Introduction to Typography

Typography is a field of graphic design used to give voice to the printed word. This introductory course will lead to the knowledge of creating and organizing letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs to visually communicate an idea, and aims to help develop your creative processes in new and powerful ways. Topics include the anatomy of letterforms, type history and classification systems, how to choose type, legibility, readability, and the expressive qualities of type. There will be discussions and critiques, slide show lectures, and demonstrations, as well as hands-on problem-solving exercises and assignments. While this is not a software-based course, there will be frequent use of Macintosh computers. Open to beginner and intermediate graphic designers or individuals developing their professional skills in visual communications.

Objectives:
To discover and utilize the expressive qualities of typography.
To learn basic typographic terms and their meaning.
Become familiar with the structural qualities of typefaces.
To learn the measuring units associated with type.
To learn the basic typeface classifications.
To explore ways of creating contrasting typographic voices.
To to see and understand typography as “visible language.”