There are different ways that type functions as texture within a composition as well as how the spacing and placement of type affect the visual and verbal meaning of the type. Type, like an image, is abstract and visual in nature. Individual letters, words, and paragraphs are made up of a series of dots, lines, planes, and fields of texture. Designers can learn how to influence type to better support their verbal and visual message within a composition. While all type should be functional and legible, type doesn’t have to be boring. Typographic color describes the way that type is placed in a format, its rhythm, and its spatial and textural qualities. While the chromatic color of type also influences its texture, space, and meaning, typographic color refers only to the value of the type and not the hue itself. Typographic color separates type from the surface of the design and introduces the illusion of spatial depth.
Larger type appears closer to the reader, while smaller type recedes into the background. The size of type is measured in points and is controlled in the character panel in indesign. The larger type takes up more space, making it stand out more. The larger type standing out more also mimics our visual perception of the world, where objects that are closer to us are larger and objects that are farther away get smaller and smaller until we can’t even see them any more or tell what they are. It is standard in design that an 8-12pt font is appropriate for larger bodies of text. If the text becomes smaller than 8 points, it may be too hard to read easily, especially for screen viewing. Designers must also take into consideration how far away the viewer will be from the design when they are reading it. A flyer will probably be very close to your face when you are reading it, so you can have some type that is smaller, while a billboard will be viewed from a great distance away, so the type must be very large in order to read it. Type size supports the visual hierarchy in the way that the type that is the largest will draw the most attention and stand out first, and then the next largest, etc. You must keep in mind though that if type is too large, it may lose meaning as a letter and become more of a shape to your eye because the shapes, lines, and planes of the letter will stand out more. You must also make sure that your type isn’t all the same size, or it will be very hard to distinguish the visual hierarchy. But if your type is all the same size, like in a book, you can use spacing, bolding, and itilizing instead to create visual hierarchy and interest.
In a composition with a white (or light) background, lighter type will appear to recede into the background, while darker type will appear to be closer. This is because the darkest type will have the highest contrast with the background color, making it the most noticeable. This can be used to create depth and aid in visual hierarchy. For example, you may want your headline on a white background to be black, while the body copy is 75% black. This will help the viewer to see the headline first and then the body copy. The value of text can also be used to emphasize certain words or letters. With the body copy, you may have 75% black, but have a few words be in full black so that they stand out more against the paragraph. When you have a black or dark background, the opposite is true. The lightest text color will stand out the most, and the darker text colors will start to recede and blend in with the background color more.
Textural weight is affected by how thick or thin the individual letters of type are. Thicker type will appear to stand out more and have the effect of being louder and more heavy. The thinner type appears to stand out less and has the effect of being quieter and lighter. The weight can be changed by changing the style of the font. Some fonts have more style variations than others, but you can also create a different style manually by adding a stroke or changing the horizontal scale of the letters to be over or under 100% of the original.
Textural density is made up of a combination of space apart from letters and words, sizing, and weight. The closer together letters in a word are, the more dense they appear to be, and it gives the effect of being spoken faster. The farther apart the letters in a word are, the less dense they appear to be, and it gives the effect of being spoken more slowly. Words are more associated with one another when they are closer together, and this aids in understanding verbal messages in a design. Words that are farther apart from each other are more distinctive and are less associated with each other. It is important to make sure that words in a paragraph do not become too far apart vertically because there is a certain distance apart that makes the white spaces between the lines of type more distinctive. Spacing within a paragraph and word can be controlled by leading, tracking, and kerning. Placement of the type also affects the space in a design.
1.) Type Size
(Photo screenshotted from my Instagram. I do not own this material and am using it for informational purposes only.)
The phrase “I’m lovin’ it,” in this advertisement, immediately catches your eye, because it is the largest font size of all the type within the composition. You will notice “THE ANGUS THIRD POUNDER…GET YOURS TODAY!” next because it is the second largest type size in the composition. Next is the type on the bottom right corner, and then on the bottom left corner. The varying type sizes within this composition help to distinguish a visual hierarchy of information, break up different bits of information, and lead your eye down the layout.
2.) Type Value
(Photo screenshotted from my Instagram. I do not own this material and am using it for informational purposes only.)
The type in this composition appears to be either white (the lightest value) or black (the darkest value). Against the dark blue sky, “LISTERINE POWER TO YOUR MOUTH” stands out because the light value of the type has high visual contrast. Against the white label on the mouthwash bottle, “LISTERINE COOL MINT,” has very high visual contrast because it is the darkest value. The other information on the product does not stand out as much because the type is the lightest value against a lighter blue-green. The contrasting values of the type with the background colors help with visual hierarchy and create focal points that your eyes are drawn to.
3.) Type Weight
(Photo screenshotted from my Instagram. I do not own this material and am using it for informational purposes only.)
The type, “SKINCARE BUNDLES,” has the thickest characters within this composition. The thicker weight makes the phrase appear to be the loudest, standing out the most out of the other type. It is very in your face and noticeable compared to the other type. The other type that is thicker is the website. The thicker lines stand out against the other type even though it is not the largest type in the composition. The thicker lines add visual weight, making the type heavier, while the type, “DISCOUNT 20%,” has a very light weight because of the thinner lines. The varying type weights in the composition help to add contrast and visual interest and aid in the tone and cadence of the words.
4.) Type Spacing
(Photo screenshotted from my Instagram. I do not own this material and am using it for informational purposes only.)
The spacing around, within, and between the words in this composition helps to aid with reading comprehension, visual hierarchy, and direction in the composition. The type, “ANNA FARIS ALLISON JANNEY,” is placed very close to the type, “Mom.” This very close placement between the words lets you know that these two names are very closely related to the show title, presumably the names of the two ladies on the left. This lets you know that these are the leading actresses in the show. The other type on the bottom half of the composition is also grouped together to create a new idea, but they are spaced away from the title. This physical distance creates a differentiation of ideas and breaks up the information so it is easier to read and comprehend.
5.) Type Density
(Photo screenshotted from my Instagram. I do not own this material and am using it for informational purposes only.)
The type in this advertisement, “THE THING YOU WANT WHEN YOU ORDER SALAD,” appears to be very dense and heavy in the composition. The characteristics that make this type appear very dense are that the characters are very thick, large, and close together. The density makes the type pop out, takes up a lot of space, and almost creates a shape of its own. The type at the bottom of the composition, “I’m lovin’ it,” is very light, subtle, and has a low density. The type is very small, has thinner letters, and the letters are not as close together.