The language of lettering

Typography and visual communication

Typography is about making text and information more visually pleasing. The choice of design features can make it more and

In marketing and branding, typography helps a company to communicate with their audience. A strong design is instantly recognisable and has great power when companies are trying to compete.

Certain connect to the purpose or values of a company. The colour scheme, size and proportion of the letters will play an important role.

Principles of design

The different principles of design all apply to typography:

Principle	Detail and example
Balance	Getting the balance right of a typeface will help legibility.
Contrast	For example, bright text against a dark backdrop or vibrant against a pale background. Contrast can draw attention to a certain part.
Emphasis	Drawing attention to text by using bold or highlighting, for example.
Proportion	Adjusting size. Larger items appear more important. Spacing of text is important to make text legible.
Repetition	Using repeating patterns or shapes can add interest - for instance, using a certain shape or line type as the basis for a lettering design.
Negative space	The empty space between letters is called kerning, and changing this affects the overall appearance of a typeface.
Uniformity	Elements that work well together. This can be colour, tone, pattern, shape, scale and composition. Using consistent elements such as x-height makes a typeface more uniform.

Principle	Balance
Detail and example	Getting the balance right of a typeface will help legibility.

Principle	Contrast
Detail and example	For example, bright text against a dark backdrop or vibrant against a pale background. Contrast can draw attention to a certain part.

Principle	Emphasis
Detail and example	Drawing attention to text by using bold or highlighting, for example.

Principle	Proportion
Detail and example	Adjusting size. Larger items appear more important. Spacing of text is important to make text legible.

Principle	Repetition
Detail and example	Using repeating patterns or shapes can add interest - for instance, using a certain shape or line type as the basis for a lettering design.

Principle	Negative space
Detail and example	The empty space between letters is called kerning, and changing this affects the overall appearance of a typeface.

Principle	Uniformity
Detail and example	Elements that work well together. This can be colour, tone, pattern, shape, scale and composition. Using consistent elements such as x-height makes a typeface more uniform.

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Typography - OCRThe language of lettering