Lots of my clients ask me what typography is. My answer is usually "not just fonts, but the way in which we use fonts".To explain a little further 'Typography' - from the Greek words 'form' and 'to write' is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language more appealing. It is central to the work and skills of a designer and is about much more than making the words legible. In my opinion the typefaces used are as important as the image or photography and will make the difference between a good, bad and great design. Sometimes artistic typography done well can result in not requiring any imagery at all. See example below...Typography is a vital part of promotional material and advertising. Us designers use typography to set a theme and mood to directly correlate with the subject matter. The typeface should also be carefully considered with colour, shape and imagery. Below, I've created a little test which you can take part in to see which you think are the most appropriate typefaces for the subject line: the one on the left or right (underneath each I've stated the typeface used for reference). Typography in a branding context is close to my heart. As many of you know I am passionate about the consistency a company portrays with their communications. I usually dedicate at least a page to typography when creating brand guidelines for a company. This means a set of rules is defined and employees can reference from the same source to adopt in their marketing materials. I've taken a page from one of my clients brand guidelines - Imago ScanSource (see below) and then below further, an advertisement where we have applied the typography rules. The main elements to notice are that Imago always use the font Dax for headings and Arial for body copy. Every time they use the fonts in this way they are strengthening their brand recognition and company image - an aspiration any company should have.
