Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Jewell / Chapter 3

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.


No comments:

Post a Comment