<Exploring Typography: A Journey Through Design Techniques>
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Words hold significance, or so the saying goes. Among my favorite typographic works are those that utilize typography not just to convey a message but also as a fundamental element around which the design revolves. Letterforms possess equal importance as graphic components, representing language itself. By encouraging type to fulfill multiple roles within a composition, you can significantly enhance the quality of your work.
Typography is an ever-available resource, regardless of the project or medium at hand. No matter the imagery, the quality of the text, or the chosen typeface, if you approach typography as a structural tool, you will consistently find ways to add depth to your designs. This mindset pushes you to look beyond basic typesetting and explore new avenues for interaction and storytelling through typography. It also prompts you to contemplate the inherent qualities of each typeface you select, seeking connections between its visual design and the message you wish to convey.
I’ve gathered some of my favorite designs that exemplify this approach and categorized them by common themes. Let’s delve into these examples!
Type Informing Grid
Using one typographic element to influence other design components
Let’s begin with an outstanding example. Jessica Svendsen’s poster for Exhibiting Architecture: A Paradox? is among several stunning posters she created for a Yale Architectural series (we’ll touch on another one shortly).
When we analyze this design abstractly, we can observe how Svendsen employs the vertical lines formed by the 3D extrusion of the display type to establish a grid that the accompanying text aligns with. This method instills a sense of order, even amidst the flowing lines of the question mark—evident as the question mark intersects many of the same grid lines organizing the lower section. This structural approach harmonizes the two halves of the design, despite their stark differences in style, perspective, and scale. While modernist posters typically feature “hero” graphical elements or typography with gridded type above or below, few examples build connections between primary and secondary elements as effectively as Svendsen does with this piece.
The relationship between the three-dimensional space and the flat typography below injects a sense of movement, dimension, and scale into the design that would be absent if the dominant type were also flat.
Lessons to Remember
A single object can serve as the pivot for your design’s structure. Design often unfolds in layers. If your design is best represented by a singular focal point, address that first, and then determine how your typography and secondary elements can connect back to that focal point.
Consider not just the type you select, but how you present it. Typography doesn’t have to exist in just one dimension or texture. Explore ways to incorporate variety into the aesthetic elements of your typographic work, and remember to create bridges between different styles.
Eric Hu excels at merging typefaces, often revealing more order in his compositions than meets the eye. This poster showcases two typefaces—the slender, italicized Glossy Display and an unusual grotesque (note how short the numerals appear compared to the letterforms)—typeset to highlight its awkwardness. Hu strategically uses italics to establish structure and connect the two text styles. In the upper half of the design, the leading of the italic aligns with the full height of the grotesque, while in the lower half, the numerals occupy the space created alongside the descending “g” in “Virginia.”
Examining the type abstractly reveals the composition’s skeletal structure. The dots in the italic type are perfectly round and appear overly mechanical compared to the fluidity of the other letters. Positioned at the cap line, they feel almost entirely detached from the petite lowercase letters below. This creates confusion—what typeface do they belong to?—while simultaneously linking the two layers, serving as both letterform elements and spatial points to unify the composition. It’s also a clever way to introduce geometry into a purely typographic design, alongside the “+” and squared colon. This serves as a reminder that typefaces incorporate numerous symbols that can fulfill purely graphic roles.
Working in this manner allows you to focus on one text grouping to initiate your design, then build complexity by contrasting it. Hu could have easily chosen a more chaotic approach given the overlapping text, but he opted instead to utilize both positive and negative spaces created by the italic phrases to complete the design. The result establishes a clearer foreground/background relationship between the two typefaces, appearing polished while maintaining the “imperfections” that prevent it from feeling overly formal or precious. This exemplifies the concept of “Making and Breaking the Grid.” The areas where the type interacts and overlaps become more impactful due to the restraint exercised in other parts of the poster.
Lessons to Remember
Make cascading typographic decisions. This design illustrates that you can work this way without needing a “hero” element. Sometimes it’s simply about deciding the approximate placement, leading, and color of one phrase, initiating a series of small decisions that culminate in your final design.
