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How’08 Day 3: Part 3

10 Secrets of Typography.


10 Secrets of Typography

Well it turns out there are only 4. But the error’s easily forgiven since Allan Haley from Monotype brought a ton of useful tips and examples on how to woo your audience with type.

The basic run-down flows like a mating ritual:

  • Get Noticed
  • Romance the Reader
  • Be Provocative
  • Build Commitment

He had tips like:

  • embrace “white” space
  • play with punctuation create shapes and games to involve the reader
  • create clever crops
  • supersize it (but be careful with serif fonts)
  • use a non-font
  • hold attention by making paragraphs short and columns narrow
  • be consistent (especially applicable to multi-page documents)
  • sweat the details like rags, kerning and character usage

In short, build a relationship with the reader and somehow make it fun.

typetricks.jpg
One of the many examples Mr. Halley delighted us with

Now the learnin’ part of today’s over for me, I might take a nap before tonight’s Black & White party. Yeah right! Apple store here I come!

Andrew Davies

Drew's degrees in Illustration, 2D animation and Broadcast Design, and his volleyball skillz mean he can get your design done and play well with others at the same time. He’s the Creative Director at Paragon and will call you out if you start hanging out with shady-looking fonts and messing around with whacked-out color palettes.

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