I Shot the Serif (Common Typography Mistakes You Could Be Making)

Each week we have been sharing the elements a good designer uses to build a strong brochure. You may never have given these topics much thought before, but we guarantee they are essential parts of every brochure that catches your eye.

Of all the topics we are going to discuss, typography really separates the professionals from the newbies.

There are plenty of articles already out that give a great overview on the topic of typography. If you want to learn more about the terms and classification of typefaces, we’d recommend the following resources:

A Crash Course in Typography: The Basics of Type

Typography Tutorial for Beginners: Everything You Need to Learn Typography Basics

In thinking how we could bring value to this topic, we decided to share mistakes people make when working with type.

These are common mistakes that are easily resolved when someone knows what to look for, and they enhance the appeal of your brochure better serving your message. Seeing these mistakes in action can be helpful. Therefore, we are going to use a page from a magazine we designed to create a visual reference for these pitfalls.

First we want to show the page as it was designed. It is a relatively simple page, but looking closely we see some of the previous weeks concepts at play. Large dynamic photo, hierarchy of elements, grid and alignment all work together creating a well-designed page.

Let’s shake up this page and show some mistakes that can compromise the content and impact the reader’s experience.

Lack of Leading

Leading is the space between the lines of text. The term originated from the days of hand-typesetting when actual strips of lead were placed to increase the vertical space between lines of type.

Today, most programs automatically create leading that is visually pleasing. However, that doesn’t mean that a designer shouldn’t make sure the leading works well for page.

As you see the lack of leading gives a cramped feel. A good rule of thumb is to have the leading be at least two points larger than the font size. For example, if your font is 9 points,  then start with leading of 11 points.

However, the leading that we created for this page was actually more than 2 points because we wanted to give the body copy a lighter feel in order to contrast with the visual weight of the photo above.

That is a perfect example of what a professional does, while the default setting gives an initial option, a designer makes the necessary adjustments to serve the content.

Font doesn’t fit message

Designers are hired to solve problems using visual solutions. This mistake speaks to a lack of understanding regarding the content. Which means, either a designer didn’t do their job well or a designer didn’t work on the brochure.

Sometimes, selecting a font is compared to picking out an outfit. The type of event or activity you are going to will influence what you wear. Additionally, what you wear communicates something about you to the people around you.

For example, if you are attending a fancy event and you show up wearing pajamas and bunny slippers, unless you’re Hugh Hefner, the people around you will probably not take you seriously or will completely avoid any eye contact.

In our sample layout, we changed the serif headline font, with a script font. While it is a lovely font, the swirls and curls don’t really match the content of the story, which is about a retiring baseball icon.

This is where partnering with a professional makes a significant difference. While more than one font may work, designers can lean into their knowledge of typography, selecting a font that serves the content well. In the end, you often can’t even imagine another font being used.

Too many fonts

There is nothing that more quickly communicates amateur work then a smorgasbord of fonts. Whenever we see a piece that uses 5 or 6 fonts, without a rhyme or reason, it’s usually a clear sign that someone is compensating for a lack of experience by adding more bells and whistles to distract the viewer.

The more experience a designer has, the more they can handle juggling a variety of fonts within a brochure. They understand how to build a structure, and select fonts that serve the content.

You have to clock a lot of hours studying and following the rules before you can confidently forge a new trail.

It’s a good rule of thumb to begin with just a couple of fonts. For example, one for the headlines and subheads, another one for the body copy.

For a lot of brochures a solid font pairing is all that you will need. To this day, that is the approach that we use to start when first constructing a design.

Ignoring Tracking and Kerning

Tracking and Kerning are two related areas where a designer can bring finesse to a brochure. When done well, no one gives them a second thought because they are something that shouldn’t draw attention, but they are something that a lot of people neglect.

Tracking and kerning are similar, but they refer to slightly different text adjustments. Tracking is the spacing between a group of letters in a word or phrase, while kerning is the spacing between only 2 letters.

As seen here, when there is too much tracking the word doesn’t look as strong and the relationship between the letters can appear more haphazard. In some cases too much space compromises the reader’s experience.

In the case of kerning, you can have letters that are too close in proximity and you need to provide more space, or situations where neighboring letters have too much space between them and need to be tightened up. Depending upon the font and the individual letters that are next to each other sometimes there can be huge spaces that need to be addressed.

A professional is always on the lookout for those issues and is sure to address them before calling a brochure finished.

Large block of reversed text.

When type is made white or a light color and placed on top of a darker background, it is called “reversed type.” As shown in our original layout, reversed type can be very effective when used sparingly, like in a headline.

However, with body copy (the main passage of text) reversed text can become problematic. If there is not enough contrast between the font and background image or color, someone may not even notice the text and miss it entirely.

Second, if the designer navigates the hurdle of making sure there is enough contrast, you now run into potential eye-fatigue for the reader. Look at the sample, if you stare at it for any length of time you may start to feel a strain on your eyes.

If you are going to reverse type, you want to make sure to increase the size and weight of the type. Lighter weight fonts are thinner and can start to look blurry when reversed out on a dark background. You may also need to increase the leading to aid in readability.

As with these other pitfalls, professional designers know how to navigate these challenges and find solutions that work for the specific piece they are designing. However, for those lacking experience it is best to avoid these challenges entirely.

Address widows, orphans, bad breaks

One of the final steps that a designer takes when completing a design is to address widows, orphans and bad breaks. In typography, a widow is a very short line at the end of a paragraph or column. A widow is considered poor typography because it leaves too much white space between paragraphs or at the bottom of the page.

Similar to a widow, an orphan is a single word or line, but it sits at the beginning of a new column.

The initial layout (above) addressed all of these problems and left two clean columns of text that can be easily read.

However, here is a sample of these mistakes in action. When you see text that has not been addressed by a designer the end result is not as polished and can cause the reader to wonder if this is the kind of service and quality they can expect from your business.

We hope this gives you a better understanding of some of the mistakes that can be made with typography. As always, our hope is to bring valuable content to help you be more discerning with your marketing materials. If you have any questions about this topic or if there is any way that we can serve your company, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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