Role of Typography and Space

1
Role of Typography and Space
2
Seeing the Text Type Space

• Type and space working together in documents
  that
• Creates a mood, feel (e.g. formal, informal).
• Creates an easily recognizable structure.
• Can be easily scanned, navigated.
• Provides clues about document type.
• Suggests how to use the text e.g., instructions,
  warnings.
• Reveals what designer(s) thought was important.
• Page design is critical because
• Technical documents are designed differently than
  other documents
• Technical documents rarely get readers undivided
  attention
• People read work-related documents only because
  they have to
• More and more documents compete for readers
  attention

3
Seeing the Text Type Space

• Critical features of effective typography
• Legibility
• Flexibility
• Contrast
• Distinctiveness
• Consider all planned text elements for document.
• Rhetorical Appropriateness
• Considering genre, purpose of document
• To enjoy, assess, do, learn to do
• DISCUSSION What are some general considerations
  about these we might make?

4
Seeing the Text Type Space

• Page Layout Points
• Emphasis
• Flow
• Alignment
• Repetition
• Unity

5
Layout Examples
Not Effective
Effective
From Christine Sevilla, Intercom, June 2002
6
Layout Examples
7
Layout Examples
8
Layout Examples
From Christine Sevilla, Intercom, June 2002
9
Page Layout

• Placing graphics
• Small graphic
• Same width as text column
• Narrower than text column
• Width of margins
• Wider than text column

10
Seeing the Text Type Space

• Gestalt Principles (Tools, not Rules)
• Perception is an active process.
• Figure and Ground
• Grouping figures Visual properties
• Grouping figures Good continuation
• Looks based on surroundings
• Strong figures are stable
• Added dimension 2D to 3D

11
Seeing the Text Type Space
Seattle gives high marks to Segway scooters
Online Exclusive, Apr 23 2003 Seattle has been
testing 10 Segway self-balancing scooters for the
last six months, and city officials have found
that they improve productivity for some city
employees. According to the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, the productivity gains were
so impressive that Seattle Public Utilities is
considering redesigning its routes to use more of
the scooters. The city plans to order 10 more of
the vehicles, which cost about 5,000 each. "We
are trying to be careful, we don't want to overdo
it, we only want to use the Segways where we know
there are productivity benefits in addition to
environmental benefits," Fleets and Facilities
Director John Franklin told the newspaper.
12
Seeing the Text Type Space
Seattle gives high marks to Segway scooters
Online Exclusive, Apr 23 2003 Seattle has
been testing 10 Segway self-balancing scooters
for the last six months, and city officials have
found that they improve productivity for some
city employees.   According to the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, the productivity gains were
so impressive that Seattle Public Utilities is
considering redesigning its routes to use more of
the scooters. The city plans to order 10 more of
the vehicles, which cost about 5,000 each. "We
are trying to be careful, we don't want to overdo
it, we only want to use the Segways where we know
there are productivity benefits in addition to
environmental benefits," Fleets and Facilities
Director John Franklin told the newspaper.
13
(No Transcript)
14
Seeing the Text Type Space

• Gestalt Principles (Guides, not Rules)
• Perception is an active process.
• Readers use visual cues to construct meaning
• Figure and Ground (examples ?)
• Grouping figures by visual properties for
  coherence
• Similarity Proximity Closure ?
• Grouping figures for good continuation
• Adherence to consistent style
• Looks based on surroundings consistent style
• Strong figures are stable
• Readers eye movements across page
• Added dimension 2D to 3D
• Does that apply to bar graphs, too? Why/Why not?

15
Figure/Ground
16
Figure/Ground
Seattle gives high marks to Segway scooters
Online Exclusive, Apr 23 2003 Seattle has been
testing 10 Segway self-balancing scooters for the
last six months, and city officials have found
that they improve productivity for some city
employees. According to the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, the productivity gains were
so impressive that Seattle Public Utilities is
considering redesigning its routes to use more of
the scooters. The city plans to order 10 more of
the vehicles, which cost about 5,000 each. "We
are trying to be careful, we don't want to overdo
it, we only want to use the Segways where we know
there are productivity benefits in addition to
environmental benefits," Fleets and Facilities
Director John Franklin told the newspaper.
17
Figure/Ground
Seattle gives high marks to Segway scooters
Online Exclusive, Apr 23 2003 Seattle has
been testing 10 Segway self-balancing scooters
for the last six months, and city officials have
found that they improve productivity for some
city employees.   According to the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, the productivity gains were
so impressive that Seattle Public Utilities is
considering redesigning its routes to use more of
the scooters. The city plans to order 10 more of
the vehicles, which cost about 5,000 each. "We
are trying to be careful, we don't want to overdo
it, we only want to use the Segways where we know
there are productivity benefits in addition to
environmental benefits," Fleets and Facilities
Director John Franklin told the newspaper.
18
Grouping by Visual Properties
19
Grids

• Organize space in documents
• Unify the visual field

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(No Transcript)
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Schrivers Grid Design Process

• Inventory text elements
• Organize elements by rhetorical clusters
• Illustrations with captions, e.g.
• Measure actual print/display area
• Divide space into columns and rows
• Evaluate the elements in terms of space
  requirements
• Consider rhetorical clusters exceptions
• Try other spatial orientations
• Standardize the dimensions of the grid
• Explore optional relationships (for spreads only)
• Create versions of the design tweak the grid

22
Exercise

• Given selected documents
• Summarize rhetorical situation
• Audience
• Purpose
• Context
• Describe the visual language
• Type used, tone
• Text, visual cues
• Grid
• Discuss rhetorical impact of its visual language
• Arrangement
• Emphasis
• Clarity
• Conciseness
• Tone
• Gestalt principles

23
Exercise

• ID Problems How would you approach?
• Design of a web site for whom at least 20 of
  your intended audience is blind.
• Design of a train schedule between 4 cities that
  incorporates the following variables
• Location/distance between cities
• Speed of trains (assume 3 trains)
• Timetable
• Train features (e.g., cafe car, etc.)
• Terrain geography (assume 3 different routes)
• Klonkomat
• Alternative presentation medium (if PowerPoint
  didnt exist!)