Typography is a subject you can easily fall in love with. It is an art of its own and if played cleverly with doesn’t need accompanying visuals. In this blog post, we’ll share with you what we’ve learnt from experience, reference images and other people – stuff that can help you design bigger and better in typography. So read on and get typing! (Bonus links at the end of the post) 
1. Use legible fonts in readable layouts:
Legibility and readability are two terms that define the clarity of the “letters/alphabets” in the typeface and the overall easiness with which the viewer can read the text respectively. Legibility is the responsibility of the typeface (font) artist whereas readability is achieved through layout, colour schemes, font size and many other factors by the layout (or graphic) designer.
2. First and last letters: Check the rhythm and harmony between the first and last letters of the word. In the following image see that the two “L”s and “s”s in “letters” and “simple” balance each other’s weight.
3. Number of letters: Count the letters in the word. Sometimes, even and odd numbers of letters can be played around with for interesting results.
3. You’ve got to mean it: Having a command over the language of the words gives you bonus points. The more you understand the word, the better will it be for you to choose an appropriate font for it according to its “feel” and “meaning”.
4. Use your serifs wisely: Serif fonts are usually used to represent classic works and old scripts. Use sans serif fonts to depict new age, modernism and advancement.
5. Caution! Vertical type ahead: When using vertical types make sure they are arranged in a manner that doesn’t lead the eye out of the design. You can flip the vertical letters to face the rest of the text in the design to make sure that the eye is led into the design rather than following the text out of it.
6. Make it a part of the design: Text should be embedded into the design in such a way that the end result should look natural. For example, if text is being pasted on a wall, it should look as if soemone painted it there. This makes the design believable and awes the viewer.
7. Guide the eye: Remember that the human eye enters any design from the top left corner of the layout. It moves around the layout, guided by the design elements, and generally leaves at the bottom if not guided otherwise.
8. Don’t make it a clutter: Use font families to differentiate between headings and other body copy. When using font combinations, look out for fonts that gel with each other or fonts that compliment each other.
9. Create a font library of your own: Make folders titled “bold”, “curly”, “straight”, “script”, “ancient” etc. and save fonts in these folders. This way it will be easier for you to browse through your library and pick an appropriate font for logo making or other designing.
Frederick Goudy said, “Of all the achievements of the human mind, the birth of the alphabet is the most momentous.”
So let’s use this great achievement and take it to a whole new level!
See these websites to download amazing free fonts: www.dafont.com, www.fontsquirrel.com, Abstract and grungy fonts, Fontex.org
