THIS IS BERG

A SWISS DESIGN STUDIO

BASED IN ZÜRICH

Along with the redesign of the glyphs, I also redesigned the space around the glyphs. Typography is designing the form as much as designing the counter form. Spacing and kerning was a problematic issue in the older Exo, but now it looks beautiful (however, don’t buy it from me, test it for yourself).

This new design is very versatile and I hope to see it used in very different contexts, as the first version has been used. Exo 2.0 has a very contemporary look, so if you want your design to look fresh and stand out, I encourage you to use it.

Composition and grid structure are vital factors in effective communication with type. In Ellen Lupton comprehensively explains the benefits of working with a grid. She addresses the flexibility of grids, what grids offer in integrating type and image, and how they can organize a complex hierarchy.

There is an inextricable link between typeface, type size and measure (i.e. line length). While a design’s appearance can vary from screen to screen, good designers are experts at creating enticing, digestable amounts of information, carefully composed to hold our interest.

I teach typography at the Startup Institute in Boston, and the most common question I get is about how to choose a typeface. I know for a fact that all the students there are going to get theirs from Google Web Fonts because a) it’s free b) it’s easy and c) it’s Google.

So I’ve developed a simple way for them to eliminate the crap immediately. Google allows you to sort their typefaces by number of styles that are available. I’ve found that it’s generally true (on their site) that the more styles a typeface has the better it is. And they have a button to sort by number of styles.

Look, Web fonts aren’t just font files that need to be secure and easy to implement. They affect the overall look and usability of a website. They need to be chosen with care. And thanks for the thousands of fonts, but quantity is not as important as quality.

A hundred knives that can’t cut a tomato won’t meet my needs when I’m making my kid a BLT. So, make our lives a little easier. Make our work a little better. Help us find the Web fonts we want to use.

The following websites have very distinct personalities, largely established by the typography. Granted, sometimes they aren’t perfect (unfortunately, performance is often an issue), but they use type to engage the user and generate interest.

Good Web typography isn’t just about a beautiful visual treatment, but about speed as well; many designers neglect performance entirely. Please keep in mind that these websites haven’t been tested in old browsers or on mobile devices — that wasn’t the point of this article.