Text Information and Media

Text

any piece of writing (alphanumeric characters and logograms)
a simple and flexible format of presenting information or conveying ideas whether hand-written, printed, or displayed on screen

Types of Text

1. Descriptive
2. Informative
3. Instructive
4. Persuasive

Descriptive

aims to have the reader imagine and see what is being described

Informative

aims to advise or tell the reader about something

Instructive

aims to instruct or tell a reader how to do something

Persuasive

seeks to persuade a reader to believe in or do something

Typeface

also called font, font type, or type
refers to the representation or style of a text in the digital format

Typeface

usually comprised of alphabets, numbers, punctuation marks, symbols, and other special characters.

Serif

connotes formality and readability in large amount of texts.

Serif

Classic and elegant look when used for title and heading

Examples of Serif

Times New Roman, Garamond, Baskerville

Sans Serif

brings a clean or minimalist look to the text.

Sans serif

used for clear and direct meaning of text such as road signage, building directory or nutrition facts in food packages.

Sans Serif

gives a modern look and is used primarily in webpage design

Examples of Sans Serif

Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana, Calibri

Slab Serif

carries a solid or heavy look to text

Slab Serif

font used for large advertising sign on billboards

Slab Serif Examples

Rockwell, Playbill, Blackoak

Script

draws much attention to itself because of its brush-like strokes.

Script

Used sparingly and not to be used in a large body text. Usually in wedding invitations or other formal events

Script examples

Edwardian, Vladimir, Kunstler

Display or Decorative

caters to a wide variety of emotions (celebration, fear, horror, etc.) or themes

Display or decorative examples

Chiller, Jokerman, Curlz MT

Selection Criteria

1. Relevance
2. Triangulation (validity, reliability, accuracy)
3. Point of view
4. Medium Used
5. Audience
6. Writing Style

EMPHASIS - Design Principles and Elements

refers to the importance or value given to a part of the text-based content. when trying to make a point or highlighting a message, you can make the text bold, italicized, have a heavier weight, darkened or lightened or enlarged

Appropriateness

refers to how fitting or suitable the text is used for a specific audience, purpose, or event.

Proximity

refers to how near or how far are the text elements from each other.

Alignment

refers to how the text is positioned in the page. This can be left, right, center or justified

Organization

refers to a conscious effort to organize the different text elements in a page. This ensures that while some text elements are separated from each other, they are still somehow connected with the rest of the elements

Repetition

consistency of elements and the unity of the entire design. Encourages the use of repeating typefaces

Contrast

creates visual interest to text elements