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Introduction
The design of legible typographic images demands that graphic designers consider the diverse considerations of authors, readers, editors, publishers, and many other technological mediators. They must then choose an appropriate medium and devise an efficient plan. Such a plan, with the inherent perceptual attributes, education, and training of the designer, constitutes the first step toward legible output of multivariate typographic or kinetographic images. Designers must, therefore, possess knowledge of the human elements that relate to the communication process plus the skills that enable them to use electronic tools. This sophistication derives from a comprehensive education and training in typography and type design. It does not derive as a by-product of using electronic tools.
Typographic legibility contains the properties of text/images that symbolically represent readability. It forms an integral part of the design algorithms of visible language. Therefore, legibility results from an interpretation of readability: a property of text that results from developing verbal language in an easily understandable rhetorical style. It requires the expert consideration of a set of infinitely adjustable, concatenated, multivariate, overlapping, geometric modules and complexes known as typographic style.
Graphic designers and typographers variably define the typographic element in graphic design as either visible language, visual language, or visual literacy. This causes confusion as visible language depends for clarity and purpose on verbal language and requires literate comprehension, whereas visual language does not. However, both visible and visual language embrace arts, involve crafts, and adopt similar techniques. The glossarial definitions show the contrast between visible and visual language and describe the very different meanings. The ambiguous term visual literacy has no place in graphic design.
Legible typographic design comprises a codirectional concatenation governed by a reader profile that relates to style or visible rhetoric. The profile results from analysis of comprehension levels on age, education, and culture. The term kinetography defines the combined verbal/visible, rhetorical function of typography in technological environments.
The typographer must take three distinct actions to achieve legibility:
1. Analyze and comprehend author's and editor's intent.
2. Translate the intention through symbolic reference into typographic signs.
3. Arrange the typographic signs into recognizable and comprehensive gestalts.
Legible typography has two attributes: it serves as a separate and independent sign and as an interpretable function. These attributes relate to important processing considerations: as an independent sign they include typeface selection and refer to weight, height, stress, serif, x-height, extruders, and medium; and, as an interpretable function they include type size, character and word spacing, measure (line length), leading (line spacing), spatial disposition, and grapholectic affiliation. All facets of the interpretable function affect and control the use of negative space within geometric constructs.
Notably, geometric constructs (visible algorithms) contain the elements that control typesetting and imagesetting and act as an important guide for text and graphics integration. Composed as grids, based on Cartesian coordinates, they result from the design function, relate to both text and graphics, and may ultimately control a variety of output peripheral devices. An example of bad typography might consist of randomly selected typefaces (no significance to the readable symbol), loose or tight character or word spacing without grapholectic identity (no interpretable function), and design without geometric consideration (no grid coordinates).
For summary, typographic legibility contains the properties of text/images that symbolically represent readability. It forms an integral part of the design algorithms of visible language. Thus, legibility results from an interpretation of readability: a property of text that results from developing verbal language in an easily understandable rhetorical style (verbal language). It requires the expert consideration of a set of infinitely adjustable, concatenated, multivariate, overlapping, geometric modules and complexes that constitute typographic style (visible language).
Typographic designers must possess knowledge of the human elements that relate to the communication process plus the skills that enable them to use electronic tools. The knowledge and ability to interpret readability into legibility derive from a comprehensive education and training in typography and type design. It does not derive as a by-product from using electronic tools.
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