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The Art of Communication: Creative Type + Lettering

10.08.15 | By
The Art of Communication: Creative Type + Lettering

No matter where you turn, the local art gallery, your doctor’s office or your favorite magazine, type and lettering will somehow make an impact on your life each day.

Image from Graffica

The design of letters, and the way they are put together, is a very special area of design. It can be in your face (i.e., bold signage) or it can be subtle (i.e., any fiction book). Either way, this form of expression personifies the idea that graphic design is the art of communication. Do you ever wonder how just the shape of a letter can determine the feeling you get from reading it, before you’ve even finished reading the entire message…?

This “Fabric Type” above by Tania Alvarez Zaldivar is a beautiful display type that would perfectly represent any subject matter that has to do with whimsy and femininity.

Image from Behance, Chris LaBrooy

Just like art, lettering can make you stop and stare. This awesome piece from Chris LaBrooy catches my eye every time I see it.

Image from IDN World

Image from IDN World

Unlike art, type can carry the responsibility of function, such as signage like the stairwell above or the article copy from The New York Times, making the reading seamless.

Image from Behance, Tony Ziebetzki

Lettering can be purely conceptual… This alphabet above by, Tony Ziebetzki, was made purely by scalpel, paper and scanner in order to understand just how many different methods there are to create letters.

Image from Pommel Lane

Image from Pommel Lane

If a photograph can express a thousand words, what about photography combined with words? These unstructured forms of lettering by Pommel Lane began as a personal project for practice, but turned into a successful, ongoing editorial series.

Cori is a freelance Graphic Designer with a background in Interior Design, currently living in Los Angeles. She has paired her design and marketing knowledge to start a freelance career that combines both graphic design and interior design. When she's not working on an editorial layout, blog design, identity or illustration, she's contributing on design blogs or rambling on on her own.