Artistic Narration, Vol. IX, 2018, No. 1: ISSN (P) : 0976-7444 (e) : 2395-7247 Impact Factor 6.

5133(SJIF)
UGC Approved Journal No. 43285

PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY IN TYPOGRAPHY

Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary

Asstt. Prof., Amity University, Haryana

Abstract
Reference to this paper
As an professor, I am interested in how we train students
should be made as follows:
in the visual discriminations that are required of typographers
and what characterizes typographic expertise. But I am also
Rakesh Kumar concerned with the more general question of how we, as readers,
Chaudhary, recognize letters regardless of the typeface which changes their
visual form. Although readers are not typographic experts, they
PSYCHOLOGICAL are experts in letter perception, just as listeners are expert in
THEORY IN speech perception. Whether or not we realize it, design plays a
TYPOGRAPHY, big role in how we perceive the value of a product. From books,
to snacks, to beauty products, the power is often in the packaging.
So when it comes time to design an ad, or a product label, or a
Artistic Narration 2018,
logo, put some thought into the fonts you use. There’s a good
Vol. IX, No.1, pp.1-7
chance they can influence how people perceive your marketing
content and your product.
http://anubooks.com/
?page_id=485 Keywords : font, typography, visual perception, font
psychology

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PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY IN TYPOGRAPHY
Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary

Introduction
We can say that the history of mankind began with writing. With writing, it is possible to
convey today to tomorrows and the next generations. Everything the human kind brought up until
today has been possible through letters and numbers. Letters and numbers came side by side in
order to create meaningful words and sentences. And these were used in every science to preserve
knowledge and to convey them for later times. It’s the idea that certain colors elicit a certain emotional
response from us like yellow = happy,White = peace, Red = Danger, blue = sad).
But have you heard of font psychology?
In the intersecting worlds of marketing and design, quite a bit of thought has been put into
how fonts affect our perception of products. Similar to how colors have associations, fonts also
have unique characteristics.
Objectives
· It makes it possible to to quickly scan your text.
· It entices your readers to engage with your text.
· When done well, it enhances the message it presents.
What is typography?
On originating from the Greek words of “typos” (form) and “graphia” (writing), typography
means to write in accordance with form. Broadly, typography is “the art or skill of designing
communication by means of the printed word”. Solomon defines it as “the art of mechanically
producing letters, numbers, symbols, and shapes through an understanding of the basic elements,
principles, and attributes of design” (1986), and Lupton describes it as “the design of letterforms
[fonts] and their organization in space”.
Basic Element Of Typography
The “basic element of typography” is the individual letter or character, but this in turn has
several components. The baseline is the foundation of a letter and the primary point of reference
between different letters. The vertical space occupied by all lowercase letters is referred to as the x-
height. An ascender is that portion of a lowercase letter that protrudes above the x-height, while a
descender is that portion of a lowercase letter that protrudes below the baseline. The enclosed
spaces such as those found in the letters e, a, g, and p, are referred to as counters.
Finally, the main body of a character is referred to as its stem.
Typefaces themselves have four major qualities, commonly referred to as the ‘elements’
of type. These are :- line, weight, orientation and size.
Font
All composition of a typographic character composing letters, numbers, punctuations and
other symbols is called a font. Capital letters, small letters, numbers, punctuations, mathematical
symbols are the elements of a font.

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 Artistic Narration, Vol. IX, 2018, No. 1: ISSN (P) : 0976-7444 (e) : 2395-7247 Impact Factor 6.5133(SJIF)
UGC Approved Journal No. 43285

Choosing Fonts
Fonts are not symbols that represent voices, they are communication tools with cognitive
qualities that aid telling stories. Therefore the designers focus not only on what is being said but
also on how it is delivered.
Font Family
The font family composes all sizes and styles of a typeface. A font family basically comprises
roman, italic (or oblique), bold, bold italic type scripts. All variations of a designed font with respect
to weight or width compose a family. Every font family has a name. These names are sometimes the
name of its designer (Bodoni, Garamond etc.); and sometimes it is named after the place it was
created (New York, San Francisco etc.).
Font Types
In order to make ease in specifying the specialties of writing, specialists categorized fonts
into defined groups. Still it is difficult to say that there is a complete uniformity. Font types can be
reviewed in four main groups: Serif - Sans-serif - Hand Writing -Decorative.
Serif
The top and bottom corners of the letters have serif marks like extremities that give these
scripts the name of serif or footed. These lines keep the figure of each letter the same and make the
transition from one letter to another easier. Writings in this group have subgroups such as roman,
classic roman, new roman, square serif, round serif etc.
Serif Font Psychology
Serif is the most commonly used font category. These easy to read fonts are so old and
common that they can accompany any personality. That is, these fonts are neutral and just like
old men of the family, these fonts are
· Reliable
· Respectable
· Dependable

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PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY IN TYPOGRAPHY
Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary

·Reputable
·Conventional
·Neutral
Sony uses a subcategory of Serif known as Slab Serif (Egyptian fonts) which is a
block-like serif and have slabs at the end. Slab Serifs are known for their solidity & confidence.

