Both typography and illustration play critical roles in design, and at first glance, it may appear that these two fields are entirely separate from each other. In reality, there is notable overlap between typography and illustration, especially when you consider the fact that lettering and text can very much serve as a visual element.
If you’re thinking about going into graphic design, being familiar with typography and its role in illustration is a must. You may be empowered to create more eye-catching and effective designs with a better understanding of this interplay.
The Basics of Typography in Visual Art
You can’t dive into a discussion of typography’s influence on illustration without an understanding of what typography is and how it is able to function as a visual element.
What Is Typography?
In simplest terms, typography refers to the art of arranging type and printed text to make written language clear and visually appealing. The right typography choices can improve the readability of a text while holding the viewer’s attention and even evoking certain tones or emotions.
Some key elements of typography in graphic design include:
- Typeface, or the type of font being used.
- Letter spacing (tracking), horizontal spacing between letters.
- Line spacing (known as leading), vertical space between lines of text.
- Font size, or how large/small the text is.
Typography as Visual Element
While typography choices may not seem particularly important when it comes to an overall design, the reality is that graphic design typography is a crucial visual element. Not only can a font have a major impact on a viewer’s perception of a design, but typography can even be used to establish and maintain brand identity. In many cases, typography choices can also guide a viewer’s attention by creating a visual hierarchy in text.
The Intersection of Typography and Illustration
Illustrators must learn to use typography in their design choices regularly, especially when it comes to creating harmony in their designs.
Creating Harmony Between Text and Image
When fonts/typefaces are carefully selected and incorporated into an illustration, it is possible to establish a visual hierarchy and a sense of harmony in a design. Many design choices come into play, including key decisions regarding not just the font itself, but the use of white space, alignment, and spacing as well.
Typography as Part of the Illustration
Rather than seeing typography as nothing more than a means of communicating a message, the most successful designers are those who can understand typography choices as being integral to the illustration as a whole.
Techniques for Combining Typography and Illustration
Illustrators (and aspiring illustrators) looking to incorporate typography art into their designs can explore a wide range of techniques and typography design trends, including decorative typography and even custom lettering to make an impact.
Hand Lettering vs. Digital Lettering
One important choice that illustrators will need to make in their designs is selecting hand lettering or digital lettering to communicate their message. In recent years, hand lettering has become increasingly popular as brands look for ways to differentiate themselves and stand out. As a result, more designers have been experimenting with drawing fonts and letters by hand rather than using pre-loaded fonts on a computer.
As you can imagine, this technique takes more time and effort, and it’s a skill that needs to be learned over time. However, for those who want to differentiate themselves as designers, knowing how to hand letters effectively can pay off.
Playing With Scale and Composition
Illustrators can also play around with other aspects of artistic typography, such as experimenting with scale and composition in their designs. Scale and composition choices can be especially impactful when designers are trying to establish a visual hierarchy. You might consider, for example, using negative space to highlight certain areas of text or even overlapping text with other visual elements to create depth.
Incorporating Textures and Patterns
Many designers also find success with incorporating different textures and patterns into their illustrative designs. Doing so can help add visual interest and capture the viewer’s attention more readily, but it is essential to avoid overusing this technique because it can make a design appear too busy.
Applications of Typography-Illustration Integration
As you can see, the intersection between typography and illustration in design is a major one. As you master this skill, there are many potential applications to experiment with and explore.
Branding and Logos
Brands rely on illustrative typography choices to convey their messaging while establishing a recognizable brand presence to wide audiences. This is seen especially in logo design, where brands may stick with specific fonts and font colors to create a lasting impression on an audience.
Editorial Design
Typography is also a critical aspect of editorial design in publications like books, magazines, and newspapers. Designers in these publications must use typography in a way that not just conveys critical messages, but establishes a visual hierarchy and makes the content as visually appealing to the reader as possible.
Posters and Advertising
Last but not least, designers also rely heavily on the use of typography in creating posters and other forms of digital and print advertising. The correct choice of typeface and other typography elements can help convey the message clearly while evoking the right emotions and ensuring readability among the target audience.
Inspiring Examples and Case Studies
Exploring iconic artists and notable projects in the fusion of typography and illustration can be a great way to get inspired in your work.
Iconic Artists Combining Typography and Illustration
- Jessica Hische – A self-proclaimed “lettering artist and author with a tendency to overshare and a penchant for procrastiworking.”
- Paula Scher – An American graphic designer who took her inspiration from the New Wave Typography and used it to create her expressionist style.
- Lauren Hom – A designer who specializes in lettering and murals.
- Seb Lester – A renowned lettering artist who has created logos and type illustrations for brands across the globe.
- Lisa Congdon – An illustrator and author known for her hand lettering.
Notable Projects in Typography-Illustration Fusion
- Google Doodles – An ongoing project launched by Google, where the search engine home page is updated daily with a new logo design often based on current events.
- New York Times Covers – These iconic covers often use innovative typography and other illustrative designs to cover the most important and topical stories across the globe.
- Shepard Fairey’s “Obey” campaign – A sticker campaign that launched in 1989 and offered a bold (at the time) critique of social conformity with a simple illustration coupled with the word “OBEY” in bold letters.
- Pantone Color of the Year Campaigns – An annual campaign held by the Pantone Color Institute that designates a “Color of the Year” in Helvetica type.
- Nike “Play New” Campaign – A 2021 campaign by Nike that used creative letterforms and bright colors to appeal to a younger audience, notable for its deviation from the “traditional” Nike typeface and black/white colors.
Tips for Artists Exploring Typography and Illustration
The world of illustration art and typography can be fascinating, especially to aspiring designers. As you start exploring typography and illustration in your work, there are a few tips you can keep in mind to work towards continuous improvement.
Experimentation and Practice
First, understand that typography art isn’t something that you can master overnight. Instead, it will take a fair amount of experimentation, practice, and trial/error to succeed. As you begin, don’t be afraid to try new things and make mistakes. Even if your ideas don’t pan out, you still will have learned something — and that’s what matters most!
Tools and Resources for Beginners
Be sure to also explore the wide range of tools and resources available for those starting on their design journeys. Specifically, explore websites where you can download free typefaces for use in your work. Plenty of free online typography guides and tutorials help you get inspired, so take advantage.
Overcoming Challenges
Finally, remember that typography and illustration are highly complex fields that come with their inherent obstacles and challenges for designers. You’re going to make mistakes, and you’re going to run into roadblocks in your journey. With the right level of perseverance, however, you’ll be able to overcome common challenges and become a better designer as a result.
Discover More in an Illustration Degree Program
The more you understand the power of typography in design, the more you’ll begin to realize the strong relationship between typography design choices and illustration. Over time, with enough experimentation and practice, you can begin to use creative typography and illustrative typography to take your designs to the next level.
Ready to pursue your Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration? At Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, we’re proud to offer this degree both in-person and online to meet your needs. As part of this career-focused program, you’ll have the opportunity to learn key fundamentals of illustration, like drawing, painting, and visual storytelling.
Reach out to learn more about this program, or take the next step by completing your online application today.
