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  • - I told you guys there's a lot to know about typography.

  • There's a lot I didn't cover last time,

  • and I think you all will be better fulfilled

  • as human beings if you knew it.

  • So, I'm making part two.

  • I could probably make up to part a hundred,

  • but let's just see how this one goes first.

  • Wait, you haven't seen part one yet?

  • Well then, just click on my face.

  • Okay, okay, we're all good.

  • We've seen part one.

  • Well then, let's go do some learning.

  • My God, I'm such a nerd.

  • (bass music)

  • I went through it kind of quickly last time,

  • so let's talk more about typeface classifications.

  • Basically, you've got your serifs and your san-serifs,

  • which literally means, "without serifs".

  • Within the serifs, you've got Oldstyles, such as Garamond,

  • which were designed to imitate the handwriting

  • of Renaissance Italian scholars.

  • Designed a bit later are the Transitional typefaces,

  • such as Baskerville.

  • There's a greater contrast between the thin

  • and the thick strokes, and the serifs are thin and flat.

  • Then there are the modern typefaces, like Bodoni,

  • in which the thin and the thick strokes have

  • a much, much greater contrast.

  • And finally, Slab Serifs, such a Rockwell

  • are characterized by their thick, blocky serifs.

  • So now, let's move on to display type.

  • You've got your Script, which is pretty self-explanatory.

  • The best Script typefaces have multiple versions

  • of each character, so that it's not quite

  • so obvious that it's a font.

  • Blackletter is a style of writing that has a long, rich

  • history that I'm not going to get into here,

  • but these days, it's mostly just used for display type.

  • And most of the other decorative typefaces

  • just kind of get grouped together.

  • These should really only be used in large sizes

  • for things like headlines and titles.

  • Okay, now that we've got that, let's talk about the

  • difference between Free Fonts and Complete Font Families.

  • There's a really good article that I linked below,

  • so check that out.

  • But I'll summarize it here.

  • Basically Free Fonts just aren't as well drawn

  • as the ones made my professionals.

  • And if you're designing something with a lot of copy,

  • you will be able to tell.

  • Plus, Free Fonts usually only include

  • the basic character set and only one or two weights.

  • If there's no italic and bold styles included,

  • you become forced to use faux italic and bold,

  • which just doesn't look nearly as good

  • as when they're drawn by an actual person.

  • Plus, if you're designing something like a magazine,

  • using different weights of the same family

  • looks way more cohesive than just picking a whole bunch

  • of random, different fonts.

  • Still with me?

  • Let's keep on going.

  • We've been talking a lot about letters, but what about

  • those pesky little buggers called numbers?

  • You have two types: Oldstyle figures and lining figures.

  • Oldstyle figures have ascenders and descenders,

  • and you use them in large blocks of text so that

  • the numbers don't stick out awkwardly.

  • Lining figures are probably what you're more used to seeing,

  • and they work better in spreadsheets, where everything

  • needs to line up evenly.

  • Now you've got your smallcaps.

  • These are capital letters that are the same height

  • and weight as lowercase letters.

  • They're used in blocks of text, so in all caps,

  • where it doesn't stick out awkwardly

  • or used when an additional typestyle is needed.

  • You don't want to fake smallcaps by just lowering

  • the point size, because the thinner weight that

  • you'll end up with will seem off balance

  • from the rest of the letters.

  • Okay, now it's time to learn about widows and orphans.

  • No, not Harry Potter.

  • An orphan is a word that ends up lonely and by itself

  • at the end of a paragraph,

  • while a widow is a word that ends up lonely

  • and by itself at the top of a column.

  • They're just really awkward to look at,

  • so just don't have them.

  • And finally, this is probably really obvious to

  • a lot of you, but you'd be surprised at

  • how many people don't know it.

  • The best way to make your layouts look more professional

  • is to make a grid and to stick to it.

  • As soon as things begin to line up and have a rhythm

  • and consistency, it's just so much nicer of a design.

  • Honestly, though, even if you watch this 10 times,

  • and you memorize every word I've said,

  • the best way to learn it is to put on your Nike shoes,

  • and just do it.

  • That was a joke.

  • I don't actually care what kind of shoes you wear.

  • The great thing about taking a class is that you

  • get specific projects and critiques so that you learn

  • what works and what doesn't work.

  • Though hopefully not the type of critiques

  • I talked about in my last video.

  • You just have to keep experimenting and practicing,

  • and eventually you'll develop an eye for

  • what is successful and what isn't.

  • Or if you're just not interested at all,

  • leave it to the professionals.

  • And just help us spread our Anti-Comic Sans

  • and Anti-Papyrus gospel.

  • All right, whataboutadam, want to send us off?

  • - Stay awesome, and my typography tip is

  • Don't overuse your favorite fonts.

  • Helvetica may be pretty, but it's starting to

  • get a little bit overrated.

  • - Until you watch the Helvetica movie, 'cause it's awesome.

- I told you guys there's a lot to know about typography.

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