Look for ways to blend typographic elements to unify different typefaces. The way Hu integrates the dots in Glossy Italic with the grotesque is remarkable, reminding us that many disparate typefaces have subtle details that can connect them. Recognize the power of this when mixing typefaces.
Bigger isn’t always better. Typography can inform structure and grid, even in the presence of imagery or when two typefaces of similar hierarchical weight interact. Don’t assume this can only be achieved with massive display type.
No contemporary designer employs type to inform composition as effectively and skillfully as Jessica Svendsen. If you follow the Font Review Journal, you’ll know I’ve previously discussed this piece, which remains one of my favorite examples of typographic design. Svendsen utilizes Maelstrom—a reverse-contrast slab-serif—as the backbone of the design, but she didn’t settle for the typeface’s initial form.
The poster features subtle modifications to the typeface that reinforce a grid within the display type and guide the typographic elements cascading around the design’s edges. Before delving into that, let’s address a more fundamental decision: right-aligning the text. When you take Maelstrom and stack the letters similarly to the poster but left-aligned, it doesn’t feel satisfying. It creates trapped space—especially to the left of the A and beneath the Y’s arm. Right alignment allows for more interesting areas in the margins, driven by the “scoop” of the Y pulling the left edge inward while the A expands outward a few lines later. This shaping likely influenced the choice to pull the last two lines of text away from the right edge, ensuring the A transitions cleanly from the L above.
Svendsen allows the display type's form to guide the edge composition. “2014 FALL” fills the negative space beneath the Y's extended arms, while the A seals off the bottom edge of the left section. The circular Y badge nestles into the H, preventing further trapped space.
I spent time overlaying the standard Maelstrom against Svendsen’s final design to grasp the modifications she made to refine it. This showcases how meticulous attention to detail can enhance an idea while addressing practical issues (my recreations are merely approximations and lack the precision of the original). The red represents Maelstrom, the blue illustrates Svendsen’s version, highlighting differences in the overlaid version where colors intersect.
The R’s leg has been drawn in to align with the CH, solidifying the base for the type. The outer edges of the slab serifs have been subtly refined, ensuring each line is clearly related to those above and below it.
Many of Maelstrom’s distinctive “flag” details were removed or repositioned to create negative space and enhance airflow throughout the design, preventing it from feeling overly dense. In contrast, an alternate typeface would have created a wedge effect in the middle of the design, hindering any potential relationship between the two halves.
The line breaks in the tertiary type that runs along the margins are often influenced by the display type, particularly noticeable in the top right, where the LECTURES subheading pivots off the A’s serif (this becomes more apparent in the abstracted diagram). This choice is serendipitous, as that subheading is crucial for contextualizing the poster—it outlines half of the series schedule. The A’s serif guides your attention to the subheading, ensuring it doesn’t get lost in the design.
Lessons to Remember
Choosing the right typeface isn’t enough. Considerable effort went into making Maelstrom work in this poster. Much of typographic design involves understanding various typefaces intimately and allowing yourself the freedom to experiment with them. I frequently use the term “sculpting” when discussing this poster, and it aptly describes typography in general. Each typeface, even the ideal one, serves as just a starting point. It’s your task to refine it.
Use display type as the framework for your design. When you commit to using large, display type, let its form dictate the rest of the composition. Utilize what it offers and determine how to navigate the creative constraints it presents.
Type as Representation
Rendering type as a manifestation of an object or concept.
Typography as structure can also serve metaphorical purposes, visually representing the text beyond mere page arrangement. A clear example is found in this advertisement designed by Donald Egensteiner, where the word “Tonnage” is depicted in a way that suggests it possesses actual weight. The typography assumes a tangible presence within its environment, employing real-world concepts to influence the behavior of the remaining text, thus enhancing its relatability and reinforcing the idea. Simple yet effective.
