Lauren Jo Listens: Typography // It's importance in the media world.

Typography is the style of printed material from a movable type. In the 21st century it is used by all of us and incorporated into everyday life and it is a key process used in design. In this essay I am going to discuss the importance of typography in design, looking mainly at magazines and its significance in conveying a certain style; all stemming from the base of typography in history.

1455 saw the production of the first Bible (Gutenburg’s Bible) that was made by typography or simply put ‘moveable text.' The Bible was typed up in print that was easier to produce and copy, to make sure that the text was consistent throughout the whole book. After the initial development of typography and its use for production, it became a key part of everyday life. Typefaces started to emerge and over the past fifty years they have been arising and changing to suit needs of design (Ambrose et al. 2006. p136). Helvetica font was the first mordernists’ typeface produced in 1957, and it has revolutionised the way in which typography has been interpreted. In 1960 the main use of the font was for advertising, with a Coca-Cola advert (figure one) placing Helvetica simply aligned in the middle bottom of a poster. The typography is all that is needed to impact on the public. Placing an ice cold bottle of Coca-Cola and glass surrounded in sensual food to adhere to the properties of the font; modern and plain but most of all refreshing. “It’s the real thing. Coke.” Helvetica stands out in any advertisement as the font never blends into the design it brings out the words and the style of the advert and makes a design innovative. David Carson believes that in graphically descriptive design you should not “confuse legibility with communication,” (Carson, 2007) here this is what Helvetica does: communicates. Typography in design is not used to inform the public (only for its simplest form in signage) it is used to communicate and inspire, Helvetica promotes this foundation of graphical typography that Carson speaks of. Typography’s collectivity has integrated itself into our everyday lives through the use of Helvetica and without this simple form of font the meaning of the advert would be lost through the extravagence of the text. Therefore typography in design aids the meaning of what the corporation is trying to convey through the typeface.

Chris Frost believes “Magazines and Newspapers are carefully designed in order to present the journalism they contain in the clearest and most attractive way to the reader.” (Frost. 2003. p5) Without typography in design, it would be hard for brand recognition to thrive. Magazines are a prime example of the significance of graphical typography. Not only does the text communicate with its reader the text reflects the brand and style of the magazine. Typography is a way of creating a visual picture of brand through text. Harper’s Bazaar Magazine has established its audience for years along with promoting its ethos through its text. The front cover (figure two) centralises the design around the headline ‘Bazaar’ this is because “typeface usage can tell a reader as much about the originator of the communication as well as the message itself.” (Ambrose et al. 2006. p11) The typeface, Didot, is sharp and striking, it is sophisticated and slim. This choice of type connotes the content and audience - upperclass females who have class and disregard for common gossip. The type is characterized by, flat and unbracketed serifs, consistent horizontal stress and a high contrast of thick and thin strokes which, along with the subheading, reinforces that their reader is entering “the era of elegance” through the magazine. Typography here in design establishes a brand and promotes it all by using the foundations of historical typography discussed earlier: formation and typeface. This structure of typography shapes the design of which it is featured in and therefore is a main importance in design.

The changes in colour of typography can determine the style of the publication, the different direction of typography is important to sell a particular message to the audience. G3 magazine (figure three) uses colour of typography to establish a style, and subverts the general rules of typography to appeal to the audience. G3 exemplifies clever usage of typography as the text stands out, due to it being the reverse of the standard black on white. Not only is this risky of the publication as white on dark “cuts readership by 40%” (White. 2003. p97) but the typographic design ironically suits the audience - the not so straight woman - by using white text on a black background it gives an edgy feel to the publication and is far from the norm, similar to their content and niche audience. It may be slightly harsh on the eye noted by White, but it is an interesting use of typographic design, this is because “colour works with typography in many ways to perform a number of roles that both help impart information and contribute to the overall visual effect of a design.” (Ambrose et al. 2006. p136) Although subverting a basic foundation of typography in design, this design mirrors the difference in publication and readership shown through the brave change in colour.

The structure of the deisgn and layout of typography can make a piece more or less legible. Martin Solomon wrote “it is the design of the line that determines the style of type... proper spaces between letters, words and lines makes the styles readable.” (Solomon. 1994. p16) VPRO magazine uses typography as the main graphic element to their covers. Looking at figure four, the magazine cover only depicts a headline, with the rest of the area being white space the attention is drawn to the bold text, which also stands out due to the graphic shadowing of a bright pink underlay. The title automatically grabs the readers attention which may not have happened if the page was filled with text or if it was smaller font. This structure of layout and text on the page makes it easier to read. Alterations of typeface by size, bold or italic effect can lead to the text being more or less important, the bolder the text the more it is highlighted as an important read, G3 (analysed earlier) exemplifies this technique by reverting the typical idea that the headline is the largest typeface of the page, and making all of the text large and bold to reinforce its significance, similar to what VPRO does here by singling out the key message. Frost said that "White space is vitally important in the design of newspapers and magazines and is vital to the way the type looks and behaves." (Frost. 2003. p90) Therefore the use of white space and text effects makes the text flow; as readers, our eyes follow the structure of the lines, with enough space around the text and the use of text effects the design becomes more structured as well as appealing to the eye.

In conclusion looking at these case studies of design, it is clear that typography in its simplest form shapes a design, style and brand. Sebastian Carter said that “we should welcome typographic variety as the natural consequence of human creativity.” (Carter. 2002. p9) Carter’s words exemplify the importance of typography in the 21st Century that is constantly developing new ways to design, with over 1000 fonts to this day (Garfield. 2010). Therefore the creative freedom of typography is a means to communicate with a reader through visually placing text, and this is continually evolving to make design more inspiring.