The Fundamentals of Typography

Gavin Ambrose is a practising graphic designer. His current commercial practice includes clients from the arts sector, publishers and advertising agencies. Paul Harris is a freelance writer and editor. His work has appeared extensively in magazines and journals on both sides of the Atlantic.

Introduction. Type and language: The alphabet; Early printing; 1800s; The Arts and Crafts Movement; The early twentieth century; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; Graphic design since 2000; Case study; Typography task. A few basics: Typefaces and fonts; Typeface anatomy; Relative and absolute measurements; X-height; Basic terminology; Majuscule and minuscule; Set width; The baseline grid; The Golden Section; The Fibonacci sequence; Dividing the page; Standard paper sizes; The page - how we read; Case study; Typography task. Letterforms: Type families; Typeweight variations; Frutiger's grid; Types of serif; Fractions; Superscript and subscript; Numerals; Diacritical marks; Punctuation; Drop and standing capitals; Dashes; Character spacing; Expert sets and special characters; Small capitals; Ligatures, diphthongs and sans serif logotypes; Italic and oblique; Type classification systems; Newspaper text faces; Case study; Typography task. Words and paragraphs: Calculating line lengths; Kerning; Automated kerning tables; Alignment; Word spacing, hyphenation and justification; Type detailing; Leading; Indents; Indexes; Case study; Typography task. Using type: Hierarchy; Colour; Surprint, overprint; knockout and reverse; Printing and type realization; Type on screen; Grids and fonts; Generating type; Vectors and rasters; Legibility and readability; Texture; Type as image; Concrete poetry, typograms, trompe l'oeil and calligrammes; Humour; Environmental typography; Vernacular; Appropriation; Ownership; Case study; Typography task. Conclusion. Glossary. Index. Contacts. Working with ethics.