Ciara Wolfe – Course Blog

Personal Introduction and Academic Journey

About Me

My name is Ciara Wolfe, and I am currently a senior at the University of Oklahoma who is a part of the 4+1 program offered by Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Technically, this is the last year of my undergraduate degree and the first year working to obtain my master’s degree. I am from Edmond, OK, but have lived and worked in Norman since freshman year.

My Academic Journey

My major is public relations, and I am minoring in Italian. I have been at the University of Oklahoma throughout the entirety of my college career. I decided to apply to the 4+1 program because I knew I wanted to further my education to ensure I have the successful future I want. I love OU and knew I wanted to stay, so this felt like a perfect opportunity for me to pursue. My goal is to attend law school here in Norman after I finish obtaining my master’s degree. I personally fund my education, so I wanted to see if this program’s workload would prepare me for law school on top of maintaining my part-time job. I also feel as though a lot of what I have learned so far, paired with what I am going to learn through this program, will be helpful no matter what I choose to do with my career in the public relations or law world.

Research Interests

I don’t have any ongoing research projects or specific research interests that are calling my name. I am open to a lot of topics and admittedly probably need to do more research to find out what interests me the most. A lot of the past research I have done has been required for classes and not independent research. Some of my favorite topics I have researched have been the story of Ruby Franke and the idea of child influencers and the essentially failed rebrand of Victoria’s Secret. The only independent research I have done is for my internship with Super Prep, a division of OKC’s sports radio. I helped research and obtain partnerships that would align with the brand and analyze different marketing packages. I was very focused on a sports-related career when I first began my education, but I am always open to finding new things that interest me. I am extremely interested in being a sports agent and representing different professional teams, but I have also recently been turned towards immigration law because of the recent political climate. Nonetheless, I am still always interested in pursuing different careers that would fit me.

Academic Journey and Future Goals

Short-Term Goals:

Some of my short-term goals include maintaining straight A’s (cliché, I know), completing my undergraduate degree and finding an interesting research topic that I want to fully dive into. Managing my time effectively will be essential to keep me on track.

Long-Term Goals:

I hope that my current studies point me in the right direction of my long-term goals and ensure my future success. Obtaining my master’s degree is my first step towards my successful future and I want to take it a step further and go to law school. It’s a lot of school, but it’s what I have my heart set on. My future in the sports world is supported through my PR knowledge, but can be enhanced with a law degree. My interest in immigration law is something that I would somehow like to explore this year, even before going to law school. I plan to be extremely focused this year and finish my undergraduate degree strong.

Concept to Creation: How PR Design Helped Me With My Communication

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/72/94/f5/7294f5ad8e2235cd1b900a154d491658.jpg

So what is PR Design?

PR Design has been, by far, one of the most beneficial public relations courses I have taken during my time at Gaylord. PR Design as a class taught me a lot of beneficial design tips and took a deeper dive into the design choices the professionals make. I learned a lot about how to use Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Canva, and even platforms like MailChimp to help me create emails. We learned that PR design is way more than just the colors you choose for a business card or the font you use on a newsletter; there are a ton of things to take into consideration as a thoughtful designer.

My Little Tips and Tricks

One of my biggest tips is to KNOW YOUR STAKEHOLDERS! It is so important to know who you are designing for and who your target audience is. Something that might look “cute” or “aesthetic” to you, may not catch the eye of your target stakeholders at all. Design was completely new to me this year in terms of using Adobe, so I’m still a little bit slower using those, but I’m definitely getting the hang of it! One huge tip that did help me a lot for our final project was to use a previous design’s base outline/layout to save time when creating my newsletter pages! For me it was a bit tricky to get the base format of my assignments set up, so using my first newsletter assignment to act as a template for my 6-page newsletter probably saved me hours of work!

This is the cover for my 6-page newsletter that was my final project. I was orginally nervous about this assignment because I remember I wasn’t the best at creating the first newsletter, which was our very first assignment. This project truly showed my how much I grew as a designer and how my skills developed. Once I started working, I was proud at how much more I knew. I used the template from my original newsletter and edited to be exactly how I wanted.

