5 Basic Principles of Typography Theory

The word ‘typography’ comes from the Greek words ‘typos’ (form) and ‘graphe’ (writing). It’s the art and technique of arranging type to make language more visible. What does a typographer do? He makes sure the text is easy to read. Being a designer, knowing typography theory can be a game changer as your time will be saved, and you’ll end up with perfect-looking designs.

Understanding and applying typography principles requires many choices and also involves a good understanding of elements such as typeface, font and characteristics, alignment, line length, leading (line spacing), and tracking (adjusting space between groups of letters).

Here are the 5 basic typography principles you should stick by.

Typography Principle No. 1: Don’t Use Too Many Typefaces

Do you know the difference between typeface and font? You may have heard about modern fonts or great vintage fonts. Adobe InDesign’s glossary states, ‘A font is a complete set of characters that share a common weight, width, and style.’

A typeface is a collection of fonts that share an overall appearance and are designed to be used together. For example, Verdana is a typeface, and Verdana  12-pt italic is a font.

Typefaces usually are broken down into the following categories:

• Serif
• Sans-Serif

A serif is a small line attached to the end of a stroke in a letter or a symbol. If the letters and symbols of a typeface have serifs, then we call it a serif typeface.

The word “sans” is French for “without,” and a Sans-Serif typeface is, as you might have guessed already, a typeface without serifs.

The strokes of the serif typeface help guide the eye across a line of text. Serifs are almost a standard in most newspapers. The sans-serif font family is said to be easier on the eye when reading online.

• Display

Display is usually a typeface used with large sizes, usually 20 or above.  They are generally not used for body, but they are perfect for demonstrating a visual theme when used for titles and headings.

Check out: Awesome Fonts Bundle

• Script

Script is a typeface based on the appearance of handwritten letters and symbols.

• Dingbat

Dingbat is a special typeface used for scientific/mathematical formulas or graphic icons. Don’t use a typeface just because you like it, think of the impact it will have and make sure that it carries the references and associations your design needs.

Check out: 20 Free Aesthetic Patterns

Typography Principles No. 2: Contrast Is Good, But Not With Wrong Colors

The most common form of text we encounter is black text over a white background. Even though people love colors, sometimes color makes text harder to read, less enjoyable, and can even cause pain when looked at for a longer time.

It is almost always a bad idea to choose a text color and a background color that contrast with one another in a discordant manner.

Check out: All In One Fonts Collection

You need to have enough contrast between the background and the text for the text to be legible, but you also need to make sure the colors don’t clash.

Keeping the background of the text simple (fewer colors) is often the best choice as it allows you to use a small set of colors and get optimal results.

Typography Theory Principle No. 3: Limited Use Of Display Faces

Display typefaces are fun, and they look very interesting. No matter how much you like them, don’t use them excessively. Remember that ornamental and display typefaces were not designed for bodies of text as they generally require a larger font to be readable.

It’s important to remember that these faces tend to be more complex, which can easily tire the viewer’s eyes.

Check Out: Inspirational Text Overlays Bundle

Typography Principle No. 4: Scannable Text Is a Must

This typography theory principle states: When writing for the web, readability is not the only thing you must worry about. The user can surf away at any moment and with just one click.

Your purpose is to ensure the text is in such good shape that the reader will keep his interest long enough to read through the whole thing. That won’t happen unless he can easily scan it for focus points that pique his interest.

Focus points, such as a header, a button, a graphical element, or emphasized text, will draw the user’s attention.

Focus points, header size and position, text size, line height, alignment, and contrast are the main factors impacting how scannable your text is. Good use of these elements will ensure your reader is aware of the content of your copy before choosing to read it wholly or abandon it.

Check Out The Modern Script Fonts Bundle

Typography Principle No. 5: Don’t Distort Typography In Graphic Design

Sometimes, you feel the need to stretch or pull text to fit in a certain space or make it look different. Don’t do it!

Their creators have put a lot of work into making them; they are very carefully designed. Squishing or pulling a typeface not only reduces its legibility but also eliminates the reasoning behind its crafting.

Each typeface contains styles and weights that are already adequately expanded and condensed. Type designers know that people want “thinner” or “thicker” fonts, so sometimes these styles are included in typeface families.

Check Out: All Style Fonts Bundle By Blankids Studios

If the font you are using doesn’t have the variant you want, try pairing it with another font that fits your needs.

Do not use the bold and italic buttons in character palettes of the software as they are called “false bold/italic”. Instead, use the menu to find the real bold and italic, created by the type designer. Hope these principles of typography will help you in your projects.

We’re hoping you have enjoyed our short journey through the world of typography theory and have found it at least entertaining, if nothing else.

Now, let’s take a moment to see how many of these typography principles we have broken while writing this article, shall we? Feel free to comment and let us know below.

Like this post? Check out more amazing graphic design content here.