Sans-Serif
These typefaces do not have serifs; the letter ends have a straight look. The thickness
of each letter is the same; that is there are no thin or thick lines. They can be used in every script.
This type of writing is divided to subgroups of Gothic and single line sansserif writing.
Sans Serif Font Psychology
Just like Serif font, sans-serif is also an old and widely used font category. It acts as neutral
but is contemporary. Sans Serif fonts have the following characteristics:
· Clean
· Simple
· Contemporary
· Straight Forward
· Futuristic
· Neutral

Hand Writing
The fonts that fall into this category have four sub groups as well: Script, Cursive, Text and
Calligraphic writing.

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UGC Approved Journal No. 43285
Script
It looks as if it is leaning to the right. There are extensions between the letters. So the letters
can be connected with each other. This is especially preferred in wedding and meeting invitations.
It has a very elegant appearance. It is used to make scripts look fancier.
Script Font Psychology
Script fonts are carefree and have a creative outlook. These are used to express
creativity and emotions. Script fonts with more curves show femininity.
Script fonts are used to express
· Creativity
· Interest
· Emotions
· Femininity

What Is A Modern Typeface?

· Modern typeface, also called Didone, has been present since the eighteenth century. These
fonts have thin horizontal serifs and thick & thin transitions in the strokes. There is no slant on
the letters. Like Futura, Bedini, Orgreave, Bodoni, Empire
Modern Font Psychology
Modern fonts are very structured and eye catchy. These fonts have a vertical stress and
can be considered determined (sometimes cold) because of no inclination.
Modern fonts are used to express
· Elegance
· Intelligence
· Distinctiveness
· Smartness
· Determination
· Forward-Looking Ideology
Different fonts have different characteristics
Different fonts have been designed for different purposes. For example, designers have
worked hard to develop both Serif and Sans Serif fonts for maximum readability. But many designers
have also created fonts that are meant to be weird and out there, for special uses only.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY IN TYPOGRAPHY
Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary

So when it comes to choosing fonts for your designs, which should you spring for?
Something more conventional, like Arial or Cambria? Or something more gaudy like Impact or
Monotype Corsiva?
What movies title can teach us about font Selection
It was interesting to think about the intent behind font selection on certain TV show
posters. In some cases, the fonts heavily reflected the themes of the shows–those fonts tended to
be Decorative. In other cases, the fonts seemed to evoke a certain time period, like in the case of
some of the Serif fonts.
1. The poster for Shrek and Igor also uses a child-like Handwritten font. This helps create
the expectation that there will be a childish innocence to the show (or, as viewers will
quickly find out, a comedic loss of innocence thanks to puberty).
2. In the poster of Harry pottor and Van Helsing used Sarif Font and written as Horror and
Misterious
3. For example, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers posters uses a custom Sans Serif
font that conveys the strong and brave feeling of the movie. The modern-looking font is
suggesting there’s something broken about war.
4. Some of the fonts in this category could also have perhaps been categorized as Decorative
as well, since many Headline fonts have some sort of decorative element. Like the movie
title of Inkheart and Narnia.
5. Creating your own Decorative fonts can be an investment but they will certainly give your
content a unique look. More and more companies are opting to create their own custom
fonts and illustrations for their websites and marketing collateral—in fact, custom
illustrations Decorative fonts don’t have to be as theatrical as that. They can be as simple
as putting a creative twist on an otherwise more conventional font—like the R in the poster
for Tron. And O in the poster fr Frozen
Conclusion
Font psychology isn’t an exact science. Fonts alone don’t make people see a poster and
think, “I could spend the next many hours watching this movie.”
One person’s reaction to a font may vary from another person’s reaction. Like with any
marketing content, it’s important to test different designs and copy to see what resonates with your
audience.
Put some careful thought into the fonts you choose for your designs. When you’re
browsing social media or walking around your neighborhood, think about what the fonts you see in
ads are saying to you. How can you apply what you see to your own designs?
References
1. S.A. Chunawalla and K.C. Sethia, “Foundations of Advertising: Theory and Practice,” Himalaya Publishing
House, Bombay: 2002.
2. S.A. Chunawalla, “Advertising, Sales and Promotion Management,” Himalaya Publishing House, New
Delhi: 2002.
3. Chunawalla, Sethia and Subramanniam, “Advertising Theory & Practice,” Himalaya Publishing House,
Bombay: 2001.

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UGC Approved Journal No. 43285
4. Chunawalla and Appannaiah, “Advertising and Marketing Research,” Himalaya Publishing House, Bombay:
1999.
5. Dines Gail, M. Jean Humez, “Gender, Race and Class in Media,” Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd., New
Delhi: 2003.
6. Dr. G.M. Rege, “Advertising Art and Ideas,” Career Polytechnic, Pune: 1973.
7. Amundsen Gupta (2002) “Ethical in Advertising”, Indian Journal of Marketing, vole-xxxii, no-8, August,
2002, PP-10-13.
8. Aruba, M.C & Aruba, M.L (1999), “Ethical Standards in Advertising”, Journal of Business Ethics, No-19,
PP-159-169.
9. Austin, M.J &Reed, M.L (1999), “Internet Advertising Ethics Issues”, Journal of Consumer Marketing,
16(6), PP-590-601.
10. Blair, J.D, Stephenson, J.D, Hill, K.L & Green, J.S (2006), “Ethics in advertising”, Journal of Legal
Ethical and Regulatory Issues, 9(2), PP-199-118.