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Foundations of Typography
John Hersey

Foundations of Typography

with Ina Saltz

 


Good typography can add tremendous power to your design and your message, whether it is a print- or screen-based project, a still or motion graphic, a 3D or 2D graphic. This course explains good typographic practices, so that you can develop an "eye" for type and understand how to effectively use it. Author Ina Saltz explains type classifications (serif vs. sans serif, display type vs. text type), how type is measured, sized, and organized, and how spacing and alignment affect your design. She also explains how to use kerning, tracking, leading, and line length, and covers the history and current trends in typography. The course teaches the principles of legibility, readability, and compatibility, and how they should be considered when you're selecting and designing with type.
Topics include:
  • What is typography?
  • Differentiating type characteristics
  • Using ornamental and decorative type
  • Combining typefaces
  • Using contrast and scale
  • Kerning and kerning pairs
  • Choosing the optimum line length
  • Aligning and spacing characters, words, and paragraphs
  • Understanding factors affecting legibility
  • Working with three-dimensional type
  • Putting type in motion

show more

author
Ina Saltz
subject
Design, Typography, Design Skills
level
Beginner
duration
2h 23m
released
Feb 01, 2013

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Ina Saltz

Ina Saltz

Ina Saltz is an art director, designer, writer, photographer and Professor (at The City College of New York) whose areas of expertise are typography and editorial publication design. She has written over fifty articles on design and typography, contributed to five books by Steven Heller, and authored fifteen essays for Phaidon's Archive of Graphic Design.

Ina served as the Design Director at Time Magazine (International Editions), Worth Magazine, Golf Magazine and others. She was one of the first art directors to work on a computer at Time Inc's Teletext Project. Ina frequently lectures on topics related to magazine design and typography and has chaired, co-chaired, and judged numerous design and typography competitions. She is a two term board member of the Type Directors Club.

Ina is the author of the Body Type series of books on typographic tattoos, as well as Typography Essentials: 100 Design Principles for Working With Type. She is a co-author of Typography Referenced: A Comprehensive Visual Guide to the Language, History and Practice of Typography, named one of the best eleven reference books of 2012 across all subject matter by the American Library Association.

Ina lives in New York City with her husband. She has no pets or tattoos, but she does have favorite typefaces (Requiem, Bickham Script, and Franklin Gothic No. 2) and favorite characters (&, Q, Z, and R).
Course Title   Level   Duration   Released  
Foundations of Typography Beginner 2h 23m 02/2013  {8}

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