my thoughts:
I have learnt in the past that hierarchy, colour, appropriate use of font play huge part in success of any ID. And this article reassures those truths:
"Buff up your body copy and sculpt your letterforms. Seven leading designers share their tips for truly honed use of type with Alice Ross.
Typography for print
Pick up a pencil“[The most important things in a typographer’s toolkit are] a printer and a pencil – don’t check tracking and kerning onscreen. I always print everything, and then I have a shorthand for fixing the tracking, which I mark on the paper, then reprint and recheck.” Ben Reece
Use the right font for your purpose
“Some typefaces will never work for long stretches of copy, but it’s surprising how often inexperienced designers fail to realise this. Using headline fonts for text instead of those that are more appropriate [is among the most common errors she sees]. This can sometimes
work when it’s for a particular effect – but not in every typeface.” Laura Meseguer
Use small caps
“I like to use bold small caps to highlight and accentuate text. This makes a subtle highlight that doesn’t stand out too much, and it looks different and elegant. Officially, I think it’s verboten,” Ben Reece
Play with vertical spacing
"[Go to town on] the space between lines, and the handshake between ascenders and descenders.” Rick Valicenti
Establish your hierarchy
“First, I need to understand the different roles of the text involved… Choosing or creating typefaces, defining styles, selecting body sizes and defining the relationships of various elements is part of this process, but so is the balance between white and black on the page.” Laura MeseguerSprinkle variety
“Think of the hierarchy of your page as a conversation at a party with the viewer. Make something stand out, and pepper the body text with visual reminders that this is an interesting conversation.
“Break up the boring small talk with a visual arrangement, pace and elements that keep us interested. If your page looks like a good-looking, interesting person you want to talk to for a while, it’s working.” Ben Reece
Is a typeface versatile enough for your needs?
“Many fonts can be bad choices in any context if they’re poorly spaced, not hinted or lack the range of characters needed for most typesetting tasks. In an ideal world we should be choosing typefaces that have multiple weights and perhaps form part of a larger family to make for easier pairing; and font files that contain a wide range of glyphs – to include a variety of symbols and international characters – and are well hinted for optimum display across multiple scenarios.” Elliot Jay Stocks
Turn two fonts into one
“I was working on a large publication’s logo redesign recently. This was a very drawn out process. First, I squeezed the letterforms of two different typefaces to around 80 per cent of their width. I then slowly began reworking the shape of one to match the other, carried over an adjusted version of the original serif shapes, thickened the thicks and thinned the thins. It’s all a game of balance, where context and function inform my every move.
“It’s relatively common for me to adjust a typeface, though I’d never just push and pull. I’d lock a type layer at 30 per cent opacity and recreate the curves myself, adding elements along the way.”Darren McPherson
Keep it in proportion
“What people consciously notice is that a font may have a specific texture, which is achieved by manipulating proportions in a certain way or possibly creating hybrid stylistic features within the typeface.
“Of course, some can be achieved by adding design details, though these are rarely noticed in detail at smaller sizes. They do affect the rhythm and texture of the font, though.” Bruno Maag
Don’t underestimate the importance of type
“Perhaps the biggest change in the past two or three years is that type has gone from an afterthought to a core element of design. The ‘typography out’ approach means that decisions regarding typeface choice, font size, leading and measure dictate the proportions used in the rest of the design, and really this is what we should’ve been doing all along.” Elliott Jay Stocks
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