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Introduction to Typography

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Introduction to Typography

This course is part of Graphic Design Specialization

Instructor: Anther Kiley

194,694 already enrolled

Included with

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

Recommended experience

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

Recommended experience

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Master the technical terms and measuring systems used to measure and describe type.
Explore Western typography's history and leverage cultural, historical, and aesthetic associations when choosing and working with type
Learn typesetting and page layout—using hierarchy, grids, and composition—to create sophisticated typographic designs.
Synthesize established conventions with experimental approahces to design impactful typography that communicates meaningfully.

Skills you'll gain

Category: Graphic and Visual Design
Category: Typography
Category: Design
Category: Design Strategies
Category: Design Research
Category: Art History
Category: Creativity
Category: Information Architecture
Category: Peer Review
Category: Visual Design
Category: Layout Design
Category: Design Elements And Principles
Category: Graphic Design

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

8 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Graphic Design Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

Typography is the art of manipulating the visual form of language to enrich and control its meaning. It’s an essential area of skill and knowledge for graphic designers. Typography predates modern graphic design by around 500 years; it is rich in rules, conventions, and esoteric terminology—but it remains an exciting space for invention and expression.

In this rigorous introductory course, we will study, name, and measure the characteristics of letterforms. We’ll consider the pragmatic concerns involved in selecting and combining type. We’ll peek into the  rich historical, cultural, and aesthetic histories of familiar typefaces. We’ll discuss time-tested conventions and best practices in setting type, as governed by principles of hierarchy and spatial organization. And we’ll explore the expressive, meaning-making potential of type. Informative lectures will be complemented by a series of three peer-assessed assignments, culminating  in an opportunity to design a full-scale typographic poster. Please note that this is not a software course; a basic working knowledge of Adobe InDesign or other  page layout software will be assumed. You will need access to a computer and page layout software, such as InDesign, to complete the assignments.

Master the foundational mechanics of letterforms by analyzing typefaces as both physical artifacts and engineered design systems. This week, you will conduct a rigorous study of typographic anatomy, identifying the formal elements—such as counters, terminals, and x-heights—that define a typeface's unique character. You will gain technical fluency in the Standard Point System and pica measurements to describe and scale type with professional precision. By evaluating the form and proportion of glyphs, you will develop a strategic framework for font pairing and optical hierarchy, ensuring your typeface selections are both historically informed and functionally sound. The module concludes with a technical assessment of your typographic literacy.

What's included

6 videos6 readings3 assignments

6 videosTotal 21 minutes

Course Welcome3 minutes
Font versus Typeface5 minutes
Stroke and Proportion4 minutes
Type Anatomy3 minutes
Measuring Type3 minutes
Choosing a Typeface4 minutes

6 readingsTotal 130 minutes

About this Course10 minutes
The Importance of Peer Review10 minutes
Font versus Typeface: Defining Terms5 minutes
Type Anatomy Review5 minutes
Optional Project: Create a Type Specimen90 minutes
The Art of Pairing Typefaces10 minutes

3 assignmentsTotal 20 minutes

Week 1 Quiz: Describing Type10 minutes
Type Terms7 minutes
Practice Quiz: Qualities of Type3 minutes

Investigate how typefaces function as visual signifiers, carrying deep connotative meaning through their historical and cultural associations. This week, you will conduct six technical case studies on landmark typefaces—including Bembo (Humanist), Didot (Modern), Clarendon (Egyptian), and Helvetica (Modernist)—to understand how their forms were shaped by technological shifts like the Industrial Revolution and the Avant-Garde movement. You will master the standard classification system to categorize letterforms and apply visual semiotics to decode the "stories" fonts tell within different design contexts. The module culminates in an independent typographic research project, where you will analyze the formal and cultural trajectory of a typeface of your choosing.

What's included

7 videos11 readings2 assignments

7 videosTotal 26 minutes

Typefaces and their Stories2 minutes
Bembo: Humanist Letters4 minutes
Didot: Enlightened Refinement4 minutes
Clarendon: Type for the Masses4 minutes
Futura: the Typographic Avant-Garde4 minutes
Helvetica: International Modern4 minutes
Scala Sans: Typographic Remix4 minutes

11 readingsTotal 315 minutes

A Closer Look at Bembo5 minutes
A Closer Look at Baskerville & Didot10 minutes
A Closer Look at Clarendon5 minutes
A Closer Look at Futura5 minutes
A Closer Look at Helvetica5 minutes
Helvetica: Hero or Villain?120 minutes
Scala Sans: A Closer Look5 minutes
Explore the World of Contemporary Type20 minutes
Build a Typeface Library10 minutes
Discussion: Your Type of Type10 minutes
Optional Project: Get to Know a Typeface120 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 16 minutes

