“[Typography is] the art of printing from movable type, including expert planning of type and size, composition and layout, to make a balanced and attractive set “(Google Online Dictionary).
Movable type had to be set by hand for more than 400 years before typewriters and computers. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that automatic type setting became available. It’s clear that Gutenberg’s mobile typesetting had a huge impact on communication around the world.
Typography has advanced to the point where an artist can choose from a wide variety of fonts for written communication or design elements. Typography is everywhere; It is seen in artistic designs used for publications and is found in functional computer-based products such as telephones, remote controls, and microwaves.
Since current software can convert typography to “outlines” as in Illustrator; or in Flash, fonts can “break”; this was also a breakthrough for typography, because the internet recognizes * digitally converted fonts * as artwork and not typography. The digital conversion of typography to art is important to today’s technology, because artistic or unknown fonts (not digitally transformed into art) do not have to be converted to predetermined fonts by end-user computers.
Since decorative typography creates shapes in designs, it can be arranged to be a focal point or used to create texture. When decorative typography becomes the focal point, it goes way beyond what graphics can do in visual communication. In most circumstances, graphic designs are second best after decorative typeface, especially in layouts, because decorative typeface becomes part of written communication. In general, the written word is easier to understand when compared to graphic elements and editorial illustrations; And most of the time, the graphics are not as accurate as we want them to be. Although a picture is worth a thousand words, graphic misinterpretations are likely to occur compared to direct written communication.
When stylized fonts harmonize with the intended meaning behind them, they can give a stronger impact to what is being communicated. Stylized fonts can clarify or confuse the meaning of the written word, so be careful when choosing fonts in your designs. Without a doubt, the art of typography is an art unto itself! (revised 02/13/2006)
