5.5: Typography
- Page ID
- 199310
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“When typography is on point, words become images.” ― Shawn Lukas
Typeface and Mood
Handwritten letters can communicate information about the writer and convey this feeling to the readers. A person writing from the trenches in WWII might reveal pain or fear through shaky script. A 13-year old might use hearts to replace the dot on an “i” as a demonstration of true love. Cursive writing can convey tradition and formality.
Today, computers offer a wide range of fonts in various weights and sizes. The challenge in the modern world is to select a font that matches the feeling the words are meant to convey.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
For example, this “I Want You to Panic” protest sign uses a font to convey a sense of urgency in dealing with climate change. The font matches the feeling of panic the protester hopes to create in the reader.
TikTok and Instagram use fonts that appeal to younger users, while The New York Times and The Globe and Mail use serif fonts to reinforce the credibility that comes with older and experienced organizations. Serif fonts are thought to inspire confidence and meet the expectations of an older reading audience.
Consider the ability of fonts to convey feelings as you craft business documents and slides. Ask yourself,
- What is the mood or feeling of the typeface(s) I have chosen?
- What image or impression is suggested by this choice?
- Does the typeface communicate the feeling I wish to convey?
For example, Jim would like to open an accounting business. What mood does each typeface convey? Does the typeface suggest the image Jim would like to convey?
- Jim's Accounting Services
- Jim's Accounting Services
- Jim's Accounting Services
Among other possible impressions, the first typeface conveys playfulness, the second conveys immaturity, and the third may indicate that Jim is bossy or possibly self-absorbed. Not the impressions that Jim would like to send. A better choice is one that conveys reliability and credibility:
- Jim's Accounting Services
This typeface is Times New Roman, a serif font carrying “a distinguished feeling of heritage and pedigree” (Gendelman 2015). The font may look familiar to you: many businesses and agencies use this typeface.
Serif and Sans Serif
Because they convey a professional tone, serif fonts (those with letters that have small tags on them) like Times New Roman, Garamond, Georgia, Baskerville, and Palatino are all popular for printed business and academic documents. When you write a cover letter for a loan application or a formal report for a client, you need a font that appears trustworthy and reliable. As designer Dylan Todd says, “When you are designing with type, the typeface you choose tells a story” ("The Science of Color"). The font conveys and affirms the story you would like the audience to hear about you as a young professional or a representative of the organization. Serif fonts are harder to read on lower quality monitors, but some can work well for online content if the font size is adjusted, if the letters do not appear to touch, and if the line height (the space between lines of text) is big enough.
"Characters Rendered in Several Fonts" by Alan M1 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 license.
Restraint and Consistency
Documents and slides can look busy, cluttered, or incoherent if too many typefaces and sizes are used in a single document or slide set.
Use type styles like bold, capitalization, or italics to add emphasis. Keep in mind that if too much is emphasized, nothing is emphasized at all.
Layout & Composition
The arrangement of visual elements on a page also contributes to its persuasive appeal. A single-spaced block of text with no paragraph breaks or headings can overwhelm a reader. Densely packed PowerPoint slides can have the same detrimental effect.
In reports, negative space (or white space) provides a place for the eye to rest and is essential for distinguishing sections. This white space adds rhetorical appeal by emphasizing organizational structure (an element of logos). Consistency in heading styles and alignment of visual elements add to readability.