Week 2 Quiz: Typefaces and their Stories10 minutes
Practice Quiz: Type History Review6 minutes

Master the technical and aesthetic conventions of professional typesetting by manipulating the spatial relationships within a layout. This week, you will develop high-level proficiency in micro-typography, specifically controlling kerning (letter-spacing), leading (line-spacing), and tracking to optimize legibility and visual tone. You will implement rigorous typographic hierarchy and baseline grid systems to organize complex information and establish clear navigational paths for the reader. By applying established industry standards for orphans, widows, and rags, you will add professional polish to your designs across both print and digital environments. This module features hands-on typesetting projects and a technical assessment of your layout precision.

What's included

6 videos11 readings2 assignments

6 videosTotal 26 minutes

Working with Type2 minutes
Typographic Space6 minutes
Page Space5 minutes
The Grid4 minutes
Creating Hierarchy3 minutes
Typographic Conventions6 minutes

11 readingsTotal 550 minutes

Typography as a ‘Crystal Goblet’30 minutes
A Kerning Challenge!10 minutes
The Principle of Proximity10 minutes
Grids: A Visual Review10 minutes
The Swiss Grid10 minutes
Optional Activity: Analyze a Newspaper90 minutes
Typesetting by the book10 minutes
Optional Project: Typeset an Article for Print180 minutes
Typography on the Web10 minutes
Resources for Web Typography10 minutes
Optional Project: Typeset an Article for Screen180 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 16 minutes

Week 3 Quiz: Working with Type10 minutes
Practice Quiz: Typographic Conventions6 minutes

Synthesize your technical and historical knowledge to master the art of expressive typography. This week, you will move beyond functional legibility to explore experimental typesetting as a vehicle for visual metaphor and conceptual depth. By analyzing the boundary-pushing work of CalArts designers and contemporary practitioners, you will learn to intentionally deconstruct typographic rules to amplify a text's emotional and narrative resonance. The course culminates in a capstone portfolio project: the design of a full-scale typographic poster. In this final synthesis, you will apply rigorous compositional hierarchy and connotative strategy to transform language into a high-impact, professional-grade visual statement.

What's included

4 videos6 readings1 assignment

4 videosTotal 17 minutes

Making Meaningful Type2 minutes
Typesetting with Expression6 minutes
Beyond Typesetting5 minutes
The Typographic Poster4 minutes

6 readingsTotal 110 minutes

Optional Project: Typeset a Film Title60 minutes
Typographer Profile: Anja Kaiser 10 minutes
Typographer Profile: Polymode Studio10 minutes
Typographer Profile: Nat Pyper10 minutes
Reading: Discovering the CalArts Poster Archive10 minutes
What's Next?10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 180 minutes

Week 4 Project: Design a Typographic Poster180 minutes

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Instructor

Anther Kiley

1 Course194,694 learners

Offered by

California Institute of the Arts

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Frequently asked questions

The course focuses on design proficiency—the "why" of type—assuming you can navigate the "how" of the tools to execute your projects. While this is not a software tutorial, a basic working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud (specifically InDesign or Illustrator) is recommended for the optional assignments.

This is a key technical distinction covered in Week 1. A Typeface refers to the specific design or "family" (e.g., Helvetica), while a Font refers to the specific weight, size, or style within that family (e.g., Helvetica Bold, 12pt). Mastering this nomenclature is essential for professional design discourse.

The capstone project is an exercise in Expressive Typography. You will move beyond functional typesetting to treat type as a visual material, using scale, contrast, and narrative to create a poster that communicates meaning through its form as much as its content.

Absolutely! While not required, we strongly encourage you to participate in our peer review community via the course discussion forums. Peer review—or the "critique"—is a fundamental part of how professional designers work at top agencies and studios worldwide.

How it works:

The "User Test": Share your designs to see if your intended message is actually coming across. If you want your type to look "bold and rebellious" and your peers feel that energy, you know you’ve succeeded!

Guided Feedback: You'll learn how to ask for specific help (like advice on typeface choice or composition) and how to provide constructive, gentle suggestions to others.

Skill Building: Acting as a reviewer is just as valuable as being the designer. By analyzing why certain designs work or don't work, you'll develop a "professional eye" that will make your own design decisions more intentional and easier to justify to future clients.

Whether you are looking for fresh ideas or want to practice articulating your design choices, the forum is a polite, supportive space to grow alongside fellow learners.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.