The definition of typography t-pog-ra-phy/noun [noncount] 1: the work of producing printed pages from written material 2: the style, arrangement, or appearance of printed letters on a page. Now what does this mean and why is it important to you, your business, and your everyday life?
The definition of typography t-pog-ra-phy/noun [noncount] 1: the work of producing printed pages from written material 2: the style, arrangement, or appearance of printed letters on a page. Now what does this mean and why is it important to you, your business, and your everyday life?
Even the slightest change in text, like adding capitalization and kerning, can affect how people react to the words they are reading. Your choice in your typeface can be equally as important as your use of color and graphics. Apple.com, for example, paid close attention to detail when choosing their fonts and format. Compare this to Kmart.com, which has many fonts, and notice that the site does not come off as pristine and consistent as the Apple website does.
While consistency in your work is important, it doesn’t stop there. Just like fashion changes, type changes as well, and you’ll need changes in design style to compliment your font. Consider your main image accompanied with a fun font, compare the wild font with bold high fashion you’d see on the runway; it’s pretty but no one is really interested in it. Then consider how in fashion, people are more likely to relate to simple and comfortable designs. The same goes for people looking at clean, dependable text; it is relatable.
Perhaps you’re wondering if people will really be focusing on something as small as your font choice. Relate reading text type to watching a film. Your average moviegoer isn’t going to notice the camera positions but rather how the movie makes them feel.
Cognitive psychologist Kevin Larson focuses on reading fonts and typography. He presented a set of studies at the ATypI conference in Helsinki in 2005, and his work was later published in 2006. Larson said that bad typography “reduced activation in the corrugator muscle” (meaning that people frowned less), and that good typography “improved performance on creative cognitive tasks”.
Today there are psychologists and typographers continuing experimental research on the effects of typography and legible typeface design. Microsoft-sponsored research has investigated the measure of eye fatigue while reading, explaining that black on white text is easier to read than gray on gray. They also claim that 12-point font is far easier to read than 9-point. If you run your own website and are confused on how to better its appearance, consider using a social media company to assist you. So the next time you lay out some type remember, it is important. How do you feel about typography and how it affects the average person?
For a free marketing consultation, feel free to call fishbat social media agency at 855-347-4228.
