Typography

The term typography or typography (Greek τυπογραφία typographia of τύπος typos, blow ',' print ',' figure ',' type ' and tomography ) can be applied to several areas. In a narrower sense, the typography refers to the art and the craft of printing in the movable type (types) the texts are composed, especially in high-pressure process. In media theory, typography is printed font as opposed to handwriting ( Chirografie ) and electronic and non- literal texts. Most Typography referred to today, however, the design process, which is applied by means of text, pictures, lines, planes and space on typographic printing and electronic media, regardless of movable type (typography for digital texts). Typography includes not only the design of the layout and design of magazines. Rather, you can extend the term to the correct selection of the paper or the binding and even speak of typographic or calligraphic calligraphy typography.

The design features of the pleading of a printed page is divided into macro and micro typography typography. The art of the typographer is to combine these design features in a suitable manner.

Microtypography

The micro- typography or typographic detail (Greek μικρός " the small, slight, subtle " ), designing the following subtleties of the pleading:

• The font to small caps and ligatures
• The tracking (which are the letters spacing and character spacing ), the word spacing
• The correct use of punctuation

Macro typography

This is the overall configuration of a printing or website. These include

• The page size,
• The type area,
• Line width, spacing ( leading) and number,
• The layout of the page and the text,
• The placement of figures and tables in the text,
• The ratio of the font to figures and tables,
• The font size and
• The writing awards.

Basic elements in the pleading are

• The line for the horizontal writing direction,
• The column or the column for the vertical writing (→ set of columns ).

The individual elements of the page layout should be coordinated in a fruitful way; the choice of font size and the correct positioning of figures, graphs and tables is particularly important here, and it depends on the harmonious layout of printed and unprinted area: One side may act neither overweight nor bald. Helpful here is the so-called grid typography and typographic elements are arranged according to a pre-made design grid.

Another term for macro typography layout, where the term layout is much more specific in the rule.

History

The history of typography is closely linked to the development of the scriptures and the changing ( re) production potential of printed texts; in the meantime the digital media. For more information, found in the article history of typography.

Application of Typography

Typography can fulfill the purpose to clarify the content, purpose and appearance of a work. You can support the statement of the text visually, good readability for many typographers comes first.

Typographers try visual appearance of a work designed with the content ( message ) to reconcile or to convey a subliminal other message that may well contradict the content of the text. They use stylistic devices, such as clear structure or reduction, which would be useful for example in a warning, or they illustrate irony about having intends poor readability. Possibilities of typographic design are traditionally the use of different fonts, font sizes, and award types, the choice of the set width ( line length ) of the line Falls, the type area within the paper format, the selection of the correct paper and much more.

Among the application areas of typography include not only the design of quantity texts in novels or nonfiction (factory set) especially the display settings. These include business stationery ( letter sheets, business cards, forms), advertising materials (flyers, brochures, posters ) or family stationery ( invitations).

The typographic design professional typographers take into account the orientation of the user, the assessment of the target group (s ), the specific conditions of the medium for which is designed to " Ortho typography " (ie the correct typographic form), as well as different ways of reading, with whom readers texts encounter various kinds.

In the typography of a Roman text, for example, usually pay attention to a uniform and smooth flow of reading. To be emphasized phrases or words to be emphasized rather decent through integrated typestyle. These include small caps, italic, or sections of a font.

The " informational reading " (eg in newspapers or online portals ) in contrast, assumes a typographic implementation, the contents can already classify flying over before deeper levels of text - are offered - often in smaller font sizes.

Was typography since Gutenberg part of the expertise of the printer and typesetter, it is now an important part of the education of a graphic designer, media designer for digital and print and similar professional groups. Especially the new media and designing websites presented typographers new challenges such as the issue of usability and functionality. By now, today almost everyone on the computer to create documents or its homepage and be typographic works. Whether Typography is an art, however, in the proper sense, is controversial among experts. Kurt Weidemann ( inter alia designer of the typeface of Daimler) asserts, for example, that typography as an art " inconsequential " is, since it arriving on restraint in favor of readability and the intended effect of the document in the reader and it is just not a self-realization of the designer go.

Units of measurement

• In traditional printing applies in Germany, on the continental Europe and in many other parts of the world largely the French system of measurement, so Cicero and Didot point. In addition, other systems of measurement are used.
• In computerized printing industry is now the world's English system of measurement with Pica and DTP point.

Letters and other typographical elements are measured with the Typometer. A detailed presentation can be found at font size.

As part of the conversion to phototypesetting an attempt was made to determine the point at exactly 375 microns. In practice, however, sat in the computer science through the DTP point.

Legal Issues

In Germany, typographic fonts are subject to the taste pattern similar character law. The stronger copyright law applies to such writings, otherwise than required by foundries, however, or only in special cases of extreme design height as initials fonts that already go towards painting. The same might be said of manuscripts and calligraphy. It is sometimes disagreement about whether the typographical uniques are not addressing themselves as calligraphy. Copyrights may, however, of fonts ( computer fonts ) when the hinting program that ensures the aesthetic presentation even at low resolutions, sufficient level of creation has as a computer program. In addition, the font names are subject to trademark law. A text block or music engraving image as such is neither copyright nor the design right, and if a power protection under the Act against Unfair Competition (UWG ) which is disputed.