The almost-forgotten (but always-awesome) Typography Primer

typography-primer

My motivation for writing this post can be credited to my co-worker Steve Ross. For the past year, Steve has kept saying things like, “Nicole, you know that Typography Primer that was included in Font Folio Education Essentials? It’s a really good primer.”

I always agreed with Steve when he mentioned the primer, thinking we really must do something with such a nifty resource. Then I would get busy with something else entirely and completely forget about that little Typography Primer that was hanging around, collecting dust.

Last month, Steve gave the primer to a program manager who has an office on our floor —a colleague who knows next to nothing about type (sacrilege, I know!). This (formerly) typographically unenlightened program manager read the primer, then sent us an enthusiastic email, saying that everyone at Adobe should read it so they could learn more about typography. Now, that’s something I would love to see happen! But these things take time, so I figured I’d start by sharing the primer with all the awesome folks who follow our blog.

This primer was written back in 2000, but its content is still relevant today. It talks about things like using the right character, choosing and using typefaces, combining typefaces in a publication, and loads of other interesting typographic tidbits. If you follow our blog, you probably already know a lot about type. If that’s the case, why not take a look inside anyway? Think of it as a fun refresher when you need a break from work. Perhaps it’s even something you might share with a co-worker who longs to know more about the mysterious world of x-heights and optical sizes.

And if you’re like Steve, and say to yourself, “Hey, this primer is really great,” we’d love to hear about it! If enough people give positive feedback about our dear little Typography Primer, I might be able to get some printed copies into conference goodie bags next year.

Download our Typography Primer & happy reading!

One Response

  1. Rod McDonald says:

    Steve is right, “this primer is really great” Getting printed copies into conference goodie bags would be wonderful, but a PDF in the hands of students is even better.

    Thanks for posting this.
    Rod

Comments are closed.

Nicole Miñoza

I've been with the Adobe Type team since 2002, and am currently the Marketing Manager for Adobe Type and Typekit. I am also the mom of two adorable little girls and a big San Jose Sharks fan.

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