Page 93 - Jostens Yearbook_Adviser Guide

A designer may employ reader entry points, or visual content elements that pull the viewer into the design with the FONTS: A QUICK TUTORIAL
goal of turning the viewer into a reader. Reader entry points increase the sophistication and visual appeal of the
yearbook spread. The most obvious reader entry point on a spread is the dominant photograph and the spread’s VOCABULARY
main headline.
Fonts are more complicated than a novice would suspect and have a vocabulary all their own. Their anatomy
Other reader entry points may include drop caps, photo identification numbers or symbols, typographic dingbats, is described in terms of ascenders and descenders. Their size is described using terms like point size
pulled quotes, subheadlines and copy bites.
and x-height.

ASCENDER:
Letter strokes that rise above
POINT SIZE: the x-height as evident in the
Typography is b, d, f, h, k, l.
measured in points
from the top of
READER ENTRY POINTS IN an ascender to
THIS SPREAD INCLUDE: the bottom of the
■ A drop cap “A” in the descender.
dominant feature.
■ Photo ID numbers and DESCENDER: SERIF: BASELINE:
caption lead-ins that have Letter strokes that dip below Tiny marks or “feet” at the Invisible guideline the
a bold type treatment and the x-height as evident in the characters sit on. Rounded
utilize the page color palette. end of the letter stroke. letters fall slightly below the
g, j, p, q, y.
■ Triangle shaped arrow marks baseline—a, b, c, d, e, o, u.
above images in the “Week
Activities” module.

MEASUREMENT
Fonts are measured from the bottom of their lowest descender (usually a letter like “y” or “g”) to the top of their
John Paul Stevens High School, MO
highest ascender (usually a letter like “h” or “t”). It is for this reason that a word written in different fonts but the
WHAT’S MY TYPE? same font size can look dramatically larger or smaller than one another.

Font selection can be tricky because there are so many type options and ways to use them. In fact, many fonts
come in a font family, the same font with a variety of faces including heavy, bold, italic, light, condensed, extended yearbook yearbook
and so on. 60 point

It can be challenging to teach novice designers that more isn’t better, especially when it comes to fonts. Consider
directing students toward a diverse a font family, which maintains publication consistency while at the same time Helvetica Neue LT Std: Light Condensed Archer: Book
adding interest by offering a number of ways for the same font to be used.

The use of size in design communicates importance, and type size is no exception. Larger items are interpreted
as more important. By using different point sizes for fonts on a spread (72 points in an inch), contrast is achieved.
The designer is also able to communicate varying degrees of importance to the reader. SOME COMMON SIZES USED IN YEARBOOKS INCLUDE:
■ Primary headlines: 24 to 200 point or larger ■ Theme copy: 12 to 14 point
■ Secondary headlines: 14 to 18 point ■ Secondary copy: 10 point, but varies
■ Stories: 10 point ■ Folios (page numbers): 10 to 18 point
■ Captions: 8 point

92 SECTION 4.4 TYPOGRAPHY BASICS DESIGN 93