Good typography is mostly invisible. When type is set well, readers absorb the message without noticing the craft. A handful of fundamentals will take your work most of the way there.
Key terms
- Typeface is the design, such as a family of related styles. A font is one specific style and weight within it.
- Weight is how heavy the strokes are, from thin to bold.
- Leading is the vertical space between lines of text.
- Tracking is the overall spacing across a run of letters, while kerning adjusts the space between two specific letters.
Principles that always help
- Limit yourself to one or two typefaces per project.
- Build a clear hierarchy so headings, subheadings and body text are easy to tell apart.
- Give body text comfortable line spacing and a sensible line length.
- Keep strong contrast between text and background for readability.
Where to go next
Once the basics feel natural, learn how to pair fonts and how to improve readability. Those two skills cover most of what separates amateur and professional looking type.
License terms vary from one font to another. Always review the license included with a specific font before using it, especially for commercial work.