The present-day designer has a host of printing types at his disposal. Since Gutenberg first invented movable type in 1436-55 hundreds of different types have been designed and cast in lead. The most recent technical developments with computer and photo-typesetting have once again brought new faces or variations of old ones on the market.

The choice is up to the designer It is left to his feeling for form to use good or poor typefaces for his design work. In view of the limited space available, we shall refer here to only a few of the outstanding designs of the past and the 20th century which have appeared most frequently in publications.

Knowledge of the quality of a typeface is of the greatest importance for the functional, aesthetic and psychological effect of printed matter. Again, the typographic design, i. e. the correct spaces between letters and words and the length and spacing of lines conducive to easy reading, does much to enhance the impression created. Today the field is dominated mainly by computer and photo-typesetting A typical characteristic of these forms of composition is the too narrow setting of the letters which makes reading difficult. The designer will be well advised to demand the normal spacing between letters when ordering photo-typesetting.

By studying the classic designs of Garamond, Casion, Bodoni, Walbaum and others, the designer can learn what the timeless criteria are which produce a refined and artistic typeface that makes for ease of reading.

The lead type designs of Berthold, Helvetica, Folio, Univers etc. produce pleasant and easily legible type areas. The typographic rules that apply to the roman typefaces are also valid for the sans serifs.

The creators of these type designs were extremely intelligent artists with high creative powers. This is shown by the fact that for more than four centuries innumerable type designers have sought to create new type alphabets but very few of these have gained acceptance. An alphabet of Garamond for example, is an artistic achievement of the first order. Each letter has its own unmistakable face, whether lower or upper case, and displays the highest quality of form and originality. Each letter has its own personality and makes a marked impact.

Every designer who is concerned with typography should take the trouble when creating graphic designs to sketch words and sentences by hand Many designers take advantage of the Letraset process, which can undoubtedly produce a clean draft design that is almost ready for press. But a feeling for good letter forms and an attractive typeface can be acquired only by constant and careful practice in sketching letters.

How the forms of letters can create simultaneously both tension and nobility and how pleasantly legible lines of type can appear to the eye of the reader may be seen from the examples on the following pages.

The Renaissance created midline typography which held its position until the 20th century.

The new typography differs from the old in that it is the first to try to develop the outward appearance from the function of the text

The new typography uses the background as an element of design which is on a par with the other elements.

Earlier typography (midline typography) played an active role against a dead, passive background.