThey feel a little bit more old-timey,\u201d says designer Madeline DeCotes.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSerif fonts can have a more clinical and institutional look to them,\u201d says Todd, who uses serif fonts to evoke earlier eras. When working on book design for a story set during World War II, Todd used serif fonts to give readers the feeling they were in a world that existed prior to modern design conventions.<\/em><\/p>\n

Serifs aren\u2019t just aesthetic, though. They also have real functional value as body copy. \u201cSerifs often lend a bit more legibility at smaller scales,\u201d says DeCotes. \u201cWhen you\u2019re reading a 9.5 font in a printed book, serifs help you distinguish the letterforms and create flow as you\u2019re reading.<\/em><\/p>\n

Serif fonts can be broken into subcategories. Here area a few important ones and examples within each:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Humanist 1460<\/h4>\n
\"\"
Examples: Adobe Jenson and Centaur. Read more<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Old Style 1495<\/h4>\n
\"\"
Examples: Bembo, Adobe Caslon, Adobe Garamond, Goudy Old Style, Palatino, Times New Roman. Read more.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Transitional 1750<\/h4>\n
\"\"
Examples: Baskerville, Century Schoolbook, Cheltenham, Bookman Read more.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Modern 1775<\/h4>\n
\"\"
Examples: Bodoni, Didot, Bell, Caledonia Read more.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Slab Serif 1825<\/h4>\n
\"\"
Examples: ITC Lubalin Graph, Serifa, Glypha, Schadow, Clarendon, Memphis, Beton, Stymie, Rockwell. Read more.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Sans Serif Fonts<\/span><\/h3>\n

While some older writing is serif-free, such as Norse runes, sans serif fonts are mostly associated with modern typefaces. In 1928, Futura became one of the first popular sans serif fonts and other typefaces like Helvetica soon followed.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sans serif typefaces were controversial when they first appeared and were sometimes called \u201cgrotesque\u201d typefaces. But when modernist designers like the Bauhaus movement embraced sans serif typefaces, they became associated with cutting-edge design, commerce, and modernism\u2019s attempt to break with the past.<\/em><\/p>\n

That association still holds; for example, Todd uses sans serif for a comic book set in a contemporary, cosmopolitan, and fashion-oriented Los Angeles. However, sans serif typefaces can also evoke today\u2019s handwriting, which is missing the extra strokes that were a product of the brush or quill. \u201cThe conventional wisdom is that sans serif fonts are supposed to mimic handwriting, which has more of a flow to it,\u201d says Todd.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sans serif fonts also work well where there\u2019s very little room for copy. Signs, text in apps, and names on maps tend to be sans serif. (There are exceptions, of course. Some sans serif font families, like Arial, are meant to work as body copy \u2014 text that goes on for more than a sentence or two.)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re building an app or designing a site, sans serifs are generally the way to go,\u201d says DeCotes, because legibility is a concern on screens that are small or have lower resolutions. She adds, \u201cSans serifs are for wayfinding or signage applications.\u201d One of the most recognized fonts in the United States, Clearview<\/a>, is a sans serif font. It was specifically designed for highway signs. Drivers needed to read a small amount of type from a long distance away and, in that instance, sans serif fit the bill.<\/em><\/p>\n

Serif fonts can be broken into subcategories. Here area a few important ones and examples within each:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Grotesque<\/h4>\n
\"\"
Examples: Helvetica, Universe, Franklin Gothic, Grotesque<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Geometric<\/h4>\n
\"\"
Examples: Futura, Kabel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\n

Anatomy of Type<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let’s first look at the different characteristics and terminology used to describe type. This will help us differentiate and analyze fonts when choosing them:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n