The Second in a List of Obsessions

So, I mentioned that graphic design was too broad to cover in one item. I listed posters first, and now I will talk about something that applies to any form of design. Typography. I am a self taught student of graphic design (for the most part) and I still have a LOT to learn about it. Typography is one of the most interesting aspects of graphic design for me and is probably the subject that I am most drawn to in terms of learning. The ability to arrange type well is extremely important to me as it is a functional and aesthetic concern. I will keep this post shorter than the last because I don't feel that I am qualified to talk about it and I'll probably end up sounding stupid and pretentious.

One thing that I really appreciate about typography is that with so many typefaces available (especially now due to more easily usable type design programs and free websites such as dafont - which I try to avoid now), there are usually one or two typefaces that just work for a project. Each typeface has its own characteristics and has the ability to "speak" in a different tone. The challenge lies in selecting the right type for the job.

Another aspect of typography that I both love and hate is its ability to suck you in to the most minute details and swallow hours of your time in making sure that you've set the appropriate leading for the page and text... that you've kerned the headings properly... or that you've eliminated all of your widows and orphans.

One really strong lesson I learned in doing the the AUM 07 Catalogue (click here to download a screen quality PDF, or here for a higher quality PDF) is that typography is not only important functionally in terms of readability and legibility, etc. but also extremely important in making sure that text is formatted correctly. This is probably the area that I have to work on the most. One very good book that has been a help, however, is The Elements of Typographic Style.

I've gone on longer than I had expected. So, I will end in saying I suspect typography will play a definite role in the development of my studio project. Letter-forms intrigue me - I would like to explore them further and I think that the objects that I have collected (which I will be documenting shortly and posting them up) will provide a good foundation for this exploration.