My Final Thoughts For PR Design

I’ll say it once again, PR Design Sam Sims has been one of the absolute MOST beneficial classes I have taken in college. I truly learned more in this class than most of the others classes I have taken at OU. It challenged me in creative ways and Sam was such a great mentor for this class! He is always extremely insightful, and I would recommend this course to any and every PR student! From creating my own business card, to making a competitive analysis about myself, to the final project, every single assignment taught me something new and challenged my design skills! This class has truly set me up for future success and I am excited to put my skills to use!

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/c8/d4/3e/c8d43e6300c4efe205054628a49835b0.jpg

Designing For Digital: Social Media, Email and Presentations

There are a lot of things that need to be considered when designing for digital. Whether it’s social media post, email campaigns or presentation templates, there are many different calculating design decisions that need to be made. Throughout the PR Design course I have learned a lot of tips and tricks, and plenty of advice to offer.

https://i.pinimg.com/474x/6c/db/50/6cdb50f3e872d15a19b3af93cb352373.jpg

Digital Design vs. Print Design

Print design and digital design need to be approached in different ways. For digital design it’s important to consider how designs will come across on a screen/different-sized screens. For example, when I was creating my emails, I had to consider what my designs would look like on a computer screen AND a mobile device screen. Digital designs also need to be more eye-catching in a world where we see so many digital designs every day. Designers can also use technology to their advantage and utilize fun animations and pictures.

The Importance of Stakeholders in the Design Process

Stakeholders are essential to consider during the design process. My stakeholders for all of these design campaigns were “Coach Collins,” which is high school sports coaches of elite athletes, and “Softball Sophia,” which is high school elite softball players. All of my designs were crafted to engage and attract those two audiences. On my social media posts I tried to make sure that the wording and images I was using was geared towards both groups separately.

Instagram post for “Softball Sophia”:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGkt46aFpU/ZHJDe2UvArt4t5guN5wIog/edit

For this post I choose an image of previous OU softball players in a dogpile because I think it would appeal to young softball players. I kept the wording short and sweet on the graphic and used one of OU’s coined phrases, “There’s Only ONE”. I feel like these choices would appeal to that audience well and be engaging.

Instagram post for “Coach Collins”:

For my “Coach Collins” post, I wanted to make choices that would appeal to an older audience/the coaches. I used a picture of a field that they would want to see their athletes on and used words like “tradition” and “next generation” to catch the eyes of the coaches promoting the school to their athletes.

Appealing to your stakeholders, understanding what their interests are and what will catch their eye is key to what will make your design memorable. You can have a really good design, but if it doesn’t appeal to the interests of your stakeholder, it won’t matter.

Drafts on Drafts on Drafts

During the design process, you won’t just make your first draft and have it be your final. You’ll have to make multiple drafts, and it is ESSENTIAL to get feedback from your colleagues, peers and professors to see what insight they have that you may not have thought of. For my presentation template, I had to make multiple drafts of each slide and I got feedback from my classmates before finally submitting my final draft. I like to test different colors, images, phrases and fonts before making any final decisions.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGlmrpVZVk/-EvZvl-D5dOZSHn8AfAM-g/edit

My Final Advice

Designing is not a linear process. There are different design platforms to use, different strategies, and endless different images, phrases and visual choices that need to be made for digital design. My advice is to always ask for other eyes, try out different options and even look at inspiration to get the juices flowing if you’re in a rut. You want to make something that connects with your audience. It’s important to do your research and know your stakeholders. Stay flexible in your designs and always keep your audience in mind!

My Photoshop Journey: My Experience and Lessons Learned

Full transparency: my experience with Photoshop was not the smoothest. It took me a while to get the hang of the tools and how to utilize them in the most efficient ways. The only Adobe platform I had experience with was InDesign, and I needed quite a bit of experimenting to get good at using Photoshop. I wouldn’t say I’m a professional when it comes to Photoshop, but the direct mailing assignment definitely helped me get better!

