TGJ3MO COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY DESIGN AND LAYOUT PRACTICES - USING PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS WORKING WITH F O N TS

WORKING WITH FONTS : The Five Principles to Consider When Choosing Fonts: The Purpose or Mood of your message Using Serif or Sans-Serif Fonts The Visual Hierarchy of Fonts Coordinating Fonts: Correspondence vs. Contrast Being Unorthodox (Breaking the Rules)

The fonts you use in your design are not a separate entity from the rest of the content. Remember, you are the director (or visual information manager) of your poster design project. 1. THE PURPOSE OR MOOD OF YOUR MESSAGE :

Be consistent with the context of your ad’s purpose. IS THE MESSAGE… Serious and Formal use traditional fonts Whimsical and Fun incorporate a playful font Bold and Thought-Provoking use a Bold and large font 1. THE PURPOSE OR MOOD OF YOUR MESSAGE :

Consider your target audience. Understanding the lifestyles, attitudes, and demographics of the target market is essential. Younger Demographic use fun fonts Older Conservative Demographic Use traditional fonts 1. THE PURPOSE OR MOOD OF YOUR MESSAGE :

BUT… be wise! Using gimmicky fonts often comes at the expense of legibility. Use decorative fonts sparingly!! A little goes a long way.

2. USING SERIF OR SANS-SERIF FONTS : What is a Serif? The decorative feet at the ends of a letter. What is Sans-Serif? Letters that do not have decorative feet – plainer looking letters.

2. USING SERIF OR SANS-SERIF FONTS : Serif Fonts Usually used in longer blocks of body text. Why? Research suggests they are easier for our brains to recognize quickly. Sans-Serif Fonts Used for headlines and captions. Deciding whether a Serif or Sans-Serif font:

3. THE VISUAL HIERARCHY OF FONTS: Visual Hierarchy refers to how much EMPHASIS is given to each section of text. WEAK Visual Hierarchy provides little or no guidance about what is important.

3. THE VISUAL HIERARCHY OF FONTS: The Headline or Title of an ad is the most important piece of text, so it should be BIGGER, right?

3. THE VISUAL HIERARCHY OF FONTS: The Headline or Title of an ad is the most important piece of text, so it should be BIGGER, right? Yes & No. Headlines or Titles are generally bigger but SIZE is not the only way to place them at the top of the attention hierarchy. COLOUR, PROXIMITY & PLACEMENT can also create Visual Hierarchy on your page.

3. THE VISUAL HIERARCHY OF FONTS: COLOUR - Bold, contrasting colors on a particular piece of text will demand attention

3. THE VISUAL HIERARCHY OF FONTS: COLOUR - Bold, contrasting colors on a particular piece of text will demand attention

3. THE VISUAL HIERARCHY OF FONTS: COLOUR - Bold, contrasting colors on a particular piece of text will demand attention

3. THE VISUAL HIERARCHY OF FONTS: POSITION & PROXIMITY Position Text closer to the top of the page attract more attention than those at the bottom. Proximity Text placed closer together indicates a hierarchical relationship between that set of text as a group - - hierarchy also considered within the context of the whole page.

4. COORDINATING FONTS: CORRESPONDENCE VS. CONTRAST: When two font faces are placed next to each other, they only create a REMARKABLE IMPACT if they correspond or contrast. SIMPLE RULE: WHY?

4. COORDINATING FONTS: CORRESPONDENCE VS. CONTRAST: Visual Competition: There is a visual competition occurring between each of the elements on the page. The designer should be intentionally deciding which piece of text wins this competition… Why? If the two font types are insufficiently different from each other it POSES A QUESTION to the audience… “ Are these the same font or are they different? ” We don’t want to distract the viewer with the QUESTION – we want to lead them through the advertising message.

5. BEING UNORTHODOX WITH FONTS: BREAKING THE RULES There are only conventions, no ironclad rules about how to use type HOWEVER, avoid breaking rules until you are knowledgeable about how the rules work. BUT, sometimes breaking the rules will help you to convey the nature of your message and reach your target audience. Examples: rebellious genres of music, hipster clothing lines etc.

LEARNING ACTIVITY Continue to work on the ad from last class BUT now be sure that your choice of fonts: 1. Are consistent with the mood and purpose of your ad 2. Use serif and sans-serifs appropriately 3. Indicate visual hierarchy on the page 4. Are coordinated appropriately (Exactly the same – or – very different from each other) 5. Only break the rules if it helps to convey the message of your ad. 6. Add to your write-up by explaining why you have selected the font(s) that you did.