In order to venture into the world of typography, you’ll need to know which variables are available to play around with. While there’s an extensive list of typography terms, the following elements are the ones you’ll need to get started: Fonts and typefaces A typeface is the collective name of a family of fonts (for example Helvetica, Times New Roman or the infamous Comic Sans), whereas a font refers to a specific style within that typeface, such as bold, italic or condensed. Notice how this blog post is all written in one typeface, but includes multiple fonts. Legibility On top of picking a typeface that’s clear and legible, there are additional factors to pay attention to. Take note of the size of your text, and the spacing between letters and lines (or ‘kerning’ and ‘leading’ in professional terms). Also, ensure enough contrast between the text and the background color. This will also help improve your website’s user experience and accessibility. Serif and sans serif A serif typeface includes small decorative lines or “tails” on the ends of letter strokes, whereas sans serif literally means “without serif.” Hence, sans serif typefaces (like the one used on this very blog post) are generally made up of cleaner lines, without any embellishment on the tips of the letters. Hierarchy It can be used to create a distinction between bits of copy, helping readers instantly understand which information is most important. Hierarchy is achieved using anything from size (large or small), to width (thick or thin) to element placement (text at the bottom of the screen tends to seem less important than text at the top fold). For example, the header on a newspaper article is generally larger or more prominent than the body text, enabling readers to get the gist of the article by skimming the header. This also helps form a clear and digestible layout. White space White space, or in other words “negative space,” simply refers to the empty areas surrounding text or images. Adding a healthy amount of space between graphic elements helps avoid clutter and ensures clarity. Including margins or empty space around text will also bring more attention to it and help differentiate between sections or blocks of information. Alignment Typographical alignment refers to the setting of text flow on a page. Consistency When working with typography it's important to be consistent with how you use all of its elements including, font, spacing, and alignment in order to create a cohesive and professional-looking design. Context When choosing which typography to use it's important to understand what it's being used for and why. Think about the intended audience, the type of content and how it will be distributed. Genre, tone and medium should all be taken into account.