Inspiration

from: Creative Graphic Design: Essential Typography

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In this video Angie tells you about the inspirations that helped develop her own unique style. She also shares some tips and tricks to help you get inspired when working with type.

From: Creative Graphic Design: Essential Typography

Making good decisions in typography — choosing the right typefaces, fonts, sizes, spacing and so on — can have a major impact on the quality of your designs. In this one-of-a-kind workshop, art director, illustrator, and motion graphic designer Angie Taylor introduces you to the essential principles of typography. After exploring the terminology, history, and anatomy of traditional and computer-based fonts, she brings you all the way up to the present day by looking at how text is formatted in today’s creative applications. You’ll also learn specific software techniques for creating your own lettering from hand-drawn text, animating text on a path, using operators and effects to customize existing fonts, working with 3D text, and more.

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3 hrs 30 min

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The Introduction chapter sets the stage for the whole course. Your trainer, Angie Taylor, will introduce some of the typographic concepts that will be covered in the following lessons. She'll also share the story of what inspired her to become a graphic designer.

Introduction
- This video will introduce you to the concepts covered in this workshop on typography. You'll also get information about your trainer and about the book that inspired this unique course.
  
  Course Outline
  
  03:19
- In this video Angie tells you about the inspirations that helped develop her own unique style. She also shares some tips and tricks to help you get inspired when working with type.
  
  Inspiration
  
  04:19
This chapter examines the fundamentals of typography, looking at the history of type and how it influences the terminology we use to describe the anatomy of type.

The Essence of Typography
- In this video we'll take a look at the origins of the type we use today. You'll see how the technology of past times influences today's designs and the terminology we use to describe the elements of type.
  
  The Origins of Type
  
  02:31
- This video will outline the terminology used to describe the various components of characters. You'll also learn how to avoid confusion when using this terminology.
  
  The Anatomy of Type
  
  07:10
This chapter focuses on typefaces. It begins by examining the categories of typefaces and then compares some examples from each of the categories so that you are better able to recognize the differences between them. You'll also discover how certain characteristics and cultural associations can influence the meaning of a particular typeface.

Typefaces
- In this video you'll learn about serif typefaces. We'll discuss the history of their development and how this impacted the letter shapes. We'll also look at differences and similarities between several of the classic serif typefaces.
  
  Serif Typefaces
  
  04:57
- This movie covers sans serif typefaces. We'll talk about the history and development of these typefaces and study the classic sans serif typefaces, focusing on what differentiates them from each other.
  
  Sans Serif Typefaces
  
  05:04
- In this lesson we'll look at script typefaces, both formal and casual.
  
  Script Typefaces
  
  01:03
- When designing it's important to be aware of cultural associations that may influence the interpretation of your message. In this video we'll look at an example where the Lucid Blackletter typeface has an ambiguous meaning.
  
  Cultural Associations
  
  01:50
- Typefaces have definite characteristics. In this lesson you'll learn how to recognize these, which will help you make the correct choices for your particular design. You'll also learn how you can play against the viewer's expectations to create a sense of irony.
  
  Characteristics of Typefaces
  
  01:42
Typefaces usually include several fonts with different weights and characteristics. In this chapter you'll learn about these and the differences and similarities in size, weight, line, and detail that you should be aware of when choosing fonts. We'll also look at special characters that are included in fonts, such as ligatures.

Fonts
- In this video we'll start to look at how software relates to the terminology of typography. You'll learn about fonts and font styles and why you should use italic and bold fonts rather than applying faux bold and italic styling within the software.
  
  Font Styles
  
  02:14
- This lesson will introduce you to the special characters included in well-designed fonts. These include swashes, fractions, drop caps, and ligatures.
  
  Special Characters
  
  00:47
- Some combinations of characters can clash to create ugly or unworkable shapes. Many typefaces provide ligatures, or combination characters, to fix this problem. In this video you'll see how ligatures can really add elegance to your designs.
  
  Ligatures
  
  01:32
- In this lesson you'll discover how different weights and sizes can convey different messages and learn how to recognize these differences.
  
  Size and Weight
  
  02:13
- In this video we'll look at the details of characters, studying the differences between some selected typefaces. You'll learn how to recognize typefaces and compare them, which will make choosing fonts a more informed process.
  
