Words and Type

The written word is generally seen before it is read. Typographical layout sets the mood before a single word enters consciousness. Type not only sets the stage for the words message, but becomes the message. Type can explain an idea and visually become the idea. Designers use typography not only to inform, but to express.

Designer as Typographer as Interpreter

The designer is not just the obedient deliverer of a message but,

1. An interpreter where interpretation is central to the idea of communication.

2. A visual communicator

   1. to make information more attractive, more noticed, more read

   2. to enhance the tone of a message

   3. to make the message more legible, more readable

   4. to improve comprehension, retention

   5. to achieve emphasis of key points in a message

3. A problem solver

   1. employing the appropriate typeface and weaving it into a design well suited for the message, media, and audience