Text Information & Media

Definition, Characteristics, Format and Types, Sources,

Advantages, Limitations and Values
Text as Visual
Media and Information Literacy
3rd Grading – Lesson 12.1 & 12.2

Reference: Design School: Type by R. Poulin & Graphic Design School by D. Dabner,
S. Stewart, E. Zempol, & A. Vickress
TYPE, TYPEFACE & TYPOGRAPHY
Type is the descriptive term used for
letterforms – alphabet, numbers, & punctuation
– that, when used together, create words,
sentences, and narrative form. The term
typeface refers to the design of all the
characters referenced above, unified by common
visual elements and characteristics. Typography
is designing with type.
TYPE CLASSIFICATION
HUMANIST (ex. Centaur)
• developed to mirror the hand-drawn Latin
letterforms of intellectuals and scribes of the time.
• Limited in their practical applications.
OLD STYLE (ex. Goudy Old Style, Minion Pro, Palatino Linotype)
• Based on Roman proportions
• Limited in their practical applications.
TRANSITIONAL (Bell MT, Perpetua, Times New Roman)
• Greatly influenced by improvements in printing
technology
• Designed to function as large bodies of continuous
book-scale text, and large-scale display settings
MODERN (Modern No. 20)
• used for large-scale titling and display purposes
• Not effective if sizing is small.
• Needs additional leading, kerning, generous margins,
and ample white space for enhanced readability.
SLAB SERIF (Bookman Old Style, Century, Playbill, Rockwell)
• Designed for new large-scale display needs
instead of book-scale text settings.
• They are one of the fonts that can work for
dark backgrounds if the color is white or
light.
SANS SERIF GROTESQUE
(Franklin Gothic, Letter Gothic, Haettenschweiller) )
• Can work in both small and large displays.
• Used for signwriting and architectural lettering.
SANS SERIF NEO-GROTESQUE (Arial, Impact)
• Function more effectively in small text compared
to other Sans Serifs.
• Can work in both small and large displays.
SANS SERIF GEOMETRIC
(Agency FB, Bauhaus 93, Berlin Sans FB, Century Gothic, Montserrat, Tw Cen MT)

• Developed to reflect the simplicity of pure geometric

form and are void of any historical reference and past
tradition.
• Suited for large-scale tilting and display purposes
SANS SERIF HUMANIST (Calibri, Myriad, Trebuchet, Gill
Sans)

• Good for continuous texts but is generally smaller

than other Sans Serifs.
• Compatible with classic Serif typefaces.
GLYPHIC (Trajan, Charlemagne, Lithos)
• Based on Roman inscriptional lettering.
• Primarily used for titling and display purposes.
• Majority of these do not offer lowercase forms.
SCRIPT
(Vivaldi, Kuenstler Script, Edwardian Script, Brush Script, French
Script, Lucida Calligraphy, Monotype Corsiva, Blackladder, Comic
Sans, Freestyle Script, Kristen, Lucida Handwriting, Mistral, Papyrus,
Pristina, Rage, Segoe Script, Viner Hand)

• Appears to be handwritten rather than sculpted or

drawn.
• Decorative and for text-scale settings.
• They were traditionally used for tilting and display
purposes
DECORATIVE
(Broadway, Copperplate, Algerian, Cooper Black, Curlz, Forte, Gabriola,
Jokerman, Stencil)

• Limited use at larger display rather than for text

setting
Blackletter (Goudy Text, Bastard, )
• Used as display-style for contemporary applications.
• It is used to communicate religious or political
contexts, as well as to communicate a sense of the
past.
TEXT AS VISUAL
DISPLAY TYPE
• Illustrate meaning by choice of font, type, size and
weight.
• Smaller type is meant of reading.
• Display type exploits the specific characteristics of a
given typeface.
SYMBOLISATION
• Type can stand in for objects.
• Objects that resemble images can replace letters.
FORM MATCHING CONTENT
Positions and forms in type arrangement must reflect
meaning and, as always, try to avoid cliches.
1. Verbs indicate action
2. Word repetition
3. Overlapping of characters
4. Distorting characters to break them up, blur or
roughen them.
5. Outlining or shadowing type.
6. Setting type along a curved path or circle
The title of the
book was
designed to evoke
an eye-chart, then
key areas were
blurred.

Designer used
meat stitched
together to bring
into life the
concept of
Frankenstein.
Shadows were
used to support
the idea of the
movie Shadow

Arrangement of
lines into a
grinning and
winking skull in
relation to a
commentary on
the statistics of
death for Mens’
Health