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPWJDGaQha0wyNuytb1zJhkOr8s-koi3GJ-Q&s

Stakeholders and the Design Process

An essential part of the design process is being able to understand your stakeholders. In my Photoshop experience, my specific stakeholders for this assignment were “Softball Sophia” and “Coach Collins”. My two target groups that I was creating direct mailing handouts for were aspiring high school athletes and involved high school coaches. I tried to craft my designs in ways that would appeal the most to these two target groups. The front of the handouts was where my main focus was because I knew that would be what really caught their eye.

“Coach Collins” Design:

For this handout, I worked a lot on the different colors and shading. I had to experiment a lot with the different Photoshop tools to help me create the right shading behind the words and even the right shading of grey for the background. I probably went through 10 different designs before this one. I also spent A LOT of my time looking through the OU Branding website to make sure I was following the right guidelines in terms of fonts and colors to make the handout look like it really came from OU. Experimenting with the different tools of Photoshop and taking the advice from my professor about what could elevate my design is what took it to the next level.

“Softball Sophia” Design:

On “Softball Sophia’s” handout, I focused more on the phrase I used and the image I used. The previous handout is where I put a lot of my focus into the smaller details like a drop shadow and spacing, whereas this design made me focus on simpler aspects. I wanted to choose an image that would speak to high school athletes. It may sound cheesy, but I wanted them to picture themselves as the player on the front of the card. I also focused on using a phrase (paired with the standard OU font) that was calling for strong leaders and ambitious students who would resonate with wanting to be successful.

My Advice As A Newly Seasoned Photoshopper

Photoshop can be a bit overwhelming and hard to grasp (it definitely was for me), but I think it is important to take the extra steps and watch the videos they provide or even just asking for help from your peers. It is a hard platform to navigate with no direction so there is no shame in asking for help or watching a few tutorials to make yourself familiar. I know I still have a lot to learn on Photoshop, but asking for help and taking the advice from my professor and peers on my designs was extremely helpful. I also want to point out the importance of taking your time when using the platform and trying things out before settling on a design just because it was the only thing you could figure out how to do (I did this at first…). Photoshop can be so useful and such a great design tool the more you know how to utilize it.

Let’s Understand Our Stakeholders!

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f0/1a/d5/f01ad5d325f6f122b8a881e6d7b6e02a.jpg

A crucial step to success is being able to identify your key stakeholders. Knowing who you’re trying to connect with and being able to understand their motivations and values is essential to creating messages that will resonate with them. In this post we will focus on two critical stakeholders: high school varsity softball players and high school coaches of elite athletes. Defining these groups and crafting messages that speak to their needs can ensure a more targeted and effective recruitment approach.

Who Are Our Primary Stakeholders?

Our primary stakeholders are high school varsity softball players in the United States. These athletes, normally juniors and seniors, are at the height of their high school sports careers and beginning to really dive into their athletic journey at the collegiate level. We’re targeting this group because for many of these athletes, recruitment is an overwhelming process. Young women are searching for opportunities to show off their talent in hopes of securing athletic scholarships that can relieve financial burdens. They are highly competitive and dedicated athletes to their academic and sport success. Athletes in this stage of their life are trying to make decisions about their futures, and their top option needs to be able to provide…

Balance and a support system: Navigating the demands of sports and academics + trying to maintain a social life can be draining. They want a university with a lot of organizations and support.
University programs: They want a university that is going to offer competitive sports programs and strong academic programs as well.
Scholarship opportunities: Student athletes will seek out scholarships and offers to help make college affordable

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/b9/3c/7d/b93c7d5b1f134976e11a1ce3d1ce10b2.jpg

Who Are Our Secondary Stakeholders?

