Textual Elements of Design: Fonts, Typography, and Spacing

Text as a design material

Here the text in a layout is the subject, not a placeholder. The course looks at where typography came from, then at how spacing and font pairing change the message a page sends.

Who benefits

Beginners who want to know why one font pairing works and another does not will benefit most. The early distinction between type, fonts and text is a practical one, because it clears up terms that people often use interchangeably.

Points worth noting

• Type, fonts and text defined before any choosing happens.
• Spacing, which the course treats as part of the foundation rather than a finishing touch.
• Combinations of fonts, judged by how well they carry the message.

Colour theory and design software appear among the listed skills, so the course is likely to touch on tools as well as principles.