More of Svendsen’s work! This illustration introduces a review of 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. She manipulates the type to evoke a profound sense of vertigo, as if gazing upward from within a towering structure (hats off for integrating the 21st word into a four-sided design, Svendsen). This presents an intriguing challenge for typographic illustration—given the myriad ways to arrange these words, how can you convey their significance? I appreciate how significant issues are treated with gravity in this piece. Her choice to skew the type, rather than employing techniques like stacking or scaling, endows the text with a more imposing, physical presence that is disorienting and aptly reflects the seriousness of the subject matter.
This cover for Marken, Zeichen, Signete employs progressive scaling instead of skewing. This method generates more of an “inward” perspective rather than an “upward” one, typically achieved by scaling and repeating the same word on each side. While repetition can be impactful, it wouldn’t accommodate the varied phrases and lengths required by the 21 Lessons piece.
Lessons to Remember
Employ techniques that serve your content. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the seemingly boundless flexibility of type and the countless potential solutions to any design problem. However, the most successful typographic designs are those that adhere to simple concepts while dedicating the majority of their efforts to the executional details that follow.
Lou Dorfsman was a master at using typography as the framework around which a design could be crafted, and one of my favorite examples is this advertisement. The escalating “ha’s” signify the share of comedy ratings among the three major networks, and Lou cleverly critiques them not only through content but also through presentation. The fact that this reads as laughter (“ha ha ha”) and that CBS claims the last laugh is pure genius. While this idea could have been depicted with simple charts—Dorfsman created similar ads combining imagery and charts for other topics—typography greatly enhances the message here.
The clean vertical edges and modern-style lettering with hairline serifs allow the type to read as a bar chart while remaining playful and expressive, which suits the subject matter. The delicate serifs also enable Dorfsman to align the diagrams beneath each bar in the chart with the stems instead of the serifs, granting them a sense of weight they would otherwise lack and creating a more organic composition.
I also want to highlight how the sizing and positioning of the text elements under the right column strengthen the perception of the last “ha.” Even if you were to remove everything except the type, CBS’s “ha” would still feel extraordinarily large compared to the others. There’s no question who the focal point of this narrative is.
Lessons to Remember
Point/line/plane design fundamentals can be achieved with type. Don’t underestimate the relationship between lines and blocks of type. This ad could have effectively conveyed its message with just five typographic elements. Each piece of type supports the core concept of the ad.
Type choices matter. This design would have been significantly less impactful with almost any other genre of lettering. Occasionally, you can let a typeface dictate your design execution, while other times you need to establish your concept first and then select a typeface that aligns with the structure you’ve created.
Type can convey messages as well as serve graphic purposes. This comparative scale technique is one that Dorfsman frequently utilized, but it’s no coincidence that this example, which leverages type to express rating differences, stands out as his most beloved and successful. Typography carries immense meaning, both in the language it communicates and the form it takes. Whenever considering shapes or images to convey a concept, challenge yourself to substitute those elements with type and see if something extraordinary emerges.
This poster created by Noah Baker for Medium’s Q3 2018 goals contains multiple conceptual and structural surprises: Each row resembles an old-school calendar, reinforcing the “month over month” goal by literally stacking the months. The message of 15% growth—the poster’s focal point—is the spine from which the design emerges. The individual elements are visually appealing, the message is clearly communicated, and it remains legible from a distance. However, the strength of connecting the message to a straightforward concept through composition and typography is what makes this a remarkable design achievement.
Lessons to Remember
Simple ideas can have a significant impact. This poster exemplifies the principle of not overcomplicating a design’s concept or execution. An idea doesn’t need to be “unique” or intricate to be surprising; timeless designs are those that remain wholly committed to their core idea.
Wang Zhi-Hong stands out as one of the most skilled designers globally, frequently crafting book covers using solely typography. This example deftly employs the geometry of Futura to create a repeating pattern of C’s that symbolize the titular crowd. Each C seems to embrace the next, and while the design is orderly, it evokes a sense of claustrophobia typical of crowded spaces.