  Line, Decoration, and Detail
  
  03:14
The space between letters, words, and lines of text is just as important as the characters themselves. In this chapter we'll start thinking of negative space as a shape and look at ways of adjusting this space to balance text correctly.

Spacing
- After choosing a typeface and font, the next important consideration is spacing. In this lesson we'll begin to consider the space between the characters as shapes and learn how you can adjust this to improve the legibility and overall appearance of your designs.
  
  Letter Spacing
  
  08:12
- In this lesson you'll learn about leading and how adding space between lines can impact your designs. We'll also look at the baseline shift property in software and discuss the differences between this and line spacing.
  
  Line Spacing
  
  02:49
- In this video we'll look at the spaces between words and how these can be controlled using software. We'll also finish off the Spacing chapter with a look at how you can incorporate optical illusions into your designs to create clever and intriguing imagery.
  
  Word Spacing
  
  03:52
Most Adobe design and video applications have similar typographic controls. In this chapter we'll look at the different tools that are available for editing your text and apply some of the concepts we've discussed in earlier chapters.

Formatting Text in Adobe Applications
- If you open a file and do not have the fonts that were used to create that file, you may get a missing font error message. This video will show you how font substitution works in all the applications used in this workshop and you how each one deals with missing fonts.
  
  Missing Fonts and Font Substitution
  
  06:34
- Once you know all about type, you can really take advantage of the controls offered to you by the Character panel in Adobe software applications. In this lesson we'll explore the main controls in this panel, which is common to all the Adobe design and video applications.
  
  The Character Panel
  
  11:51
- In this video you'll find out exactly what the Adobe Paragraph panel is capable of. What are those funny buttons you never use? And how do they work?
  
  The Paragraph Panel
  
  08:44
- The Adobe Control panel is context-sensitive and offers quick access to many of the controls you'll need when working with the Type tool. It also offers some quick links to items found in the menus, as you'll see in this video.
  
  The Adobe Control Panel
  
  03:40
- Character styles are a great way of saving time when working on any projects that contain text, whether they be motion graphic design, websites, books, or other documents. In this lesson you'll learn how to create character styles that can be applied to selected text at the click of a button.
  
  Character Styles
  
  04:39
- If you're working on text-heavy projects such as websites, brochures, or books, you'll love paragraph styles, which offer a quick way of applying predefined character and paragraph attributes to selected text. You'll learn how to use paragraph styles to avoid repetitive formatting tasks in this video.
  
  Paragraph Styles
  
  03:19
- In this video we'll explore what Open Type fonts are and why we need them. We'll also look at the Glyphs panel in InDesign, where you can access the full repertoire of characters from a font, and you'll learn how to find special characters like ligatures, fractions, and swashes.
  
  Open Type Features in InDesign
  
  03:50
- In some applications you can use the Eyedropper tool to easily copy text attributes from one block of text to another. You'll see how this feature works in this video.
  
  Using the Eyedropper to Copy Text Attributes
  
  01:26
This chapter focuses on the (somewhat limited) text features available Adobe Photoshop. You'll also learn about some complementary features like layer styles that you can use to personalize your design and add pizzazz to your text.

Working with Type in Photoshop
- Photoshop can be a bit awkward to work with if you're focusing on text. In this video you'll see how the basic text formatting works in Photoshop and learn about a couple of gotchas you need to look out for.
  
  Photoshop Text Formatting
  
  02:40
- In this lesson you'll learn how to use tool presets as a workaround for saving text formatting character styles in Adobe Photoshop.
  
  Photoshop Type Tool Presets
  
  03:47
- In this video you'll see how Photoshop's powerful layer styles can be used to decorate your text and make it stand out from the crowd. We'll also look at text warping and saving layer styles as presets.
  
  Applying Layer Styles in Photoshop
  
  08:34
- In this video we'll take a quick tour of Repoussé, Photoshop's 3D text engine. You'll learn how to make your text 3D, adjust material and lighting options, and render your text with high-quality raytracing.
  
  Working with 3D Text in Photoshop
  
  06:46
- In Adobe Photoshop, clipping masks can be used to fill your text with textures. You can also use them to cut text out of a selected layer, like a stencil. In this lesson you'll learn how to do this and also how to apply textures via layer styles.
  
