Elliot Jay Stocks 
Universal Principles of Typography 
100 Key Concepts for Choosing and Using Type

Explore 100 key concepts, theories, and guidelines that are critical for choosing and using type.



We communicate with text every single day, but
what does it mean to really understand type—to use it with clear intent and purpose? The art and science of typography combines subtle tweaks to line lengths with harmonious combinations of weights and styles; considered typeface pairings with a robust set of alternate characters; exciting technological advances with the realities of font licensing. There are so many ways designers can optimize how text is read and influence the way its message is understood—and yet so many designers miscommunicate without even realizing it.



Richly illustrated and easy to navigate,
Universal Principles of Typography
pairs clear explanations  of each principle 
with visual examples  of it applied in practice. By considering these concepts and examples, you can learn to make more informed, and ultimately better, typography decisions.



Building upon tried-and-tested principles from the world of print through to the very latest advances in browser technology, this book will equip you with
everything you need to make the most informed typographic decisions in your design work today.



Featured principles are as diverse as:

• Characters & Glyphs


• Font v. Typeface


• Hierarchy


• Inclusivity


• Open Type


• Pairing type


• Rhythm


• Web fonts

Each principle is
presented in a two-page format . The first page contains a succinct definition, a full description of the principle, examples of its use, and guidelines for use. Sidenotes appear with the text, and provide elaborations and references. The next page contains visual examples and related graphics to support a deeper understanding of the principle.



With
Universal Principles of Typography, gain a deep understanding of the universal principles of typography and learn how to apply them across any work you do with type, from the simplest of documents to the most complex of cross-platform design systems.



The titles in the 
Rockport Universal series  offer comprehensive and authoritative information and edifying and inspiring visual examples on multidisciplinary subjects for designers, architects, engineers, students, and anyone who is interested in expanding and enriching their design knowledge.

About the author

Ellen Lupton is a writer, curator, educator, and designer. She is Senior Curator of Contemporary Design at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. New projects include the books Health Design Thinking and Extra Bold, a feminist career guide for designers. Lupton is founding director of the Graphic Design MFA Program at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) in Baltimore, where she has authored numerous books on design processes, including Thinking with Type, Graphic Design Thinking, Graphic Design: The New Basics, and Type on Screen. Her book Design Is Storytelling was published by Cooper Hewitt in 2017. She received the AIGA Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement in 2007. Recent exhibitions include Face Values: Understanding Artificial Intelligence and Herbert Bayer: Bauhaus Master. The Senses: Design Beyond Vision, Beauty—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial, How Posters Work, and Beautiful Users. She was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2019.