Our secondary stakeholders are high school coaches of elite athletes. These coaches play important roles in guiding athletes through the recruitment process. Coaches are trusted mentors who work closely with their athletes and advise them on how to effectively communicate with college recruiters. Coaches are very knowledgeable about the recruitment process and can provide insights into an athlete’s character and skill set. They can also influence recruitment decisions, which makes them an important group to engage with. It is important to include coaches in our strategy because they are trusted by athletes and often have direct relationships with college programs. They want their athletes to be placed in the right environment for them to thrive. Coaches are looking for…

Long-term development: they want to ensure that their players are able to keep growing and have increasing success after high school.
Recruitment opportunities: they want their athletes to be at a university that will match with their athlete’s skills, goals and personality.
Impressive college programs: coaches want college programs that are going to nurture their athletes and provide them with the means to succeed.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/95/f7/d4/95f7d4777a7883d514cb51f2a53bc27f.jpg

Why Is This Important?

It is important to understand your stakeholders because it helps to build effective recruitment messaging. You can tailor your communications to meet their needs once you define who you’re targeting.

High school varsity softball players: For this group you may want to focus on a balance of academics, sports, and social life. Offer messages that highlight both the scholarship opportunities and the athletic programs. These athletes will most likely respond to messages about academic excellence and scholarships while simultaneously reinforcing the sense of community that they would find at OU.
High school coaches of elite athletes: This messaging should emphasize professional networking and recruitment transparency. Coaches are looking for programs that value student success and athletic growth. Showing that your recruitment process will support athletes will appeal to their mentoring role.

By being able to address the specific needs of your stakeholders as well as their goals will help you build a more effective recruitment strategy that will attract top talent, academically and athletically. Understanding your stakeholders allows you to create messages that resonate with your groups on a personal level.

Stationary That Stands Out: Essential Design Tips for PR Pros!

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/be/5d/0c/be5d0cab7a3f3abbe5b0ea2eb8be2a8e.jpg

First Impressions Count: Why Your Stationery Matters

First impressions are super important in the world of PR. Crafting an image that accurately portrays your brand and who you are is vital to your career and future success! Your stationery can speak louder volumes than most PR professionals realize when they’re just starting their careers. Crafting a well-designed business card, letterhead and envelope can create a lasting impact that captures the essence of your brand. Knowing how to design stationery effectively and efficiently is the first step to creating something perfect for your brand! Using the right fonts, colors, harmony, typography and images are only a few of the crucial factors that play a part in crafting stationery that’s an accurate representation of you.

The Main Event: Your Business Card

Your business card is argueably the most important part of your stationery. It is important to include your necessary information and make it represent you and your brand. It’s important to not make it too cluttered and disorganized. You want it to be unique to you and not a copy of someone elses that doesn’t accurately capture you. After making sure I knew what I wanted my brand to value and what I wanted my image to be, I used that information as well as information from my competitive analysis and started designing. I played around a lot on Canva to experiment with designing logos, and I ultimately created my final designs using Adobe InDesign. I wanted to go simple, elegant and sleek. I used a very legible, simple clean font that I felt resonated with my brand. I created many different options and experimented over and over until I finally designed what I thought fit me best.

business card draft-1 (1)Download

Next Up: Your Letterhead

Personally, I struggled with the design of my letterhead. I even scrapped my original logo and made a new one because designing my letterhead made me realize I wanted something different. As I said before, I valued a sleek, clean look. A lot of examples and inspiration I looked at were a little more complex than what I originally designed, but even though mine may have felt TOO simple, it was exactly what I wanted and captured my brand essence well. Making sure that you’re testing multiple designs is crucial. I tested multiple fonts, colors, locations of texts and more.

letterhead Download

Finally: Your Envelope

My envelope was honestly the easiest thing for me to design. Once I had finished my business card and letterhead, I felt like I knew exactly how I wanted my envelope to look. I wanted to stick to the simplicity of my other designs, and I put the necessary information with my core color. I used the same font on all of my text to make sure there was a sense of unity. You want your designs to look like they belong together and make sense next to each other. It took me a long time to design my business card and letterhead but that made it easier and more clear when it came to what I wanted my envelope to look like.

