Typography Definition

1.        Typography

Typography is the art or work to preparing books, for printing, especially of designing how to text will appear when it is printed, Oxford University Press (2010, 8^th). “Typography, one of the most important elements of design, refers to the style, arrangement, or appearance of typeset elements and the general appearance of printed page.” Plumley (In Suwardjono, 2008). In these cases typography is composed fonts on the alphabets that important media would be carried expansion the human to other communicated.

The communication based on representation of symbols to object (pictograph), for example a circle with lines shining out perhaps pictograph of sun and representative of message or main ideas (ideograph). 

Refer to Suprianto Rustan (2008) in the book Layout – Dasar dan Penerapanya. “teks merupakan salah satu elemen layout terpentng. . . setiap jenis huruf mempunyai sifat dan dapat memberi kesanya berbeda satu sama lain” it mean that shape or form of fonts just not only identifies the object, but also catch realities of sound.

According to James Felici (2012) “A font contains all the information needed to position and image the characters that it represents” it means that More than interpretation fonts can give some impression meaning self. So that can be imagine if font never exist and font has similar shape.

a.         History of Typography

The long history of typography was begin as far as 4000 B.C. Typefaces started primitively as symbol carvings on cave wall and slowly developed throughout many years. The historical period of typography there are:

1. Pictographs 4000 BC (http://www.godesignnow.com/) Beginnings of written language Pictographs (symbols used to represent object in nature evolve). 
2. Phonograms 3000 BC (http://www.godesignnow.com/) The Sumerians create Cunieform, a written system of communication using Phonograms (symbols designed to represent sound). 
3. The Phoenicians 1800 BC (http://www.godesignnow.com/) The Phoenicians 1800 BC. Create the precursor to the modern alphabet as system comprised of twenty-two symbols that correspond to spoken sound. 
4. The Greeks and Romans 1000 BC (http://www.godesignnow.com/) The Greeks and Romans adapt the Phoenician system, refining the letterform and adding characters representing vowel sounds. 
5. The Chinese 1040 (http://www.godesignnow.com/) The Chinese develop an innovative movable type system using carved wooden block, though the vast number of characters make this system impractical for widespread use. 
6. Textura Blackletter1454 (http://www.godesignnow.com/) Fifteen century ago invention of hand press or type machine by Johannes Gutenberg (1398-1468). Gutenberg was made big expansion in the world art of typeset (typography).  The first results of his creation are forty two rows on the Bible with kind’s font Textura Blackletter. That was printed in Mainz German 1454. 
7. The advent mass communication 1500 (http://www.godesignnow.com/) The advent mass communication through print help bring about the Renaissance, during which page design and typography are greatly refined. 
8. John Baskerville 1760 (http://www.godesignnow.com/) John Baskerville develops the first Traditional typeface, which differ from the classical Roman in its upright stroke contras. Until in 1793 Giambattista Bodoni creates the first modern typefaces. 
9. Die Neue Typographie 1928 (http://www.godesignnow.com/) Die Neue Typographie is published, which promotes Bauhaus and Constructivist idead such as asymmetrical typography and extensive use of sans serif type. 
10. Times New Roman 1932 (http://www.godesignnow.com/) In the 1932 it is begun the Stanley Morison introduces Times New Roman font. The all researcher must be thanks to much for Stanley Morison with his imagine create the font. And now Times New Roman font is international standard of written thesis. 
11. Bold Mode 1930’s-1940’s (http://www.godesignnow.com/) It still on war of world II, the typography in this era is very readability. Many nations utilize Bold, those innovations types in the form of printed wartime propaganda. Until on 1954 Adrian Frutiger introduces universal, an extensive and very influential sans serif typeface. 
12. The New York School 1959 (http://www.godesignnow.com/) The New York School ushers is an unprecedented period of experimentation in art direction and typography. 
13. Photosetting 1960’s (http://www.godesignnow.com/) Photosetting becomes the predominant method of typesetting, and continues until the mid 1980’s. In their 1980 its time the introduction of the personal computer revolutionizes many technical aspect of design, including typography. 
14. Apple Macintosh 1984 (http://www.godesignnow.com/) The advent of digital typesetting and web design greatly influences typography. Apple introduce Macintosh computer and then joined with Microsoft in 2002 their also introduces Open Type.

In the long a way from design included the font and typography, that more influence by cultural and procedure making with traditional or technological machines. Onto the era of postmodernism based the eight century, shapes postmodern came to applying and special without the rule. Whereas postmodern fusion between art history and the new technology to get challenging shapes.