Typography: Learn the Foundation and Designs

Discover typography as the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing, and learn why it remains a foundational, sometimes overlooked element of design.

Clarify the difference between typeface and font, and show how type families like Myriad regular define weight and style in typography.

Learn the anatomy of a face in typography, covering cap height, x-height, descender, counters, and the arm and stem, with examples like the loop and baseline relationships.

Explore typography terminology such as size and cap height, tracking and kerning, leading, and font formats like OpenType and TrueType to understand how space and readability differ.

Explore serif and sans serif, two common typeface classifications distinguished by finishing strokes. Serif is traditional for body text in books and print, while sans serif has a modern appearance for screens.

Classify serif type styles into old style, transitional, modern (dawn), and display to understand their strokes and print applications. Note the examples: Times New Roman, Baskerville, Georgia, Century, and Madone.

Explore sans serif type styles, including grotesque, humanist, and geometric, noting contrast strokes, square feel of grotesque, and organic calligraphy in humanist designs. See examples like Avenir and Centuri Gothic.

Explore script and display type styles, detailing four script subtypes—Farman script, calligraphy, black letter, and Gushue—and the display category for signage and headlines, emphasizing strong typographic statements.

Develop typographic hierarchy by prioritizing size, using color to draw attention, and positioning text on the canvas to guide reading order.

Learn to choose fonts by aligning with the project’s industry, selecting appropriate font categories (serious, funny), and pairing complementary typefaces to add flavor, while trusting your design instincts.

Learn practical tips for combining fonts: choose a base with one contrast, avoid same-family pairings, and use variation in weight, size, and spacing, limiting to three fonts for balanced typography.

Discover two web tools to pair typefaces, including Google fonts selections like Montserrat with Bemba, and Luna with Boston-New, to craft heading and body text combinations for graphic design.

Learn how to download and install fonts from Google Fonts for web design. Use Montserrat, Railway, and Merriweather in projects.

Set up your workspace in Photoshop by arranging and snapping panels, customizing tools and color swatches, and creating a new document with the desired resolution and color mode.

Learn to navigate Photoshop's common tools, manage layers and groups, use selection tools, brushes, gradients, and shape editing to enhance typography design.

Explore common typography tools for creating and editing shapes, colors, and layers, using keyboard shortcuts to adjust corners, drag to constrain shapes, and save style adjustments.

Master the type layer in Photoshop by using the type tool, choosing fonts, adjusting color and alignment, managing paragraph boundaries, and applying layer styles and strokes for typography.

Explore warp and distortion in typography by adjusting bends, horizontal and vertical distortions, and refining spacing using guides.

Create text on a circular path by using guides and a center point, typing along the path, and adjusting the baseline to wrap text around the circle.

Plan a simple table graphic poster by selecting and highlighting key words, positioning text to reflect thinking, choosing legible typefaces, and preparing fonts in Photoshop.

Learn Photoshop typography basics by creating a poster with custom type, guides, and smart objects, and apply font, tracking, and decor ideas for a polished design.

Develop Photoshop typography techniques for poster design: group and duplicate elements, flip and mirror layers, apply pattern overlays and smart objects, then adjust size, alignment, and effects.

Design a logo in Adobe Photoshop using vector type and shapes to demonstrate typography foundations. Download free resources from the course materials via the resources tab to begin your project.

Learn the design process in Photoshop by building a custom canvas, applying white chunk 5 roman typography, adding a star shape, and using Illustrator vectors with basic layer transforms.

Design a third project in Adobe Photoshop by selecting a typeface for Grandi, using the word tool. Apply retro or vintage effects with a simple ornament to emphasize simplicity.

Learn the design process for creating a logo by setting up a canvas, enabling guides, arranging shapes and typography, and refining color, alignment, and blending.