“Structural Typography: Type As Both Language and Composition”, 2018-10-09 (; similar):
Words matter (or so I’m told). Some of my favorite typographic pieces are the ones that use typography not only to deliver a message but to serve as the compositional foundation that a design centers around. Letterforms are just as valuable as graphic elements as they are representations of language, and asking type to serve multiples roles in a composition is a reliable way to elevate the quality of your work…I’ve pulled out a few of my favorite designs that use type in this way and grouped them into shared themes so we can analyze the range of techniques different designers have used to let typography guide their work. Let’s dive in!…
Type Informing Grid: Using one typographic element to influence other pieces of the design
Type as Representation: Rendering type as a manifestation of an object or ideal
Reinforcing Imagery: Type can extend the impact of imagery in a design
Large Type Does Not Mean Structural Type: Big type can be lazy type (Lastly, I wanted to show a few examples that aren’t good examples of type as structure…)
…There’s something freeing about starting a design with a commitment to only using type and words to communicate effectively. I hope this essay demystifies some of the thought processes that can go into improving how you handle type in a variety of situations and leaves you with a different perspective on the pieces discussed, as well as a new toolkit of process-starters for your design work going forward.