Minimum Typographic Management

Minimum Typographic Management

(Or what you always, always, always must do.)

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Observing these rules will not guarantee that your design will be without error or a masterpiece, but it is a first step in the right direction without which you will certainly not create professional level design.

Refer to this as a sort of check list or reminder of the many options available to you as a typographer but sometimes forget and also tips on how to correctly apply them.

(Key commands are for Mac)

Additional keyboard commands for both platforms.

  1. First edit your text in MS Word
  • Use Spell and Grammar check, dictionary spell check also, proofread
  • Find and Replace fi with fi ligatures (shift + option + 5 or shift + option + 6)
  • Use Alternative Characters
  • Find and Replace double spaces with single spaces between sentences
  • Use correct dashes:
  • Hyphen, only hyphenated words (directly from keyboard) –
    En dash, between durations of time (option + dash) –
    Em dash, everything else (shift + option + dash) —
  • Use Correct Typographer’s or curly quotes and apostrophe’s. You can set these options as a preference or one of the following key combinations (shift + option + open or close bracket).
  • Use a baseline grid based on text leading to create unified layout
  • Use Character and Paragraph Style Sheets to control typographic treatments.
  • Use master Pages for common elements.2. Place or import your text into inDesign or Illustrator for final layout
  • Use glyphs pallet from the Type menu to locate these
    (example: pinon should be piñon, resume should be résumé, facade should be façade)
  • For all programs (System Preferences>>Language and Text>>Input Sources>> check Keyboard and Character Viewer, Show Input menu in Menu bar then go to the Language and Text icon in the menu bar & select Show Keyboard Viewer, holding down the shift and/or shift + option keys will reveal the alternative character map of your keyboard for your chosen font)
  • If using a large Initial Cap letter then you must use some form
    of Diminuindo following it.
  • Line length (measure) is correct when between 40 – 60 characters, or between 1 1/2 to 2 alphabets in length of your chosen font
  • Increase leading for sans-serif type.
  • Kern Display type (headings, subheadings) and also any dates or numerals that occur even within text type. Kern around dashes. The goal for all kerning is optical evenness.
  • Avoid or eliminate Typographic Widows and Orphans
  • Use no more than two typeface families on any one design, not counting identity marks/typefaces.
  • Use typographic variables to create forms of emphasis, indicate hierarchy, and
    vary typographic color. Avoid the default settings. Create clear visual hierarchy between all typographic elements or groups.
  • Convert display type to outlines for final printing and moving files between computers.
  • Eliminate uneven word spacing when using justified type alignment by adjusting any combination of the following; type size, typeface, tracking. The settings you create for one paragraph must be consistently applied to all other similar paragraphs.

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