Typography In London

Typography in London

by Emily Wilson and Olivia Gibbs

Typography in London

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Abstract

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Introduction

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Section 1: Background

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Defining Typography and Calligraphy

The definition of Typography is the style, arrangement, or appearance of a type set matter. It is a word that encompasses all the types of writing and print that we see around us everyday. Calligraphy is artistic, stylized, or elegant handwriting or lettering. Each brushstroke of written text, weighs and conveys a different message. Master calligraphers not only write but they draw what they observe. Calligraphy is the reproduction of rhythms and movements of the world.

What is Typography?

Typography has changed a lot over the years, especially with the introduction of digital technology. With this change, typography has become something that everyone does almost every single day, even though most do not realize it. From the definition above you can see how typography is generally associated with the design and printing industry. The word "typography" itself is used to refer to the arrangement of any written material. Thanks to the advancements of technology everyone can be a typographer! The discipline of typography is the professional practice that is the mediator between the contents of the message and the readership. An example of this is when is come to the authority of typography. When a sign is put up by the government, such as road signs, and parking notices, they have consistent lettering which gives it authority. The consistency of the spacing and sizing of the letters is what gives it the authority. When someone writes something on a piece of paper, or on the wall such as no parking, and the spacing is off, the letters are different sizes, the inconsistency gives it a lack of authority. The same thing happens when a sign is not maintained, if letters are peeling off or it is faded it loses authority.

Conventions of Typography

While some typography is taught in schools, there is not usually and explanation of where all the conventions came from, and what the purpose of them is. Some of the conventions of typography include but are not limited to, how to draw and write letterforms clearly, how to present words, sentences, paragraphs, how to arrange text on paper, and how to provide emphasis. There are so many basic principles of typography that are often ignored, people realize the importance of these conventions when they go to make a flyer or poster, and see that they are not easily able to get the message across that they wanted to.

In the past many typographers believed that the discipline they participated in was an activity in which it was not possible to produce something that was correct. Typography used to be considered a discipline, where standards were set by professionals, and the goal was to reach that standard. When working this way, it does not leave much room for creativity, and therefore creates a right and a wrong way to do things. This process actually made the work of typography more complex. Efficiency however became of importance, and any changes you could make to speed up the process would save a lot of time. After World War II is when changes started to be made in the way the rules were followed. It was encouraged in schools to question the conventions, and people started to realize that there was not a need for rules and formulas in typography.

Work as a Typographer

There are many specialists in the area of typography who study the varying aspects of typography. There has been analysis of the letters of the alphabet and the forms that the letters take. The specialists include a wide range of people from type designers, art and design historians, manufacturers, etc. A typographer deals with everything on the page or screen and everything that many contribute to the effectiveness of the typographic information. They have to look at shape, weights, and sizes of individual letter forms, diacriticsdefine, punctuation marks and special symbols, the amount of space between characters, words, punctuation, the space between lines, the size of margins, the position, size, and weight of page headings and associated page numbers inside them, the selection figures, and reference material. A typographer not only looks at just characters, but also tables and diagrams, which can also require captions. The typographer goes even beyond the characters themselves and chooses the method of printing, the paper, and all the finishing elements including laminates, varnishing, creasing and binding.

When a typographer is trying to create the arrangement of text for a science textbook, or business card, they have to look at the relationship of social practice and spoken language to typography. How effective text comes across, or the understanding of why so many people hate filling out forms, is all a part of the work of a typographer. - Joseph Moxon wrote in Mechanick Exercises, “ A good [typographer] is ambitious as well to make the meaning of his author intelligent to the reader, as to make his Work shew graceful to the eye, and pleasant in reading: Therefore if his Copy be Written in Language he understands, he reads his Copy with consideration; so that he may get himself into the meaning of the Author, and consequently considers how to order his Work the better both in the Title Page, and in the matter of the books: As how to make his Indenting, Pointing, Breaking, Italicising &c. the better sympathise with the Author’s genius, and also with the capacity of the Reader.” add reference. In this quote Moxon had intentional capitalization, and punctuation that we are not used to seeing. When reading that quote those "mistakes" throw you off, and it shows the importance of the work of a typographer.

Aspects of Typography

With the many different aspects of typography including the terminology, the technology, the rule-bound conventions and micro-attention to details; it give people the impression that it is a discipline of much precision. Surprisingly though, there is very little about typography that is actually precision based, as there is not much written down about what is considered "necessary" when it comes to typography. If you want a very comprehensive font there is a basic range of characters that is used in any lengthy text that you will need. The characters include, capitols, lowercase, lining and nonlining numerals, punctuation, small capitals, diacritic characters, mathematical characters, currency symbols, referral characters, graphics such as bullets and braces, and ligatured define characters. They need to be in at least roman and italic, and at the very least in two weights. While it may require all those characters to make a very comprehensive font, there is no standard that describes what might be considered a font. A font could just be 26 characters and a few punctuation marks. If you want a comprehensive font, it could easily add up to more than 1,000 characters. Some fonts can contain more and some can contain less, which shows how every font is different. There are no standards having to do with the weight of characters, how many different weights needed, or how to measure and describe the weights. Even the angle of the italicized characters can differ slightly from font to font, there are some cases where the italicized version is just a sloped version of the roman characters.

