“The very next day, Maria
sent me a layout that
achieved the goals I wanted,
way below budget!”
Roger C. Parker
www.designtosellonline.com

Typography Rules

What you can do right now to turn your copy from amateur to professional

There has never been a greater need for typing guidelines than with the advent of computers and desktop publishing. Suddenly, everyone has one but they’re still typing as if they are on a typewriter. Many people now opt to create their own documents but have no formal design instruction.

Proper type use is instantly recognizable. It’s pleasing, readable, professional, and artistic. It just plain looks good. It makes reading effortless and enjoyable.

It would be impossible to cover in detail all the facets of good typography in this issue alone. This issue will be your guide to some of the more basic typographic principles used for creating sophisticated publications. It will turn your design from good to professional.

For a more in-depth coverage, I refer you to my website for further reading on this and many more rules for great type at www.mygraphicsnotebook.com

I’ve categorized all the nuances of typography into four major categories: placement, size, spacing and how to use “special” characters.

SPACING

1. One space after punctuation
After any punctuation use only one space. The only time it’s permissible to use two spaces after punctuation (well, all except for commas) is when the material is to be viewed online or on a monitor (such as for emails and websites).

2. Never use two returns
Never use two returns at the end of a paragrapraph, instead use only a small space after it.

3. No widows and orphans
Widows are when there are fewer than seven characters on the last line of a paragraph. Orphans are when the last line of a paragraph does not fit on a column or page. Rewrite the copy or delete a word or two if need be.

4. Increase line spacing
Line spacing should be increased to 120% to increase legibility.

5. Never expand lowercase text
Lowercase text should never be expanded: only ALL or small caps.

PLACEMENT

6. Punctuation: in or out?
American: all punctuation should be placed inside the quotation marks.

British: all punctuations should be placed outside the quotation marks. They also use single quotes instead of double quotation marks.

7. Use tabs never the space bar
When you are trying to align text, the most accurate way to do this, is to use tabs instead of trying to align text using the space bar.

8. Hang your bullets
Quotation marks and bullets should be hung on the outside of the text if they appear on a new line.

SIZE

9. Make numbers a smaller size
Use a slightly smaller size for numbers as they appear too large next to text, using a smaller size will create a more of a balanced look.

10. Make bullets smaller
When using special characters such as bullets and checkboxes, always reduce the type size by 2 points (or 20%–30% less) depending on the size of the type.

SPECIAL CHARACTERS

11. Use real quotation marks
Make use of true quotation marks and real apostrophes instead of hash or tick marks. (These should only be used to denote units of measurements—like inches and feet).

12. Use real ellipsis, not periods
Use true ellipsis rather than three periods which look too close together.

13. Use appropriate dashes

Hyphens (-): these are used to join words or break them up and should be used in telephone numbers.

En-Dashes (–): should be used to separate ranges and to denote time.

Em-Dashes (—): separates phrases or thoughts.

To learn more

Good design is all about the details: no matter how small. To find out more on how I can provide you with a fresh perspective on your design challenges and get more done in less time, visit my web site www.mygraphicsnotebook.com or call me at 514 256-0134.

AT A GLANCE

What’s great type?

Great type is readable, legible, pleasurable, professional and artistic.

It should guide you through the copy and makes reading effortless and enjoyable.

Following some basic guidelines will turn your type from good to great!

BONUS

A few miscellaneous rules for setting your copy:

• Avoid using the same word to begin consecutive sentences
• Never hyphenate two consecutive sentences.
• Avoid hyphenating people’s or proper names.
• Never set a script font in all or small caps, ever!
• If you don’t need a full return, press on the shift key + return keys

CONTACT INFO

Maria G. Nozza
5785 Brunetiere
Montreal, QC
H1S 1B5 CA

Telephone:
514 256-0134

Email:
mgnozza@mac.com