TYPE
Someone else’s type may not be “your” type and vice versa. Typestyles are largely a matter of personal taste, but like colour, there are some generally accepted or popularized rules of thumb. Applying these basic rules will be some assurance of a pleasing look to your finished piece. So… what are the rules? Well, bearing in mind that rules are made to be broken under certain circumstances, here are a few of the more basic ones.
- Don’t use too many fonts. Just because your program has fourteen dozen doesn’t mean they all have to be used.
Usually two or three are sufficient to clearly and beautifully communicate your message. - Be careful of readability. Large sections of type are usually more readable in a serif font. (serifs are the little flat ends
on type that sort of tie the letters together) We have ignored this rule in this booklet as you can see. - Text or book fonts, such as Times Roman, Century Schoolbook or Palatino, are serif types and are good for large
blocks of type. - Be aware of clashing types. Usually there are characteristics between typefaces that either harmonize them or cause
them to clash. For instance, two italicized fonts may be at slightly different angles. Usually fonts that contrast strongly work better together than fonts that are very similar. (like marriages) - Don’t try to be too “cute.” You can be creative without overdoing it. For instance, reversed type is often very effective in
drawing attention to a headline, but can render a paragraph of instructions virtually unreadable. Go for it!
