To improve in this area, ask lots of questions of the who, what, when, where and why variety. And follow-up by applying some of the characteristics of analytical thinking, such as performing due diligence with your own research. Thinking with Type is to typography what Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time is to physics."—I Love Typography A superfamily comprises dozens of related fonts in multiple weights and/or widths, often with both sans-serif and serif versions. Small capitals and non-lining numerals (formerly only in serif fonts) appear in the sans-serif versions of Thesis, Scala Pro and other contemporary superfamilies. Some type families evolve over time. An exception is Univers, designed by Swiss typographer Adrian Frutiger, in 1957. Frutiger designed 21 versions of Univers, thereby conceiving an entire system of it. Choose Your Type Wisely Serif type classifications. 1 Old-Style: Garamond, 2 Transitional: Baskerville, 3 Modern: Bodoni, 4 Slab: Clarendon.

Type is the appearance or style of printed text. It also refers to the process of working with text to create a legible, readable and visually appealing experience. Designers choose appropriate typefaces and use elements of design including hierarchy, alignment, spacing and more to convey their message. Daniel Skrok and Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 3.0 Characteristics of Sans Serif Typefaces:You can visualize this form of metacognition by thinking about digging holes. As de Bono points out, most people dig one hole and if they don’t find the answer they’re looking for, they dig another hole in a different location. Plus, new eye-opening demonstrations of basic typography design with letters, helpful exercises, and dozens of additional illustrations. The first typeface you design is the hardest: this is a craft that takes years to master. But don't let that stop you. Designing your own typeface will make you appreciate letterforms more, and train your eye to analyse the suitability of a font family for any given typographic task - an asset for any graphic designer. Debbie Millman is best known as the host of the design podcast Design Matters. This book is inspired by the monologues she prepares for each episode and features illustrated essays on life and design. Covering topics ranging from brands and behaviour to rituals, love and music, this book will make you think and occasionally laugh out loud. 30. Branding: In Five and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson

Lupton organizes her presentation into three categories: letter, text, and grid (or spatial organization). Geometry is where art and design meet maths, and this instructive book explains how that works in words that non-experts can understand. The book focuses not only on the classic systems of proportioning, such as the golden section and root rectangles but also on less well known proportioning systems such as the Fibonacci Series. Through detailed diagrams, these geometric systems are brought to life, giving an effective insight into the design process. This book was a great primer on the principles of typography. I'm glad I read it. I now pay more attention to typography everywhere around me. When Apollo 13 was in danger, apparently someone suggested they use a flashlight to create more energy.

As a graphic designer, you need ideas and inspiration. But you also need to understand the nitty-gritty of the design process, such as how much space to leave in the gutter when designing barrel folds, what proofreaders' symbols mean, how different image file formats differ, and so forth. This comprehensive reference everywhere brings together a ton of must-have information in an up-to-date, concise handbook. 7. The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst

Lupton considers various forms of presenting information and how linear or non-linear they are. Text has the capacity to be much less linear than speech, especially when it's stored in a database. I read somewhere that Steve Jobs had an early interest in typography and that it helped engender an attention to detail in his approach to good design. Also, my brother has a healthy appreciation for typography. So, I thought I'd try to learn a little of what it was all about.In the final lesson, you’ll learn about grid systems and their importance in providing structure within design. You’ll also learn about the types of grid systems and how to effectively use grids to improve your work.

NASA provides many examples of convergent thinking – something that is also basically the same as linear thinking. For example, the Apollo 13 mission faced a critical situation where they needed to get enough energy to safely complete the mission – and save their own lives. Loads of visual delight in this book. Interesting things. Examples of text where the text was actually saying something interesting, or provocative, or funny or different -- not just neutral words. In the chapter on hierarchy, two examples of hierarchical representations of 'common typographic diseases'. The first of this is: In some ways, divergent thinking is a lot like lateral thinking. In this case, it’s often best conducted in groups.However, everything to do with our modes of thought can be broken down into a smaller set of “thinking genres.” Analytical thinking typically involves research. As an analytical thinker, you will not be satisfied by the data at hand. You will seek multiple examples so that you can compare and contrast the multiple parts of several examples or case studies. Convergent thinkers look for examples that expose commonalities and reject the distortion of having all kinds of wild ideas flying around. They do this to find the best possible solutions to problems. Critical thinking is about analyzing a number of factors. For example, you can think about the value of an idea and divide that from the form the idea takes. While many areas of design benefit from a broad-brush approach, type design is about mathematical precision, and it's quite normal for type designers to spend an entire day working on a single letter. If that doesn't sound like fun to you then it's probably best you stop reading now.