Type & Photography in Design

Introduction

This week I am going to do a reverse engineer post focusing on type and photography. If you browse through any magazine, you will see both typography and photography to capture your eye and hook your attention. I want to focus on a specific 2-page article to showcase how the use of both can make or break the design of an article, editorial, pictorial, or advertisement.

Original Design

I selected this article from the German design magazine called Holly, published by Living at Home. The article is a summary of a podcast episode hosted by the magazine’s creative director Holly Becker. The photographs were taken by photographer Niki Brantmark and the text was written by Sinah Nicklaus. The article appeared in the 2nd print edition of 2019.

The article shows off a set of 3 images across the 2 pages, a group photo of Holly with her podcast guest Niki Brantmark, an image of one of her interior designs, and one of Niki herself sitting on a sofa and reading a book.

Analysis

Design Element: Typeface

As you can see from the original article image, there are 4 different font styles used.

The title on the left page of the article, the white font in the blush-colored circle, and the white font in the blush-colored rectangle on the right side are called Decorative (see number 1). The type of fonts are very limited in their use as reading a full text in it would be quite difficult and annoying. However, they can be fun and if used in the right context and situation, can create great visual contrast and interest.

The main text style is referred to as Oldstyle (see 2). The serifs on the lowercase letters are slanted and there are moderate thick/thin transitions in the strokes.

The beginning of each paragraph is a type category called Sans Serif (see 3). As the French word sans indicates, there are no serifs anywhere. There is also no change between thick/thin as the strokes of the letters are all the same width.

On the page on the right, you will also find a simple font overlayed above the picture of Niki with a font type called Script (see 4). The script category includes any type of style that appears to be handwritten with a calligraphy pen, brush, pencil, or technical pen.

The page number and Hollys Welt in the top right corner are the same sans serif style and the HOLLY at the bottom of each page with the page number is the oldstyle in all caps.

Design Element: Contrasting Typeface

In order to highlight different typefaces, you should select great contrasting designs. This contrast includes color, boldness, size, and of course the type family itself. The title on the left page uses the same font in color but in a larger size as seen in the blush-colored box on the right page, however, the font here is white, creating a strong color contrast. As described above, each paragraph starts with a sans serif type. Another distinction between this type and the main text font type is the fact that the sans serif is bold. Using this technique makes the words stand out more. Another great contrast between the sans serif and the main text style of oldstyle is the stark difference between the two. They are easily distinguishable.

Design Element: Photography

Taking a look at the different photographs we can take note of the photographer’s use of thirds in both the group portrait on the left as well as the image of Niki sitting on the couch on the right. As you can see by the red grid I drew over the images, the placement of the faces is very strategic to naturally draw in your focus. The interior design image gives us elements of depth of field by keeping the coffee table in the front of the picture blurred and the couch fully focused. This also creates a leading line, directing the eyes to look where the photographer wants you to look: the couch and decor in the back. The framed artwork on the wall in the background also displays a great example of using symmetry and patterns.

Comparison

I’d like to show with my own photographs how you can easily mimic these composition styles when taking photographs, may that be with a digital or film camera or your phone. Actually, if you are using your phone, I strongly suggest you turn on the grid option to help you figure out where to place your subjects if you want to take advantage of the rule of thirds.

This first image shows a group picture of two people, similar to the article image, the heads are aligned with the top row and middle column.

Next, here is an image taking advantage of leading lines and depth of field. As you can see, the plant in the front is blurred, the main focus is on the chair and we can see symmetry and patterns in the bookshelf squares.

This final image is a good comparison of the photograph of Niki by once again using the rule of thirds and both are lit by soft natural daylight through a window.

Conclusion

Taking into account the many different type and photography styles and rules of composition, I think we can all agree that the article is well-designed and balanced. We have plenty of contrast to enhance and focus on specific things without overwhelming or distracting the reader. Repeating fonts throughout the article as well as the magazine itself gives a cohesive look while simultaneously providing enough contrast and visually interesting differences.