Typographers are responsible for selecting and arranging letters and words on a printed page, with a focus on spatial relationships and font selection. They are often used in print work, such as newspapers and magazines, and have an understanding of graphic design elements. Modern typesetting is done on computers, but the principles remain the same.
Typographers are graphic designers who are primarily concerned with the selection and arrangement of letters and words on a printed page. While a typographer can be used or consulted to get the best arrangement of words on an internet site, this is usually handled by a page designer and typography is normally reserved for print work such as newspapers and magazines. A typographer will usually have an excellent understanding of general graphic design elements such as shape, form, function and color, as well as specific knowledge of fonts and typefaces.
Modern typesetters are, in many ways, direct descendants of typesetters who worked with the first printing presses, physically arranging letters on the press to get the best resulting layout on the printed page. The process is still called typography, although it usually involves the work of creating and publishing documents on a computer rather than moving blocks of letters around on a large metal press. While the tools and techniques may have changed, typographers are still responsible for many of the same tasks, and ultimately they are often the people who actually make a printed page look the same.
Two of the most important and fundamental understandings for typographers are understanding the spatial relationships between images and words on a page and a thorough knowledge of different fonts and typefaces. Whether considering a page from a newspaper or magazine, space on the page is limited and most editors want to get as much information as possible on one page. It is up to typographers to ensure that this information lands on the page in a way that is clear, understandable, and uses the visual space as effectively as possible.
The order of words and images can be very important in this process. For languages that read from left to right on a page, it’s important to arrange images and captions in a way that flows naturally and makes strong visual sense to the reader. Languages read from right to left have the same concerns. Typographers typically consider how the reader will approach a magazine or newspaper page and how the eye naturally moves through the page’s content and space.
Most typographers also need to know and understand many different typefaces and fonts. Different letter shapes and sizes can really affect the reader in different ways. Strong, bold, or otherwise commanding fonts can subconsciously build confidence and a sense of authority in a reader for what is on the page. The typesetter is responsible for the words on the page, visually creating a certain impression on the reader before they are even read, and font and typeface selection can be vital in this process.
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