TypeTalks:

10 steps to
better typography

1/
Read
No really, read it.
The content will provide the clues,
not only for choosing the right typeface(s),
but will also influence the overall design.

2/
Consider
the context
Who is the audience?
Where will it be located?
How will it be viewed?

3/
Choose a typeface
that sounds as good
as it looks

30 Essential
Typefaces
for a Lifetime
by Imin Pao & Joshua Berger

Serif typefaces
Adobe Caslon
Adobe Garamond
Bembo
Bodoni
Clarendon
Courier
Excelsior
Lucida
Minion
Perpetua
Sabon
Stempel Schneidler
Times New Roman
Trajan
Walbaum

Sans serif typefaces

Akzidenz Grotesk
Avenir
Bell Centennial
Bell Gothic
DIN
Franklin Gothic
Frutiger
Futura
Gill Sans
Helvetica
Meta
Myriad
Trade Gothic
Univers
Vag Rounded

4/
Create
a hierarchy
Emphasize some elements and diminish others.
It helps readers to scan a text,
know where to start and where to end
or what to read and what to skip.
Then stick with it.

Hierarchy

Hierarchy

Hierarchy

I Menu

Menu

Menu

A. Type
B. Character
C. Paragraph
D. Style

Type
Character
Paragraph
Style

Type
Character
Paragraph
Style

II Palettes

Palettes

Palettes

A. Color
B. Swatches
C. Red
D. Gradient

Color
Swatches
Red
Gradient

Color
Swatches
Red
Gradient

III Tools

Tools

Tools

A. Selection
B. Pencil
C. Eyedropper
D. Zoom

Symbols, indents,
and line breaks

Selection
Pencil
Eyedropper
Zoom

Indents and
line breaks only

hierarchy

Menu

Type
Character
Paragraph
Style

palettes

Color
Swatches
Red
Gradient

tools

Selection
Pencil
Eyedropper
Zoom

Selection
Pencil
Eyedropper
Zoom

Font change, indents,

and line breaks

Alignment, font change,

and line breaks

5/
Focus on
the details

Type size
and leading
60/60

Two blocks of text

are often aligned along
a shared baseline.
Here 60/60 Helvetica Bold (60pt type with 60pts
of line spacing) is pared with 30/30 Helvetica Bold
and 13/15 Helvetica Light.
A 15 pt Space After has been added between the paragraphs
and the Baseline Grid has been set to 15pt.

Kerning off, tracking (overall space between letters) off, word spacing is 100%

Kerning is the space between

two characters while Tracking is
the overall space between letters
(letterspacing) 12345
Kerning on, tracking at -20, and word spacing is 80%

Kerning is the space between

two characters while Tracking is
the overall space between letters
(letterspacing) 12345...
K

6/
Learn the tools,
and make them
work for you

Paragraphs

OpenType

Paragraph
styles

Indents, First line,

Space before, Space after,
Rules, Hyphenation,
Justification, and more

Automatic substitution
of characters based
on document preferences

Automatic paragraph style

formatting and key stroke
shortcuts

Character
styles

Automatic character style

formatting and key stroke
shortcuts

7/
Know the rules
(at least the important ones)

Bullets
Unless you are selling used auto parts,
or dumpsters,
avoid using bullets heavier than the text;
they are distracting.

Condensed type
Long columns of condensed type are tiresome and hard to read. Avoid them if possible

Distortion
As a general rule, dont do it.
Instead use a font that comes with
condensed & extended versions

Double spaces
Again, dont do it. Who ever told you it was right, was wrong.

Legibility
Type should be legible.
Avoid tricky, complicated settings
if you want the type to be read.

Measure the measure

Aim for 9-10 words. The average word in English
is 5 letters plus the following space.
38

48

Quotations

"

"

Inches

Flowed in
Flush left copy (ragged right) will produce consistent word spacing and
even color, though the method is difficult to rag smoothly. Difficult
doesnt mean impossible.

Ragged right
Flush left copy (ragged right)
will produce consistent word spacing
and even color, though the method
is difficult to rag smoothly.
Difficult doesnt mean impossible.

8/
Then break them
(when appropriate)

9/
Experiment
Play
Surprise
Delight

10/
If all else fails,
theres always...

Q&A

Thank you