Master Your Knowledge of Typography with These Resources

Master graphic designers know that their choices of font styles and typography can make or break their projects. Typography is more than just a design element; it is an artistic disciple in and of itself, and it should be required learning by web designers who are serious about their profession. If you look at the posters designed by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec for the Moulin Rouge in the late 19th century, you will notice that a significant aspect of their visual appeal is the combination of fonts casually drawn by hand; this beautiful work inspired not just typographers but also future graphic designers.

Knowing how to pair and combine fonts is a typographical endeavor that web designers should not only learn but also embrace. Capturing the eye by means of typeface is a graphic design skill that can sharpen your overall creativity and sense of style; to this effect, here are some resources you should check out for the purpose of boosting your typographic acumen:

Canva Font Pairing

This popular cloud-based graphic design tool has a nice section on on font pairings that starts out with a primer on typeface structure before jumping right into examples of pairings that evoke specific sentiment. If your project intends to evoke a sophisticated, active or professional look, this is a good place to start.

Just My Type - Simon Garfield. Avery, 2012

There are quite a few books on typography, but this one stands out because of its breezy style and observations about why we react to fonts in certain ways. The notorious history of Comic Sans, for example, is covered in great detail.

FontJoy

This website is specifically dedicated to pairing fonts designed by Google. An interesting feature of FontJoy is that it works with machine learning algorithms that take into account the thickness of fonts and their many variations. FontJoy is also a good place to stay updated about new Google fonts.

Ray Gun Magazine

In the 1990s, typography enjoyed a brief Renaissance thanks to Ray Gun magazine, a publication that covered alternative rock and popular culture. Ray Gun was a print publication that left us too soon, but you can revisit its stunning typography in the 2019 book Ray Gun: The Bible of Music and Style, written by Marvin Scott Jarrett and published by Rizzoli New York. For more information click here https://www.canva.com/learn/the-ultimate-guide-to-font-pairing/.