Mallory Brown - Chapter 3 Reflection

Chapter 3 - Syntax and Communication

Our textbook describes syntax as “the connecting of typographic signs to form words and sentences on the page. In grammar, syntax is the action of combining words to form phrases or sentences. The textbook defines typographic syntax as the process of arranging elements into a cohesive whole. The elements of design that are needed to connect typographic signs are the letter, word, line, column and margin. They are all used together to complete a typographic image. I specifically enjoyed the discussion of the letter and syntax. This well-drawn form is the unit that distinguishes one family of type from another. Individual letters are frequently combined into new configurations. I thought this was really cool because the designs they made out of just combining two letters turned out really dynamic and interesting. They make me question the whole form of letters. The syntax displayed here is an example of letter combinations acting as signs, extracted from a larger system of signs. A typographic sign is visually dynamic because of its interaction with the surrounding white space or void. For example, take the combination of the A and the lowercase G on page 50. Both letters play with different forms of negative space to create a visually dynamic typographic image. Space has the ability to define form which is a really cool concept that I look forward to playing around with in this class.