absolute measurement - measurements of fixed values ex. points, picas, millimeters 

relative measurement - a measurement that is linked to the size of type being used ex. type size, em, en, leading 

point - the unit of measurement used to measure the type size of a font

pica - unit of measure in a layout. its typically 24 between each element

em / em dash - a linear unit of 1/6 inch used when printing; used to define basic spacing functions in typesetting such as paragraphs, indents, and spacing linked to the size of type. The dash is the same size as the type. ex. 16pt type has 16 pt em.

en / en dash - relative measurement; half the width of an em space. ex. in 16pt type it would be 8 points. 

legibility - the ease with which the eye can identify letters, and distinguish them from one another

rag - when left justified copy causes ragged ends on the right; can create gaps, overhanging text, slopes or inclines 

type alignments 

Flush - all to one side, (-) informal and asymmetrical (+) harmony and consistent word space

Justified - (+) creates even margins (-) carries space between words 

Centered - (+) good in design of one in formal context (-) harder to read, reduces legibility

word spacing - 

rivers - separations of words that leaves gaps between several lines 

indent - space used to introduce a new paragraph 

leading - space between one baseline to the next 

kerning - space between each letter (kerning pairs are made to create rhythm and enhance legibility

tracking - adjusting the overall space between letters rather than the space between the 2 characters 

weight - bold, book. medium or demi choices; different for eacah typeface

scale - increase in point size, larger has more emphasis (need to increase by 2pts to be noticeable)

typographic variation - use of different typefaces, sizes, and weights to determine hierarchy and clarity of specific words 

orphan - the last 1-2 lines of a paragraph separated from the main paragraph to form a new column 

widow - a word at the end of the paragraph left hanging alone 

Josef Muller-Brockman

''I would advise young people to look at everything they encounter in a critical light . . . Then I would urge them at all times to be self-critical''

Josef Muller-Brockman was born in Switzerland in 1914 and studied design, architecture, and art history at the University of Zurich. He started his career as the apprentice to the designer Walter Diggelman, as well as being his advertising consultant. In 1936, Muller-Brockman established his own Zurich studio, which specialized in graphics, exhibition design, and photography. By the 1950’s he was thought of as the original leader in Swiss Style. His innovative technique used graphic expression through a grid-based design without frivolous illustration and subjective feeling. Muller-Brockman was founder and editor of the journal New Graphic Design which took his Swiss design principals international. After this he spent his time as a professor in Zurich. Not only did he revolutionized the design industry immensely with his use of the grid, clear use of text, the journal New Graphic Design, but wrote many design books. His most notable book, Grid Systems in Graphic Design, he explains and encourages the grid system and how it can be used to gain visual harmony within a space. His passion for use of the grid layout inspires many graphic designers to use this technique to this day. Although Josef Muller-Brockman died in 1996, his clean-cut, efficient posters speak for themselves of the benefits with using grid layout and simplicity with text. 

Jan Tschichold

Jan Tschichold dedicated his entire life to designing and writing; It is safe to say he was one of the most significant typographers of the 20^th century. Tschichold is most famous for creating of the font Sabon, but also influenced the design industry as a teacher, designer and writer. Born in Leipzig in 1902, Tschichold grew up around the written word having a father who was a script writer. He often helped his father with no regard for incorporating it into his profession later on. Early on Tschichold wanted to go into fine arts but due to his parents concern for stability in that particular field he became a drawing teacher. At the age of 16, Tschichold became inspired by the calligraphy and ornamental writings of Edward Johnson and Rudolf von Larisch and began studying type and editing typefaces from half finished letter from old works from the 17^th century. After teaching for 3 years, Tschichold realized he wanted to be a typeface designer and went to the Academy for Graphic Arts in Leipzig. After visiting his first Bauhaus exhibit in the early 1920’s, he became interested in modern design. He is famous for his design of the font Sabon but also created others such as Transit, Saskia, and Zeus. Soon after he published his most notable book, Die Neue Typography (The New Typography). In this book Tschichold reinforces his interest in sans-serif fonts along with his dislike of centered design. During the Nazi’s rise to power, Tschichold fled to Switzerland remaining there for the majority of his life. For a while he lived in England and worked for Penguin Books redesigning hundreds of books. During his time with Penguin Books Tschichold created many rules and practices, which influenced future designers and typographers. Tschihold died in 1974 but his practices, fonts, and ideas are still influencing designers and typographers today.

 

Grids, Margins, Modules and More

Grid "a structure that breaks space or time into regular units"

Why do designers use a grid? What are the benefits or functions?
They vary in complexity and their definition but their main funtion is giving the the designer control. They give the designer a way of arranging their content in a systematic way. The grid benefits the designer by creating modules and equally spaced lines to create a more satisfying image.

Modular Grids have equally spaced lines (both horizontally and vertically) which form perfect square modules: spaces between these grids are called gutters.

Margins the space between the grid and the edge of the page; used to keep content from reaching the edge of the page

Columns a section of content or space going vertically used to organize the text throughout the grid

Grid Modules defined by the gutter, these lines create 18 small squares on the grid

Flowlines made by text, these lines lead the viewer's eye through the grid

Gutter the space between the modules that creates the outlines of the grid modules

Hierarchy & Ways to Achieve a Clear Hierarchy the way a designer places importance on a certain part of the image or makes the viewer to focus or look at certain parts of the image in a certain order. This can be used through manipulation of text or image placement. size, or certain elements in that design that draw the viewer in to see certain elements in the order that the designer wants them to

Type Family typefaces which include different versions of itself, including condensed and extended variations and display faces; they are seen as distinct yet still related

Type Styles any full set of standardized letter forms which are designed for print reproduction

blogging will be my new way of life... you cant catch swine flu on the internet 

its time to blog.