Laws of the Letter

This chapter gives us an insight of something we may not take the time to notice everyday. It is obvious that we use text, typefaces, fonts, etc. to get through our daily lives, but most people don't take into account that sometimes that text is in a graphic design standpoint. The book quotes, "Is the history of letterforms a logical evolution toward perfect shapes, or a string of responses to the changing philosophy, technology, and social uses of writing?" Well we can see after reading this chapter, and as most of us are design majors-we already know, there are hundreds of different ways to portray the letters of the alphabet. Gothic, Helvetica, Ariel, Times, and the list goes on. We use the alphabet to help us with speech and writing. It is our only way of communication other than body language or signing or the use of images. It may be the most important thing in our lives.

Graphic Designers however take on different kind of approaches than a Historian. Not everyone is aware that there are hundreds of ways to type the word Hello. Depending on the word, letter, or context we can give the letter or word attitude or a certain feeling. We can alter text to create shapes, give off a feeling of mood, or even express itself in a certain way. As graphic designers typography is a huge part of our lives. I love using text to get a message across without necessarily typing it out. I found this image online. As artists we are aware that you can create anything out of not only shapes but letters. Typography gives us the freedom to create anything with the use of text. We can type the message while also providing an image.