Photoshop: Typography Do's and Don'ts

Some Basic Rules of Typography

By Damien Andrews

Continued...

Decorative typefaces
There are literally tens of thousands of typefaces available today. Many of these are decorative, which is great. Using these typefaces spruces up bland documents quickly and easily – but they are not easy to read, so use them sparingly. In Photoshop, create your line of type and then, using the drop down type menu in the Character dialog box, switch from face to face until you find the one you like best.

Colors on colors
Black type on a white background is the easiest to read. But it is not always the best color combination for design work. When you are designing with typography and colors, be careful not to use color combinations that will either strain the reader's eyes, or cause optical illusions and distortions. I can't list all of the bad combinations here, but here are a few: dark blue on red; red on green; green on dark blue; black on red; black on dark blue and yellow on white. Go for contrast to make reading easier. Try playing with pastel background colors and complementary type colors. In Photoshop, create your type and then, using the drop down type menu in the Character dialog box, switch colors of type. Quickly change the background layer color by selecting the entire layer (^A) and then changing colors on the Tools palette until you get your favorite.

Pick the right typeface
If you are making a cartoon or lighthearted announcement, use a whimsical typeface such as Frosty or Comic Sans. For more serious typography chores, use a more standard typeface such as Times, one of the engraver's fonts or Bodoni. Select a script style such as the elegant Palace Script face to emulate handwriting. In Photoshop, select the type layer and then the drop down type menu in the Character dialog box to instantly see what a typeface looks like.

Customize the type to your design needs
In Photoshop, customizing type for headlines is easy, and can really make a difference in the appearance of your project. Once you get the typeface, color and approximate size type you desire, rasterize the type layer and start to alter it. Try using the ^T>skew command to get a 3-D look. Color it using the Photoshop Gradient Tool. You can also use filters, such as the Twirl filter to get great headline impact.

Pro Tip: Do the composition of your body text in your word processor and then import it into Photoshop for manipulation. Photoshop is a powerful text handling and typography tool, but it does not facilitate spell checking or editing text nearly as well as even a basic word processor.

<< Previous