While knowledge, experience, and practical limitations are what have “regulated” typography, there is a lot of room for interpretation. Typography is often known for precision and exactness, and many people appreciate that fact as it is something they can understand. Nowadays many typographers are taught that texts can be designed with a passion, and it is not all about exactness.

Using Fonts

Every time a typographer sees a new message they have a new problem to solve. They need to figure out what to use for the typeface, size, fit and arrangement, and its not easy as the typeface must fit with is purpose. The nature of font design is the result of a few factors including, historic, cultural, and technological advancements. Most of them however relate to the function for what the font was designed.

Speaking, Reading, and Writing Typography

Speaking is known as an informal activity, because you do not really pay attention to the efficient use of language when you are talking. The meaning of what you say can be repeated, rephrased, and elaborated using facial expressions and physical gestures, which cannot be done over written correspondence. Writing is known as a formal activity because it requires the efficient use of language, and should be able to function by itself, as you will not be able to see a visual response to show whether or not what you have written was understood. This is why often times over a message, if there is not correct typography chosen, there can be misunderstandings and confusion. Because writing is more formal, it is used in the cases of relaying and displaying very important information. Because the reader can go back to it as many times as they want written material can cover more complex subjects. Typographers have to be aware of how we use inflections, pace, and volume in our voices to show emphasis, expression, and even clarification in the printed word.

Studies that look into how we read are often seen as controversial as it is not easy to obtain information on what exactly is happening. When you test people after they have read something they can tell you about what they have read, which shows what material was retained but not how they read it. One thing that has been established though is that while we are reading our eyes do not follow a line of words in a straight, smooth, paced patters. Our eyes actually move in what is called saccades, or “the flick of a snail”. This is shown by looking at where the eye lands, which is called a fixation. When reading, the reader usually makes three or four fixations per second. Even though fixations are short, studies have shown that the eye and brain can recall between three or four letters, or a few short words, in just one hundredth of a second. Typographers take this into account when deciding which size type they should use. Readers are more efficient when they can identify more letters in each fixation, which tells typographers that the size font they use should not be any larger than necessary. Research shows that the agreed upon size for continuous text is between 10pt and 12pt font.

Calligraphy is the art of handwriting, or hand written typography. In Greek Calligraphy means “ beautiful writing” and is a huge art form in Asia, China, Korea, Japan, and Arabic speaking countries. In order for typographers to communicate effectively through handwriting, it is generally expected that the text will be conventional. Unique and complex text, will slow down the reader, which is why it is not often seen.

History of Typography

While there is no precise starting date when is comes to typography what we do know is that what was being taught in the 1900s was the result of publications that were seen half a century earlier. Handwriting is influenced by parents and teachers, so in typography you will see the past continually repeat itself. In a survey by Reginald Piggot, he found that 43% of people today still write in a civil service hand which is a simplified model of the Copperplate handwriting, which is a type of cursive handwriting. This type of handwriting was introduced to Great Britain in the 1860's and was taught in schools beginning in the 1920's. The handwriting we use today can be traced back to the letters and writing of Roman times and beyond. While typography has not changed drastically over time, it has changed to suite our current needs. Professor Julian Brown stated, “ The successive cursive scripts of western Europe have all been generated out of set scripts by the need to write quickly: pen-lifts have been eliminated, and new letter-forms have evolved more or less automatically. Once in being the cursives have been promoted from the world of day-to-day affairs and correspondence into the formal worlds of books and the solemn diploma; and when this has happened they no less than the set scripts, have been subjected to stylization, systematization and elaboration.”

In Business Settings

For many generations secretarial staff were the ones who produced all forms of documentation required for businesses and originations. This staff was usually made up of all females, and had its own structure of hierarchy, and was a large part of an organization. When personal or department secretaries started to come around, these people had the qualities that followed the rules of typing manuals. They used to be trained either in their houses or at colleges in the art of typewriting, shorthand, business conventions, and English. This book on personal type writing became an authority and a very useful tool. At first this book was not really useful to typographers until the creation of desktop publishing software. This book was useful to typographers because of the strict practices that were created for the limitations of the typewriter. When using a typewriter it made the text easier to read and insured that the space between each word and character was identical. You could even estimate how many pages where going to be required for the text, no matter the size or weight of the character.

When personal computers and advancements in technology came about so did new possibilities for typography. The standard for typography was being deviated from, and it opened up a world of more possibilities. One of the first examples of this was actually in London with the publication of Sniffin’ Glue, which was started by Mark Perry in 1976 and lasted just over a year. He made the first issue with just a children type writer and a felt-tip pen.

