You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.

In graphic design sometimes you have to play the game, in the words of Albert Einstein, better than the rest to get your piece noticed. So the first step is to know the rules. I am starting with Typography, as that's one of my favorite parts of design.

1. Use only one space after punctuation - The reason this is even in the rules is because when people were using typewriters for correspondence and it made it easier for people to know where one sentence ended and another began. However, with the prevalence of  proportionally spaced typefaces we don't have that issue. This is one rule that most people use without thought. How would something appear in a design where you added more spaces or even tabs between sentences? Well let's find out. I am going to put in 2 examples, one with bad spacing and one designed that way on purpose...

Ok above shows it wrong. The top sentence has a double space between the period and the start of the next line. The second one shows correctly with just one space. But how about an intentional breaking of that rule? Well I found an example (it's of David Carson's work) and I would love to put it here, but it works with the whole rules of typography thing... I am going to put it at the end. Sorry 'bout that.

2. Use proper em and en dashing - You are probably asking what the heck I mean when I am talking about this. What's an en or em dash? Well the exact definition from the Typophile.com website says...

An em is a unit of measure equal to the point size that you are using. An em dash is a type of punctuation used to offset clauses in a sentence or to indicate an abrupt change in thought. An en dash is equal to half the length of an em dash. En dashes are used to denote duration (time.)

What this means is that when you are using your little hyphens on your keyboard, you are using en/em dashes. Saying that a party or event runs from 7 -9 pm shows that you are using the em dash. Whereas, you saying something — it's used all the time — then want to change or add a thought in. 

3. Use proper quotation and apostrophe marks - This one is a big deal. There are many word processing programs out there that will automatically correct it, however we just don't seem to see the correct marks used. 

" is a hash mark showing a unit of measure                              “ ”  are proper quotation marks

' is a hash mark also showing a unit of measure                        ’    is a proper apostrophe mark

How do you get them? Well, it takes a bit of time if you aren't in your word processing program (like word, open office writer, etc) but you can use special characters (using a combination of key strokes) or you can copy and paste them.

4. Use True Small Caps - For most this isn't a big deal. But when you manually adjust the size of a font to achieve a small caps feel, you are cheating the font. It won't feel the same when you use it, and it definitely won't look the same... Make sure you have a true small caps typeface if you are going to use them.

5. Add letter spacing to capitalized text and small caps - When you are using capital letters or small caps, they are looking larger than the normal letters do. They need more space to look as good. Using the add letter spacing in Word or another program (Quark, InDesign) Character/Font options will make your work look a wee bit more professional. Unless you want to run your letters all together in a design, but remember very few clients like that type of design.

I decided to do this in installments, mostly because I have been running around learning a new job! I am now in charge of not only design work that comes out of my new position but the Social Media Marketing as well. Wish me luck as I continue on with keeping up with graphic design, marketing and everything else life can and will throw at me. 

The next installment of the "Rules of the Game" series (as I am calling it now) will be published in the following week or 2 weeks. Until then, play the game better than the rest!

Wait, that typeface is a corporate identity??

I was driving home from work earlier this week and while in traffic noticed this van in the lane next to me. I normally check out the logos and type on commercial vehicles here because it's Orlando. Our companies that have cars, trucks and vans tend to use some funky design and text, Lynx bus lines tend to do full vehicle wraps that just amaze me. 

Back to our van from earlier this week, there was no real logo. I thought "OK, so that company is using the name and type for their identity" and really took a look at it. Papyrus. The whole company identity, including the website, phone numbers, everything was in Papyrus. Now don't get me wrong it's a nice typeface. I have used it myself. But there are times and places for it. It seems that this company just didn't understand that septic tanks and Papyrus just don't seem to go together in most minds.

I might have gone with something that wasn't as delicate looking myself. Maybe used something that showed strength like Bodoni, or maybe flexibility like Bauhaus. Just not a flowery script that looks like it's fading away. That I would have saved for something not having to do with waste water and sewage.

When do we use those fun fonts?! Imagine you are doing a black tie dinner and you want to use Taco... I think that might be a bit much but we can work with it. Use it for one piece... like maybe the headline. but don't use it for every word, number and symbol on the page. Though I wouldn't use Taco for something like that unless it was for a taco stand.

This brings to mind an article that was written on the use of Comic Sans. The title was "Typeface Inspired by Comic Books Has Become a Font of Ill Will" and it was in the Wall Street Journal. The article talks about how a font created for fun in comics is now being used everywhere. People fall in love with it and put it on fine jewelry stores, important documents and even a theater in Spain. Now why would I be going on about a typeface and what is the point of this? See there are times for everything. You wouldn't go to a wedding wearing your pajamas would you? Well if you are designing a legal document you wouldn't use a font that make people think of the Sunday funnies!

I guess I am just silly that this irritates me. Not to the point where I am going to lash out and yell. No, I will shake my head, take a picture and put that snapshot in my "Do Not Do!!" file.

Hope you (my oh so many readers, ah sarcasm as I write this with no followers right now) enjoyed that little bit of fun.