Outcome 2.5 Typography — Designing with Type for Clarity, Consistency, and Impact

Typography

The craft of choosing and arranging type so language becomes visible.

Typeface

The overall design of letterforms (e.g., Helvetica).

Font

A specific version of a typeface (e.g., Helvetica Bold 12 pt).

Serif

Typeface with small finishing strokes at the ends of letters.

Sans serif

Typefaces that lack serifs, feeling modern and clean.

Slab serif

Typefaces with thick, block-like serifs, feeling sturdy and bold.

Script

Typefaces that mimic handwriting; often elegant but may reduce readability.

Display/decorative

Typefaces designed to attract attention, best used sparingly.

Monospace

Typefaces where each character has the same width, often used in coding.

Kerning

Adjusting the space between specific pairs of letters.

Leading

The vertical space between lines of text.

Hierarchy

A system that guides the reader through what matters first, second, third.

x-height

The height of the lowercase letter 'x', often influencing readability.

Contrast

The difference in visual properties that makes objects distinguishable.

Readability

The comfort level at which a passage of text can be read.

Legibility

The ease with which individual characters can be distinguished.

Points (pt)

A traditional unit for font size and leading in print typography.

Picas (pc)

A larger unit used for layout measurements, where 1 pica equals 12 points.

Pixels (px)

A unit tied to digital displays, varying in size across devices.

Ems (em)

A relative unit based on the current font size.

Web fonts

Fonts designed for use on websites, often with licensing for web embedding.

Wordmark

A logo made from the brand name set in type.

Lettermark

A logo made from the initials of the brand.

Custom kerning

The adjustment of letter-spacing to achieve a smooth rhythm in logos.

Subpixel rendering

Technique that uses RGB subpixels to create a smoother appearance in text.

Font substitution

When a system replaces a missing font with a fallback font.

Accessibility

Ensuring designs are usable by people with varying needs and conditions.

Tone contrast

Using different type styles to convey varying tones in design.