Introductory Education in Typography

Abstract

Design schools which deal with typography are plagued with inviable conventions, the phase out of typography as a handcraft, and an inaccessibility to the potentials of the newer, more complex, typesetting systems. Typographic form is being taught in terms of outdated mechanics and popular fashions; no teaching methodology exists which will transcend the technical and stylistic and deal only with the generically perceptual or visual. The author shows examples of a simple typography exercise regarding simplicity and complexity, rhythmic structure, coherency, convention, unpredictability, legibility and readability.