I remember in my high school graphic design class, we watched a video praising Helvetica and slamming Comic Sans and Papyrus. At first I was a little hurt because I liked Comic Sans. I used to look through every font in Microsoft Word trying to find one that displayed letters (especially “a” and “t”) the way that I wrote them and Comic Sans was the only one. But the more I became aware of type, the more I understood. I do believe Comic Sans has its place, however just very specific places. Typography is very powerful, especially when used correctly, and I find it fascinating.
Read more: Intricacies of TypographyFrom serifs vs sans-serifs, to weight, to leading and kerning, typography has a lot more going on than most people realize. Type needs to look good, it has to fit the vibe of the content, and it needs to be legible. Combining multiple fonts in one space can be even more challenging, making sure they are different enough to warrant using both, while having enough similarities for them to look cohesive.
It is important to remember leading and kerning when using type. Many times, I think the font I am using is not going to work because it looks scrunched, but utilizing those adjustments can make a huge difference in legibility.
I also find it interesting how quickly technology went from having limited fonts to seemingly endless, even being able to adjust so many variable ourselves through Wakamai Fondue. Even how typefaces can be designed specifically for the web or print. And that it all started with the introduction of the printing press.
Aside from simply conveying blocks of text, I also find it fascinating that type can be used to create images as well. I watched Paula Scher’s video in one of my classes last semester and have been thinking about ever since. It is 40 minutes long but absolutely worth the watch.
I am a history nerd and remember learning about the printing press growing up, however there is so much more to it than I previously thought. I used History.com’s Printing Press article as a refresher/reference and thought I would share some of its history.
The oldest known printed book, The Diamond Sutra, that has been discovered was found in China from the Tang Dynasty (around 868 A.D). It was printed using hand carved wooden blocks. While this was effective for mass printing the same book, the letters could not be arranged; this is when the printing press came in. While many believe the printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenburg in 1440, the oldest known moveable type was created by Bi Sheng around 1041. His clay-based press was mentioned in a book, Dream Pool Essays, written by Shen Kuo in 1086.
Gutenburg introduced metal-based letters, and introduced molds to mass produce more letter blocks. This made book printing, especially the Bible, take off in Europe during the Holy Roman Empire, eventually contributing to the split of the church. 21 copies of his Bible, in Gothic type, have survived to this day. While his original printing press and the design of it is lost, we do know what it had become by around 50 years later.