envelope Download

What To Takeaway: The Essentials

One of the main things I learned in my designing process is that it is NOT a quick process. Designing can feel tedious or discouraging when you keep having to change things or edit fonts and text sizes over and over again, but it made my designs look 10x better than they would have if I would’ve stuck with my first design idea. The main thing I want PR professionals to take away from my experience is that experimentation is key. It will take a lot of trial and error to finally find something that fits your brand, but it is worth it in the long run. Don’t just settle for the first design because it’s quick and easy, take the extra design steps and it will 100% pay off!

Creative and Innovative: Building My Bold Brand

https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/78/d0/91/78d0915cdee838cbd32ab8f15de0f2a1.jpg

Boldness and Creativity: My Key Messages

My brand is committed to being bold, creative and daring. The key message I want my brand to communicate is that embracing individuality, practicing creativeness and boldness can ultimately be the best decision you ever make. I want those around me and myself to take risks that lead to creating something new and different that effectively communicate any message it needs to.

Visual Language: A Fresh Take

My approach to visual language will focus on dynamic designs. I want unique typography and cohesive colors that leave an impression. I want the visuals to be able to portray the creative nature of my brand. I also want to communicate risk-taking in a way that is visually engaging and perfectly captures my key message. The entire Unwell Network created by Alex Cooper is one of my main inspirations in the way she approached her brand and visual language. From her hydration drink designs to the individuality used to represent the influencers and their podcasts under the network, I see creativity and inspiration all over.

https://framerusercontent.com/images/FZAvYReJK7MKuU4iZrHwZ2wKs.png

Image or Type Driven? A Harmonious Approach.

I want my brand to have a balance between image and type. Even though I prioritize boldness, I don’t want my brand designs to look all over the place and unorganized. The typography will be sleek, modern and bold, while still being creative and daring (even if it isn’t super in-your-face). My image choices will be similar. I want color, visual metaphors, texture, depth and a message behind all my images. I want the creative combination of both to work cohesively to make a statement. LUSH is a brand that practices this well. They have very distinct typography that is paired with images and videos that promote their scents in a playful and creative way. Their packaging and the way they promote the products online through creative photos makes the brand stand out.

https://www.lush.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1920,f=auto/https://unicorn.lush.com/media/thumbnails/products/sticky_dates_body_spray_hero_2024_8b999e0c_thumbnail_4096.jpg

More Than Just An Aesthetic

As much as I want the visuals of my brand to have an aesthetic, fresh look, I also want the visual elements in my brand to have a deeper meaning. I want my images to portray confidence, and I want the combination of imagery and typography to create a brand that is easily recognizable and memorable. The images and typography should also hammer down on my message of embracing creativity and taking bold risks.

Assessing the Competition and How I Set Myself Apart

Analyzing my competition through my competitive analysis has shown me the talent from my classmates and professor, but also myself. Standing out and setting myself apart will require a unique strategy and approach. My competition may be able to excel in a number of ways, but practicing my key values and focusing on my key messages will without a doubt set me apart from my competition while still staying true to myself. I will need to work hard and thoroughly to create a brand and image that represents everything I am and everything I want in a distinct way. Analyzing my competition has motivated me even further to go the extra mile in order to ensure that my brand has encapsulated everything I want it to.

The Best Decision You’ll Ever Make: Me!

