Kevin Zak

No, I’m not switching keyboard formats. Recently I’ve been doing a lot of research concerning typography and its uses when applied to the web. It is an interesting look at how type should be displayed and formatted in terms of web design. Unlike most web-oriented learning adventures I partake in (I am notorious for learning the basics of a coding language and then getting bored with), I am actually intrigued by typography and find myself wishing to learn more of the concepts behind it.

I’ve always had the mind of a programmer. Design seemed nothing more than the superfluous and frustrating counterpart.  I’ve also always been able to code a design - HTML and CSS are two of the few languages that I consider myself fairly accomplished in. Color theory, usability, and design itself, however, confuse me profusely . With the help of more talented friends, though, I have been working to become somewhat adept at web design.

With this help came talk of something I had not yet heard of. Font faces and line heights were being discussed with me as though they were normal conversation topics. The amount of content versus white-space was being put on a scale in conversations, yet I had no idea what it meant. So, like any logical uninformed individual would do, I started doing research.

I discovered that typography was not an exclusive web design element. Not even close, in fact. It had been adopted from other mediums for the web, but it was by no means from the web. I also discovered websites dedicated to web typography and type in general. I began reading sites that focused on typography, such as I Love Typography and Typophile. I read these, among others,  on recommendation from Kyle Meyer’s new site that I previously blogged about, Typesites. I also began reading eBooks on the subject as well as informative websites such as Web Typography.

At first I was overwhelmed by the introduction of so many rules and suggestions. My shortcomings in design were preventing me from fully grasping the most basic of rules. However, when I stopped treating it as another design lesson and started treating it as coding language, I was quickly able to memorize rules and suggestions. I think of typography as code, just as I do with PHP. There are rules and suggestions and when adhered to, you have a working, well-flowing final product. This approach combined with my desire to become satisfactory in design has motivated me and thus far I’ve learned a lot. We’ll see where it takes me, but I have high expectations.