Type in Graphic Design for Authors

Type is a tool self-publishers need more than most others because our main medium is words formed in type. But it isn’t just needed for the type of the books themselves, but good typography is key to good visuals, most of all in book advertising. Contrast is one of the biggest tools needed; we need to contrast font types, size, colors, and so forth. Today we’re going to be looking at this image for good examples:

What does the word Indie even mean? Good says, “of a pop group, record label, or film company) not belonging to or affiliated with a major record or film company.” Or “an indie pop group, record label, or film company.” An urban dictionary says, “n obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.”

So what does this mean for Indie Authors? What are we? We are a force to be proud of. There is a negative stigma on the term Indie for a lot of people. Many run away from self-publishing because of this. Maybe you are wondering if you should do the same.

But I am here to tell you. Being Indie is nothing to be ashamed of. It is something better than that. Don’t hang you head in shame because of it.

We are independent. That’s where the worked Indie come from. We are a writer or publisher or author who is not controlled by anyone else. Yes, it means we have to do the work ourselves, but we should be proud of it.

The Unites States of America became what it is today because of what? They looked at Great Britain and said, “I don’t want to be part of the established way anymore. I want to be an Indie nation.”

Okay, okay, I know there is a lot more to it than that. I also know if anyone of them said that exactly, they’d have looked at and feared they were insane, but you get the idea. They didn’t want to do it the way everyone else did. They wanted to be independent, they wanted to be Indie.

So if you are starting to feel a bit ashamed of your route. If you are struggling and wondering if it’s worth the work to happily be an Indie or even more to try to do it differently than everyone else. DO NOT! You are Indie. You are different. You are free. You are independent. You are divergent. (Sorry I could not resist)

Seriously. You are Indie. You are free. You are unique. Don’t let anyone take that way. It is a proud word. So let’s make sure the world knows it.

Type One

So the first thing we need to look at are the different types the designer uses. The first font we notice is the big letters on the left that tell us the book title. It contrasts with the rest nicely because it is large and because of that looks like it has more white than the other letters (though it’s the same shade of white) and because it is a script style font: you can tell it’s a script style font because it mimics the slanting of someone writing with a pen, is joined (making it a joined script) and has heavy thin to thick lines. All these features make it eye catching first. The image below highlights all these features in yellow.

But I am here to tell you. Being Indie is nothing to be ashamed of. It is something better than that. Don’t hang you head in shame because of it.

Seriously. You are Indie. You are free. You are unique. Don’t let anyone take that way. It is a proud word. So let’s make sure the world knows it.

Type Two

The second font is more basic, mixing yellow and white letters for contrast, making the white things stick out more as well as using size to help draw the reader’s attention to those important sections. It uses a sans serif font: you can tell by the fact the serif (or decorations on the words most other fonts have) are missing and there is little to no heavy to thin lines, and the font is mostly all the same weight or thickness throughout as highlighted in yellow in the image below.

Conclusion

These types contrast well as they are from completely different families of type, take advantage of the contrast of the blue, white, and yellow colors, and size. The big letters of the title draw us in, and the white parts stand out more against the yellow sections bearing the author’s name and the less interesting part of the quote. Using these contrasts gives the whole piece a more flowing look and helps us understanding what this is. The fronts tell us what to read first, making it clear the poster is an advertisement for a book. The white being at the top helps contrast against the dark blue ocean behind. This helps bring the whole piece together. This should hopefully give you an idea on how these types contrast and the power of contrasting type faces and colors. This is a beautiful example that we can all use to better our own works.