  Using Clipping Masks in Photoshop
  
  06:54
Illustrator is Angie's favorite application for designing text, and here's why. In this chapter you'll get a ton of creative tips on ways to take a standard, classic font like Helvetica and customize it to get a variety of different looks.

Working with Type in Illustrator
- In this video Angie will show you how to make sure the fonts you have will work for the following lessons. If you don't have the same fonts she uses, she'll show you how to use a substitute font and adapt it to be suitable.
  
  Preparing the Fonts
  
  01:39
- Illustrator's live effects allow you to change the appearance of standard fonts while retaining full editing capability over the text content. In this lesson you'll apply effects and then modify them with the Appearance panel.
  
  Using Effects to Customize Fonts
  
  04:35
- Illustrator's Expand Appearance feature can be used to create vectors from text or other objects that have been created using effects. This is useful if you need to pass artwork on to other designers who don't have the same effects. It's also useful and necessary for some practices within Illustrator. You'll learn about them all here.
  
  Expanding Appearance
  
  02:37
- The Eraser tool can be used to literally sculpt shapes in Illustrator. It's a really fun and intuitive way to work. In this video you'll see how to use it to carve new shapes into letters and customize them.
  
  Sculpting Shapes with the Eraser
  
  03:34
- The Reshape tools in Illustrator let you create organic, interesting shapes from text without having to mess about with Bézier curves if you don't want to. You'll learn how to make the most of these amazing tools in this video.
  
  Reshaping Paths with the Warp Tool
  
  05:05
- The Pathfinder panel in Illustrator is where you go if you need to combine and simplify shapes in Illustrator. It can also be used to create cookie cutter effects, removing one shape from another. You'll learn how to use it in this lesson.
  
  Combining Shapes with the Pathfinder
  
  02:58
- Illustrator's layers can be reordered to create interesting effects. The order of objects within a layer can also impact the layer's appearance. In this video you'll see how to duplicate layers and then use various tools to reveal a copy beneath.
  
  Layering Effects
  
  04:24
- Illustrator's Blob Brush tool is awesome! Combined with a Wacom pen it really feels like you're painting organically in Illustrator. This video will introduce you to this must-learn tool.
  
  Blob Brushing Detail
  
  04:12
- In this lesson we'll use Illustrator's Warp effect to reshape text and make it look as if it's distorted along a path. You'll also learn how you can use the Appearance panel to make live adjustments to your Warped text settings.
  
  Warping Text
  
  08:39
- In this video you'll get a quick tour of the 3D extrusion features of Adobe Illustrator, which can help you make your text come alive and create a cartoon-like appearance.
  
  Creating 3D Text
  
  06:06
In this chapter we'll focus on creating text for your motion graphic designs. You'll see how After Effects handles text imported from Photoshop, how to make text move along a specified path, and how to apply effects. We'll also look at the multitude of text animation presets that you can apply to your text.

Motion Graphics in Adobe After Effects
- This video outlines some of the principles of animating text onscreen. It is essential viewing for anyone doing motion graphic design who wants to ensure that their text is clearly readable for viewers and avoid making wrong design decisions.
  
  Animation Speeds and Durations Onscreen
  
  03:09
- After Effects can import Photoshop text and you can even edit the imported text in After Effects, but there's a trick to it! In this lesson you'll learn how to convert Photoshop text into editable After Effects text so you can use text animation presets on it.
  
  Converting Photoshop Text
  
  04:49
- Everyone wants to animate text along a path at some point in their life! This video will show you how to do exactly that in After Effects with just a couple of simple keyframes and a mask.
  
  Animating Text on a Path
  
  03:37
- In this video you'll see how to create masks from text shapes in After Effects. These masks can then be used to create and control effects, among other things.
  
  Creating Masks from Text
  
  02:37
- This lesson looks at the Stroke and Scribble effects in After Effects. These can be used to create the effect on text being drawn onscreen.
  
  Stroke and Scribble Effects
  
  08:14
- In this movie we'll look at the vast array of text animation presets that come free with After Effects. You'll learn how to apply them and then customize them to suit your needs.
  
  Text Presets
  
  04:42
- In this video you'll see how to take hand-drawn lettering, clean it up in Photoshop, Live Trace it in Illustrator, then copy and paste the resulting masks into After Effects, where you can apply the stroke and glow effects to create an animated drawing.
  
  Hand-Drawn Text
  
  08:28