In 1984 came about what some call the “revolution” for typographers. With the creation of Apple, Adobe, and Aldus, typographers could create typographic designs on a computer. This new technology really opened up the creative ability of typographers.
While there are some differences between screen and print typography it is not about the font but rather how people use it. With printed typography, since there is a physical dimension added to it, there can be differences in texture, size, and weight as well as the finishing effects. When on the screen there is also the ability to be interactive and have audio or video components. The best apart about it is its ability to have constantly updated information.

Anatomy of Typography

As mentioned earlier there are a lot of different factors that go into making a good font, or a good form of typology. This section will explain this further.
Legibility is extremely important when designing a font. Mentioned earlier was readability, but legibility is different, its the ability of the letters to be distinguished from one another. One example of this is Edward Johnston's Underground font. It is important that all the letters are clearly legible in the fast paced environment, and that people are able to read the stations signs with names that they might not be familiar with. When you are looking for a legible typeface the characteristics include larger open or closed spaces, which means a larger x-hieght. You have to be careful with a lager x-height however because that means you will have shorter ascenders and descenders, and this can cause confusion between certain letters such as i and l. Large counters are also very important when it comes to being able to tell the difference between letters such as e, a, s, c, and o. The size of the font also plays into legibility. Many people cannot read small text, so if your font is 6pt or less most of your audience will not be able to read it. One last aspect that plays into legibility is the contrast between the background and the color of your font. If the tone of the two is close, then the text will be less legible. Something to keep note of is that when printing black ink on a glossy white, it will actually become less legible than printing it on matte paper, because of the reflection of light. Something which is very similar to legibility but slightly different is readbility.

When we learn how to read, we learn different skills which is necessary to read all the different categories of information. As talked about earlier the ability to read, and read quickly depends on the arrangement of letters. When there is a "surprise" in what font is used, it actually slows us down as it takes longer to process because we are not used to reading it. This is why there is a small range of fonts that is commonly used from school to the office today. As talked about earlier, every font is legible, and you can make it readable with practice, but it some fonts will always be less efficient to read than others. The best type of font you can have is a predictable font, as it always the reader to easily skim through the text. Not only how is something written important, but also the letters that make up the reading.

The alphabet we use is the latin alphabet, made up of 26 characters. Unfortunately it is not a great match for modern spoken English, we need more characters. Because of this fact only 75% of English spelling is predictable. The other 25% of words is made up of some of the most commonly used words in both written and spoken English. Spelling can with the emotion that needs to come with it. There are also many dictionaries for the same language, and they do not all agree on the spelling of words. For example in the English alphabet the u is still used in, colour and honour, which in the North American dictionary would be color and honor. When a typographer is working for an author they have to pay very careful attention to the spelling as they are responsible for the presentation of the text. Proofreading is a skill that while separate from typography is very important. Besides proofreading, there is another component to typography that can change the entire meaning of a sentence.

Most type fonts will include about 24 different signs of punctuation. The punctuation that we use today comes from what was used in classical rhetoric. At first punctuation was used when where there would be breaks or pauses in the spoken language. Now however it is used when there are spaces needed, or when it is the end of the statement. This change is what makes writing and speech different. Not only is what ends the sentence important, but so is the spacing between the characters.

Spaces in between letters, words, paragraphs, and statements can change the inflection of what is being written. The careful introduction of a space will cause a pause, and can be used to add effect. In academic writing you will see more space, as the spacing allows the writing to be thoroughly examined, which is necessary when people are using text for search. In novels you will notice there is less spacing, as the goal of the typographer is to continue the flow of the story. The spacing also influences the effect of punctuation, such as using exclamation points and question marks. When an exclamation point is used immediately after the last word ( last word!) it does not apply the same emphasis as if you were to use a space ( last word !). The same thing goes for a question mark, by adding in the space the punctuation now applies to the whole statement, rather than just the last word.

There is a lot more that goes into the anatomy of typography but these are some of the most important factors, that look at the different aspects of typography. As a typographer there is a lot that needs to be taken into account, even in just one sentence.

Learning Typography

There are three colleges for calligraphy in Britain, the East Surrey College, Regiate, Digby Stuart College, and the City of Guilds of London Art School. In order to effectively teach lettering you have to look at the person using it, and what the purpose is. Some lettering might be great for an adult, but very difficult for a child to use. A student can sit down with a copy book in front of them and learn a model type if a teacher helps them. When a student learns in this way though it then becomes difficult for them to break the mold that they learned and create a style that works well for them. In personal writing there are many shortcuts you can take, but they will vary depending on the person. When it comes to teaching typography and handwriting there are not guidelines for good or bad handwriting as that all depends on the eyes of the reader. There are also two professional associations for Calligraphy in Britain. There is the Society of Scribes and Illuminators which was founded in 1921 for “the advancement of the crafts of writing and illuminating by the practice of them for themselves alone” and the Letter Exchange which was formed in 1988 and is a group of designers, artists, and craftspeople who are “devoted to the professional expression of fine and imaginative lettering, to all its forms, to a wider audience”.

Edward Johnston

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Section 2: Deliverable

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