I love typography as it is one of the most fundamental backbones that make up good design whether that be web design or infographics. However, I can often find it really tricky to find a typeface that suits my projects often leaving my head hurting for hours while I endlessly scroll the web, adobe fonts, etc. I feel like my font game needs to be upped. I often find myself in trouble pairing two fonts so I hope that this article by Douglas Bonneville can be a refreshment and explore different possibilities of integration.
As a designer, we always cater for our target users, in selecting a typeface it is no different. So when choosing one, I must have the audience/clients at the front of my head from start to finish. Depending on the situation it could be me, the client or the audience that dictates the route of typefaces. It needs to have a lasting impact, readable and legible but at the same time still, resonate and contain characteristics that the audiences assume. Additionally, it is extremely easy to get carried away as with typography every pixel counts. One of the hardest areas of breaking down the font selection process is understanding which areas are subjective and which are more objective. It is often easier to start with objective-based text as they by default make subjective decisions for us.
Legibility
One thing many people get mixed up on is determining what is legibility and readability. However, legibility is more so the design of the text e.g. stroke width, genre, etc. An example of low legibility text would be the old funky 2010s Halloween typefaces on some free font sites as “this is meant to be seen at a glance, rather than read at length.” While typefaces designed for novels, newspapers or anything that has high reading value contain high legibility. All in all, this shows us that different typefaces have different legibility purposes depending on the function of the text.
Tips for good Legibility:
- Conventional Letterform
- Ensure generous spacing
- Choose typeface with a tall x-height
Readability
Depending on how a typeface is set (with the additional help of basic legibility) can create a different level of readability. It uses type style, size, tracking, leading, colours and additional properties to create a structural flow. It is extremely important that communication comes before style therefore we must focus on the easing aspect before anything else.
Tips for good readability:
- Choose a relevant typeface for a specific purpose
- Align text to right ragged
- Ensure line height is greater than the point size of the typeface for multi-line texts
Type Direction
Design Intent
By looking up the reviews and similar use of implementation of a chosen typeface we can come across what it is used for. This is helpful when thinking about the intention and cooperation of the typeface with different surrounding elements.
Aesthetics
Typefaces should conform to the aesthetics expected by the audience for which the design is probable. It must fit historical, cultural or locational needs and associate with another relevant piece. One way to size up the aesthetics is to pick a typeface and right down several words that it says to you about itself.