User:Bryan Nguyen/Typography

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A Specimen of typeset fonts and languages, by William Caslon, letter founder; from the 1728 Cyclopaedia.

Typographic work

Typography (from the Greek words typos = form and graphein = to write) is the art and technique of setting written subject matter in type. It deals with letters, numerals, and symbols in printed text, and their forms, sizes, spacing, and position.

Typography is performed by typographers. It was once a specialized occupation, but the advent of computers has opened up typography to lay users and new generations of visual designers.

The principal goal of typography is the arrangement of text (subject matter) in a manner that is both easy to read and visually engaging. Visual interest is achieved through typeface selection, text layout, the color or tone of set matter, and the interplay of text with the page and graphical elements, all of which combine to give an "atmosphere," "feel" or "resonance" appropriate to the subject matter, comparable to paralanguage. With physical printed media typographers may also be concerned with paper selection, ink choice, and printing methods.

Typographers employ a number of common techniques, or conventions, to achieve eye-pleasing, legible results. Note, however, that these may depend on the culture (language, country). As an example, it is customary in French to insert a non-breaking space before a colon (:) or semicolon (;) in a sentence, while in English it is not.

Contrast typography with orthography and typeface design. Typography is the representation of a writing system in printed symbols, while orthography is the correct use of spelling, punctuation and capitalization according to established practice. Typography is an important element of graphic design where there is both concern for legibility and an interest in using type in an artistic manner.

1 History
- 1.1 Renaissance
2 See also
3 References
4 Supporting organizations
5 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Renaissance

The printing press was invented in the height of the Renaissance, with Johann Gutenberg credited as the inventor of movable type in Europe. His printed Bible, known as the 42-line Bible, was set in a form of blackletter called textualis. The printing press revolutionized the concept of the book during the Middle Ages, replacing manuscripts written by monks in monasteries.

By 1500, approximately 1100 Gutenberg presses were operating in Europe. In Germanic countries, the dominant typeface was blackletter.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Bringhurst, Robert (2002). The Elements of Typographic Style (version 2.5). Vancouver: Hartley & Marks. ISBN 0-88179-133-4. Often referred to simply as Bringhurst, it is widely respected as the modern authority on typographic style for the English language (excerpts).
(French) Lexique des regles typographiques en usage `a l'Imprimerie nationale, Imprimerie nationale, 2002, ISBN 2743304820, for French typography