Typography should always support your concept and reflect its purpose. If the above is a traditional road sign, the first one feels a little more legible to a wider range of people from a distance. The bottom sign might be appropriate in special instances, but probably not Highway 101.
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Graphic adapted from Ellen Lupton’s Thinking with Type
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Research the typefaces you’re using and maintain thoughtful decisions as to how they relate to your content.
Building out a vocabulary for different type styles can help you see differences in type and find formal and conceptual qualities to connect to your design directions.
Serif, sans-serif or something else could be initial categorizations to narrow down your search
Considerations
Understanding the content that you’re going to design for is incredibly important. Like with the road sign example – it wouldn’t make sense to have an ornate typeface on a heavily trafficked highway.
Typography can help visualize the voice of the author.
Typography can also help connect the audience to the content.
What is the length of the text?
Typography as Voice
To deal with type is much the same as to control one’s voice:
Selecting typefaces as voice quality
Having a relationship with type in shape, size, volume as voice tone.
Setting layouts of type as voices in space and time.
Typographic design is visible as well as audible. If you have a great scenario, it is time to cast good actors.
Quote from: Hoon Kim,“Typography as Voice”, Computer Arts 167(2009)
Tips for Pairing Typefaces
Give each typeface a job
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When introducing different typefaces, use contrasting type to establish hierarchy. For example, above I’m using Lars Medium Extended – a medium, extended sans-serif as the headline and Portrait text, a serif typeface, for the body.Â
Do not pair similar typefaces
Limit Yourself to only a couple typefaces(unless you have a really good reason)
Typography Intro
Choose typefaces with intentionality and reasoning.
Considerations
Typography as Voice
Tips for Pairing Typefaces
Give each typeface a job
Limit Yourself to only a couple typefaces (unless you have a really good reason)