Chapter 3, a discourse
on Syntax and Communication, drags a general English linguistic term on to the
typography stage. Syntax, in its more traditional clothes, is in actuality the
dynamic of connecting of characters, words, phrases, and symbols in order to
form the larger bodies (i.e., joining the right words to construct a viable
sentence). Low and behold, the book creates a more specific and interesting
context for syntax, instead giving it the job of arranging elements into a
cohesive, understandable whole. Using letter, word, line, column, and margin
via the art of syntax, individual typographic elements bond together to display
a unified typographic image.
So what goes into "good" typographic syntax? Font families that are both recognizable and distinguishable
from other families are excellent examples, as their identities withhold solid
form and cohesion.
Some other functions
effect the communication of typography on the page, such as a combination of
individual letters and the whitespace. Combinations of characters form new
configurations, meanings, shapes, and, of course, interaction with whitespace.
A logo may be composed of two letters rotated and fit together in an
interesting, balanced way, thereby inventing a dynamic instance of type
unforeseen in the original character set itself. Similarly, whitespace plays a
large role in how things are read, interpreted, and felt. In the 2007
documentary Helvetica, one of the typographers interviewed went as far as to
say that type is really white; it's the space that makes the type, not the
letters themselves. This is an extremely thought provoking idea: we process a
piece by more than the literal type it contains, and the space, while arguably
in a subconscious manner, drives us to feel a specific way.
Both syntax and
elements of communication need to be considered when dealing with type, and
this chapter provided a relatively thorough heads up on why and how to do that.
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