Lessons to Remember
Geometric typefaces can be powerful tools. Typefaces like Futura, influenced by geometric shapes, can serve as effective representations of circles, triangles, and other basic forms. They tend to be more graphic and can evoke strong responses as simple shapes or as letters.
Utilize orderly typefaces for chaotic ideas. Pairing a congested composition with irregular or “loose” typefaces can distract from the concept you aim to convey. Allow straightforward, “straight-man” typefaces to introduce familiarity and clarity when designs become busy or cramped.
Type as an Extension of Imagery
Typography can amplify the impact of imagery in a design.
While typography isn’t the focal point of this Nike design, it reinforces the movement captured in the photography. On the left, positioning the C to the left and placing the Nike logo alongside evokes the runner's arm thrusting back as he sprints in the image below. The image is cropped just enough to reveal the runner's legs, illustrating his right leg lifted forward and the left extended back; the division of “885” below serves as an abstract representation of his posture.
On the right, the centered typesetting and placing “885” on its own line above “New York” mimics the photograph's composition. The expanded “New York” evokes a stretch of road, while the round badges that anchor the design can be interpreted as feet.
Lessons to Remember
Every character can convey a message. This design exemplifies how to extract significant impact from a few typographic elements. Fewer elements mean each one must bear more weight, and the best “simple” designs maximize conceptual and compositional value from every component on the page.
Use typography to complement photography. Avoid separating your typographic composition from your imagery. Explore ways to create interactions between different visual languages. You can overlap text and images or extend elements from an image beyond its frame to integrate various components in a design.
Pin-Up Magazine maintains straightforward typeface choices, opting instead to derive typographic drama from how text is set en masse. Articles often evoke visual details from the photography, as seen in the lighter square of text in the left example, which mirrors the light grey square of fabric on the mid-century bench depicted in the photo. Similarly, the margin-less, columnar type in the right example references the tall, slender columns captured in the photograph (with a playful nod to the hat in the caption located in the lower left corner).
Lessons to Remember
Acknowledge the power of type en masse. While many examples in this discussion depend on scale to impart impact, it’s essential to remember that long-form, smaller text can significantly enhance storytelling and messaging. Body copy need not be dull, and you don’t have to sacrifice legibility to have fun with its presentation.
You don’t need “impact” typefaces to make intriguing typographic choices. Pin-Up magazine is entirely set in Arial, an intriguing constraint that encourages designers to generate drama and interest through other compositional means. Try restricting yourself to more conventional typefaces for a period and see if you’ve relied on eccentric designs as a crutch, compensating for a lack of creativity in other aspects of typesetting.
Large Type Does Not Mean Structural Type
Big type can sometimes be lazy type.
Finally, I wish to highlight a few examples that aren’t good representations of type as structure. While large display type can create a graphic impact, its ability to transcend that limitation is restricted if it lacks the conceptual depth of the other discussed pieces. In weaker examples, any secondary type present fails to be meaningfully informed by the larger type, nor does the stylization or composition of the type reinforce a broader perspective. Social media is replete with this “bad typographic candy”—designs that mimic popular styles without any substantive depth.
This design by Attico 36 utilizes our familiar friend Maelstrom alongside an outlined condensed sans to occupy the composition, but none of the elements interact in an engaging manner. We are capable of producing better work. While you can achieve satisfactory designs by filling compositions with interesting type pairings and images, true growth in your work comes when you strive to maximize every aspect of your typography.
There’s something liberating about initiating a design with a commitment to using only type and words for effective communication. I hope this discussion clarifies some of the thought processes that enhance your typographic approach across various scenarios and provides a fresh perspective on the examples presented, along with a new toolkit of process-starters for your design endeavors ahead.
Engaging with typography becomes much more enjoyable when you shift your focus from rigid rules to constantly forging new connections with words. Treat each paragraph, line, and letter as a chance to improve your work, and I assure you that you will find greater enjoyment in typography and produce stronger designs as a result.