Typography, Headlines and Infographics

t’s one thing to visualize the big picture. It’s quite another to sweat
the details. In the previous chapter, you learned about page design,
or combining large elements such as stories, headlines and photo-
graphs into a complete layout. In this chapter, you’ll be asked to pull
out your magnifying glass to see what’s going on inside the design. In
particular, you’ll be introduced to the nuances of lettering styles and
arrangements.
You’ll learn about typography and printing specifications. You’ll
also learn how to write and design different kinds of headlines. You’ll
become familiar with one of the most interesting features in journal-
ism—the infographic. Along the way, you’ll gain some valuable tips on
how to take advantage of desktop publishing technology.

MAKING GOOD TYPOGRAPHIC CHOICES

Unless you’re a musician, you probably don’t analyze every note
you hear; you simply settle back and listen. When you read a story, you
probably don’t scrutinize every letter, either. Like most readers, you surf
across those waves of words, oblivious to typographic details. But those
details, like notes to a musician, are critically important to the successful
communication of a message.
Typography is the art of arranging letters in a pleasing and appropri-
ate manner. Readers don’t worry much about how the letters of the alpha-
bet look, but designers do. They fret over the size, shape and spacing of
their letters as they seek just the right look. Designers worry for a reason.
Good typographic design makes the difference between attractive, read-
able type and type that looks like a ransom note from a kidnapper.

Typefaces and Fonts

Letters can have many different appearances. The letter A, for exam-
ple, can look like A, A, A, A or A. Over the years, designers have produced
thousands of different typefaces, which are sometimes even named after
them—Bodoni or Zapf, for instance. Typeface refers to a distinctive
set of letters, both uppercase and lowercase. The set is distinctive in the
same sense that your handwriting is unique. No two sets of letters, or
typefaces, are exactly alike.

TYPOGRAPHY, HEADLINES AND INFOGRAPHICS^355

In this chapter, you will learn

the meaning of these terms:

typography

typeface

font

serif type

sans serif type

leading

tracking

kerning

set width

flush left

justified

flush right

widow

orphan

banner

kicker

scale

skew

layer

reverse

slammer

raw wrap

hammer

tripod

sidesaddle head

fever chart

pie graph

bar chart

table

After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

• identify the two major type families,


• use good typography to make a publication more readable,


• create five different kinds of headlines,


• design an infographic.

typography

the art of choosing and

arranging letters in a pleas-

ing and appropriate manner

typeface

a distinctive set of letters

(both uppercase and lower-

case)

I