What Makes a Typeface "Good" Part 03
Choosing The Right Typeface
This intro is the same as in part 01 and 02. If you don’t need a reminder skip to the “Spacing is Key” Section
As a graphic designer you know the most crucial decision of any design is font selection. A typeface can totally change the look, feel and meaning of a design. And we all know there are good typefaces and bad typefaces. When you see a well designed typeface something just feels right about it even if you can’t quite put your finger on it. But when it comes to choosing typefaces that feeling might be more elusive. If type is such a crucial piece of the puzzle the ability to pick out a well designed typeface from a sea of average is one of the most valuable skills you can have as a graphic designer.
Just to introduce myself before we get too far. I am a graphic designer and a typeface designer I have seen behind the curtain and want to give you my take on the issue. This post aims to give designers the ability to pinpoint and the language to articulate what makes a typeface “good”
Now, there are all kinds of different typefaces, serif, sans, blackletter, monospaced scripts etc.. and each one may be appropriate for a different occasion. Just to clarify this isn’t about what makes a typeface appropriate. That is a whole other issue. This is about what all well designed typefaces have in common no matter the style. And how you as a designer can identify them.
There are 3 things all well designed typefaces have in common. In part 01 we looked at Curve Harmony. In part 02 we looked at Color. Here in part 03 we will learn about spacing.
Spacing Is Key
In part 01 and 02 we talked about the drawing of characters. Here we are going to talk about the not “not drawings” part of designing a typeface the space in between each character. Spacing as a general overview refers to two things #1 Spacing; meaning the overall space between characters and #2 Kerning; meaning the individual adjustments between two characters such as LT and AV. Let’s talk about spacing first.
Overall Spacing
Much like the drawing of a typeface the spacing of a typeface is also a dance between math and the human touch. For example there are no hard and fast rules for how much space should be added to the left or right side of a character.. It takes a careful consideration and a well practiced eye. However once that right space is found it can be repeated. For example the left side of an H, L, D, R etc. are all identical so they can share the same space. And same goes for many characters sharing shapes. Like the right side of the h, n and the O, D.
The Space on the left or right of each character is called the left or right “Sidebearing”
Spacing, Rhythm, and Tempo
One of the more important design aspects (but not quite important enough to be in the top 3 things that make a typeface “Good” is Rhythm. Rhythm refers to how wide each character is for example “M” is generally going to be much more wide than H but just how much wider dictates the rhythm of a typeface. If character width dictates rhythm spacing dictates tempo. Meaning how fast a typeface can be read. So much like with individual songs each individual typeface gives words a unique rhythm and temp.
Display
A well designed typeface should be read at an appropriate tempo. For example Headlines and Display text should be quickly read… but not too quickly. They need to strike a balance of quick comprehension while also giving the reader just enough pause to interrupt their thought patterns and draw in their attention. For this reason, display fonts generally have tight spacing giving them a quick but not too quick tempo.
Text
Typefaces designed for long reading are spaced more loosely than their Display counterparts. This is because they are generally set at small sized from 8-16 points. At these smaller text sizes letters tend to morph into each other and are not easily comprehended if the spacing is too tight. Each letter must be given enough space on the right and left side so it is comprehended as quickly as possible.
Mono
Finally lets talk about monospaced typeface. They Break all the rules. Each character plus its negative space on the right and left is the exact same width. Hence the namesake. There is room for debate and certainly the ideology varies from designer to designer but I believe that monospaced typefaces should be even more loosely spaced than text typefaces. This is because Monospaced typefaces are designed primarily for coding. And when it come to coding quick reading is not a priority. Slow reading is. This slow tempo is achieved by very loose spacing. Each character need so much space around it that it can be comprehended not just in the context of the word but in its own right. In a monospaced typeface it is optimal to slow the temp down to a point where reading the word “Hello” the reader sees “ H e l l o .” This is slow reading tempo is valuable for spotting errors in code.
The Goldylocks Spacing
You may have noticed that when talking about display and tight spacing the tempo is quick but not too quick. Looser spacing quickens the temp by increasing read speed. But once the spacing is too loose again it hinders read speed and slows the tempo. So tigh spacing = slow tempo and loose spacing also = slow tempo. It’s a bit of a Goldilocks situation when it comes to finding the right spacing that leads to maximum read speed. It is a difficult task that only comes with a lot of practice. The difference between a well designed typeface and a cool looking but not quite right typeface is the spacing.
The Final Bosses Final Boss of Wonkyness
If you have followed along in this series of what make a typeface “Good” you may have noticed that sometimes we like to dive deep and get a little wonky. Now you are reading Part 3 so I assume wonky is what you are looking for so lets end things real deep im talking wonkness monster kinda stuff. Let’s talk about spacing and text size on an advanced level.
As stated before, a well designed typeface will have tighter or looser spacing depending on the typefaces intended purpose. But getting even deeper a really really well designed typeface willa so have larger or smaller variation of spacing depending on its intended text size. Let me explain with an example first then hit you with the why.
In a well designed typeface intended for display HH might have a space between them of 200units. And HO might have 100units of space between them LH might be even tighter at just 50units of space between them. So if HH is 100% HO is 50% and LH is 25% spacing.
In text the spacing might look like HH is 200units HO is 120units and LH is 80units. So if HH is 100% HO is 60% and LH is 40%. The range is smaller. Why is this?
It has to do with color. An H set at 162 points looks more like an “H” than and H set at 10 points. The H set at 10 points looks more like a grey blob. Same goes for every other letter. L Looks more like an L when it is large and more like a grey blob when it is small. No matter the character as small text sizes characters, ever so subtly, tend to look more like grey blobs and as a consequence, more like one another. Therefore the sidebearings of those characters should also look more like one another.
This is something that is not often talked about even in the typeface design community. So look at you learning all the deepest lore. You truly are dedicated to your love of typography.
Kerning and a breath of fresh air
Now that we got that out of the way lets address the second part of a well spaced typeface kerning. Kerning follows all the same rules as spacing. But applied on an individual basis to certain problem pairs of characters like the LT AV To LY AY TA and the list goes on.
As an easy way to identify a well designed typeface type out HHLTHH in that typeface and see how the spacing looks. If the space between the LT is way looser than that of the HH you can be sure the typeface was not carefully designed.
Fill it With Sand
Another more subtle way to identify a well designed typeface is by pretending you are pouring sand in between each character. Is the amount of sand required to fill the space between the HH similar to the amount it would take to fill the DH? Of course no method is perfect and using this sand trick on the LH or CH kinda falls apart with any understanding of physics. But it is a good jumping off point.
Recap
Just to tie it all up with a pretty little bow: the three most important (but not only) things to look for in a well designed font are #1 Harmonious Curves, #2 Even Color #3 Consistent Spacing.
Look for harmonious curves with no odd bumps or kinds especially in the S n r g a and e characters.
Test even color by blurring the letters or squinting your eyes, you want a nice even smooth grey across forms, characters, and axes.
Test spacing between problem pairs like the LT and AV, also use the fill it with sand metaphor as a way to train your eye and test spacing.
Hopefully this series has given you a framework for evaluating your typeface selections in your design work and you can more confidently sift through the troubled sea of mediocre typefaces and identify the most well designed of the bunch.
Thanks for Reading, Now Go Make Something.
Harbor