DES 102 - Letters and Typography


Description: Study of typographic anatomy, classification, and historical conventions with practice in micro-typography and hierarchical systems. Theoretical exercises in spatial and textural qualities of type and an introduction to letterform nomenclature. Studio assignments produce editorial layouts and professional typographic deliverables prepared to specification.

Prerequisites: DES 100 or ART 137, and DES 101 (may be taken concurrently)

Credits: 3
Lecture: 1
Lab: 6

Course Content:
  1. Letterform anatomy and construction
  2. Type classification and families
  3. Using industry-standard software for typographic layouts
  4. Metrics and spacing (kerning, tracking, leading)
  5. Hierarchy and scale in typographic systems
  6. Readability and legibility in text and display settings
  7. Paragraph composition (rags, hyphenation, alignment)
  8. Typographic grids, styles, and templates
  9. Typographic contrast and pairing strategies
  10. Typographic standards for accessibility
  11. Historical and contemporary typographic references
  12. Terminology for typographic analysis
  13. Critique

Learning Outcomes:
  1. Identify typographic anatomy. (1)
  2. Identify typographic classifications. (2)
  3. Identify historical typography conventions. (11)
  4. Identify lettering typologies. (1,2)
  5. Identify lettering versus typography. (1,2)
  6. Compose micro-typography (kerning, tracking, leading, spacing). (4)
  7. Design using hierarchical type systems. (5,6,7,9)
  8. Develop deliverables through iterative refinement. (8)
  9. Implement typographic layouts in industry standard software. (3)
  10. Evaluate typographic accessibility against stated standards. (10)
  11. Produce editorial spreads that demonstrate best typographic practices. (5,8)
  12. Prepare files according to established output specifications. (3,8)
  13. Use discipline-specific terminology to evaluate work. (12,13)


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