What does a graphic designer bring to the table when claiming expertise in typography? The practice of typography is not only about the form of the characters themselves but also their layout. A graphic designer who claims such expertise is not necessarily, or not solely, a type designer.
An expert in typography could be defined as a designer capable of judging a design based on two key criteria: readability plus legibility (that which allows seamless entry into a text or “content”) and visibility (that which creates meaning through its own visual image), essentially, functionalism and distinction. The designer has various means at their disposal, at both the typographic character and layout levels, to make a piece of writing either functional or distinctive.

Laying out

Organizing and ordering

One of the many roles of the designer laying out is to order text and establish a typographic hierarchy. Their aim is to differentiate chunks of information (such as titles and subtitles, sections, folios, or running heads) visually through grid alignment, the choice of point size, weight, letter-spacing, and surrounding elements (underlining, framing, boxes), etc. Crucially, an expert knows how to achieve this with a certain economy of means.

The “best practices” for readability

The layout of a text is ruled by numerous conventions, particularly those of orthotypography, which vary depending on the language and are documented in countless guides ¹. Some of these rules have an clear utility: for instance, using single quotes inside double quotes, avoiding lines that are too long or too short, balancing the “rag” of left-aligned texts, and generally maintaining a consistent typographic “color”. Other rules, such as the use of thin spaces or using a proper apostrophe instead of a prime symbol in French, have a less clear utility.

Since we read best what we read most, some rules likely contribute to legibility simply because they are commonly followed, even if they possess no formal quality that objectively improves reading.

However, especially since the advent of on-screen reading, many of these “best practices” are being superseded by new habits. This reveals another purpose of these minute details: distinguishing between practitioners who know the codes and those who do not.

Given the superficiality of some of these practices, it is desirable that a typographic expert is not merely someone who follows them blindly, but someone who can, at times, reinvent them.

Type setting

Selecting

Designers often select a typeface based on four criteria accurately outlined by Stéphane Darricau ²: “intrinsic adequacy” (between the letterforms and the ideas expressed by the text), “chronological adequacy” (between the era the typeface was produced and the era the text was written), “sensitive adequacy” (between the drawing qualities of the characters and the qualities of the text) and “associative adequacy” (a connotative “leap of faith”).

To these selection criteria based on visibility, we can add those based on function, such as the number of styles, the family, and the format. For example, it is useful to know that one should avoid using a TrueType font with overlapping paths with a PostScript printer.

Designing or directing design

Designing or directing the design of a custom typeface is a major asset for a typographic expert who wishes to offer a client an exclusive and therefore distinctive typeface.

The same criteria mentioned above apply: the design of a typeface must meet functional requirements, such as matching a pre-existing typographic hierarchy (the number of styles and special characters required) and a specific context of use (target reading type, spatial constraints, and media), as well as criteria of distinction (historical references, artistic movements, or specific values to be connoted).