What Happened to Typography?

As an art and creative director, I can tell you that typography is alive and well. However, digital type has had its challenges. With a myriad of platforms, global locations, and devices for viewing digital media, designers often make choices to ensure content is safely displayed on the lowest common denominator. Type is designed so it can be easily accessed with formatting that works dependably across all variables, with quick loading and predictable display overriding typographic considerations. While the obstacles to good typography on the web have been mostly overcome, I am afraid that digital has convinced many that attention to type is somehow cumbersome or less important. Who can blame them? The technology and standards have been a moving target for over two decades.

I urge designers to remember that 95% of the web is type. When done well, typography can inform and make connections before it has even been read. This is precious. For those of us who have used our typography practice as an integral tool in our communications toolbox, we do not wish to diminish the clarity it brings.

The speed, accessibility, and control that software brought to type have been both stunning and enabling. It is impossible for many designers to imagine that type was often hand-drawn, pasted up, and required a stat camera to reproduce. While handmade type still occurs, it is rare and not necessarily a good idea for speed or flexibility. Regardless of the obstacles or tools that facilitate typography, it is integral to communicating at the speed readers expect today.

Typography is a form of design that should be understood innately. While words often have explicit, straightforward meanings, the immediate reaction a viewer has upon seeing type design is influenced more by their emotions and past experiences than by the actual words themselves. Perhaps heavy block lettering says excitement to viewers, or paint-splatter type says 1985. Either way, it happens immediately.

What does the typography convey? Is it modern or traditional? Unprofessional or credible? Business or leisure? If sales and identity are priorities, a brand can be defined instantly. Is it a four-star restaurant or a toy store? Elegance can be conveyed with the right script, or fun can be conveyed with an appropriate novelty font. As people become increasingly inundated with media, visuals, and text, and can more easily dismiss it, these distinctions need to be made more quickly. It is increasingly important to create type that is designed precisely, ensuring accuracy and clarity at a glance.