“What do you imply by typography? What font is that? What’s a typeface?” – We repeatedly face questions from our shoppers on the distinction between fonts and sort, when to create one thing customized, and the way it applies to model improvement. Let’s clear some issues up:
- The time period “Typeface” refers back to the household of kind.
- The “Font” is the variant of the typeface inside that household.
Why is Typography necessary?
Typography is greater than selecting the most recent stylish “font.” Typography is essential in establishing a model’s total tone and really feel. Not solely will typography affect the consumer on how they really feel when viewing your model, however it can inform and information them as they work together with you. Typography performs a big function in how customers understand info written in textual content. Usually talking, a visually interesting kind is simpler at grabbing the consumer’s consideration and may have extra potential to bolster the model than a generic typeface.
For us, step one within the design course of is to discover a sturdy kind research, pulling completely different typefaces that contemplate all undertaking specs (usability, licensing, Webfont availability, and aesthetics primarily based on conceptual route).
This kind research will act as a beginning/reference level for brand design, offering the designer with a financial institution of applicable fonts to work with as they start the design course of. From there a customized typeface can be created if wanted. A fantastic instance of the place a customized typeface was wanted to spherical out the system is our latest work with Hazelwood Labs.
In our preliminary conferences with Joseph at Hazelwood, we mentioned the particular in-application use circumstances that the model would have. Considered one of their key contact factors was the power to laser reduce letters into varied wooden, metallic surfaces, and different supplies. In the event that they have been to make use of an extraordinary typeface to laser reduce, items of the letters would fall out and reduce legibility. When beginning the design course of, fixing this downside was high of thoughts. With a purpose to obtain the ultimate look, we wanted to create a wholly customized typeface with a “stencil” font.
Kind is rather more than “only a font.” Typography has a big function to play in a model’s improvement and visible id. And due to that it requires a deep dive into creating issues deliberately and with usability high of thoughts.