My Mission: Boldness and Creativity

My mission is to bring a unique perspective to everything I do. I want to embrace boldness and creativity. It is important to me to craft messages that are different and convey what I do and say in a way that’s fresh and new. Standing out and making an impression is essential to my brand.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/34/cf/7c/34cf7c8054789bddf259eee6404bbd44.jpg

My Competitors

My competitors in this process are my classmates, my professor, and myself. There is a lot of talent in the PR department, and my classmates and professor bring a lot to the table, but I want to be able to stand out in my own way. My other big competitor is myself. I need to hold myself accountable and do every task to the best of my ability. Holding myself to a high standard will be part of the way I ensure my success.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d2/6c/b3/d26cb3c9ee35f40cd3d4eadc23a4cd85.jpg

My Attitudes and Core Values

Some of my most dominant attitudes and core values are risk-taking, inclusivity, empowerment, and transparency. I want to embrace experimentation and not be afraid to make bold moves. I want to practice inclusivity always by valuing different perspective and creating a welcoming environment. I want to promote empowerment, not just in myself, but in those around me. I also want to maintain transparency in all aspects of my life including work, school, friendships and my relationship. I would also include self-love, independence and balance as more of my core values. Self-love is something I have always valued and believe that loving myself opens more doors to be successful in life in all regards. Independence is also important to me because I have always believed it’s essential to be able to do things, work, and think for yourself and be confident in that. Balance is something I still struggle with, but continue to work on. Life is too short to feel tied down by work, so as much as my career matters to me, I believe having a healthy work-life balance will make me more successful and happier in the long run.

Typesetting Reflection

My Experience

Creating the Typesetting Assignment was extremely challenging for me. I had never used Adobe InDesign and it was a bit of a struggle for me when learning the tips and tricks to make my life easier! I still have a lot to learn on InDesign, but the Typesetting Assignment allowed me to dip my toes in the water! Another program that I am still learning and getting the hang of is Canva. Both programs have so many useful features that make creating media easier and more appealing to the eye.

Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is a professional publishing software that is used for making high-quality digital publications. Whether designing multi-page documents such as newsletters and magazines, InDesign is largely thought of as the industry standard. The program allows designers to have more accurate control over all aspects of the graphics and page structure. InDesign is perfect for very complex projects that require an extremely specific look.

What is unique about Adobe InDesign?

Alignment and Grid Tools: Creators are able to maintain consistency in their projects and layouts, no matter how complex, with the alignment features on InDesign.
Paragraph Styles: Extremely helpful for larger documents. You are able to have consistency throughout your headings, subheadings, and body text.
Integration With Other Adobe Programs: InDesign works perfectly with multiple other Adobe programs. Some programs being Photoshop and Illustrator. This allows you to incorporate different images and content easily.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fadobe-indesign.en.softonic.com%2F&psig=AOvVaw1qN3W_Rm0CNGa9TOD3WuEd&ust=1739162402852000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCMCy7ZrjtYsDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Canva

Canva is personally one of my favorite design tools. Canva allows designers to create a bunch of different types of content for any type of situation. Whether it’s an invitation for a birthday party or a logo for your new business, Canva makes it easy to create something new and exciting. Canva is extremely user-friendly and offers a ton of fonts, stock photos, templates and more to be easily used by everyone.

What is unique about Canva?

Easy Use: Canva is programmed to be used by everyone. Regardless of skill level and experience, Canva makes it extremely easy to create whatever visual element you need and even provides guides for certain settings.
Mobile App: Canva is not only for desktop use. You can download Canva on your mobile device and have easier access to it when you’re on the go. This makes it easier for people to create and finish their work when they’re on the go, or wherever they are.
Collaboration Tools: Canva has extremely useful collaboration features. The collaboration tools offered by Canva make it easier to work on group or team projects. Multiple designers are able to edit the project at the same time, which makes it significantly easier to work in groups or with a partner on a graphic.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Flogos-world.net%2Fcanva-logo%2F&psig=AOvVaw23m-Inq1IK4uNcpi1SVYoK&ust=1739162535932000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCIjSgNTjtYsDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

How Does This Help PR Professionals?

PR Professionals need to be particular when choosing which design tool they want to use for their projects. Choosing the right program can make a world of difference when creating publications that actually attract the public. Adobe InDesign and Canva are both extremely useful programs. Both offer amazing different features for different projects. Using these programs effectively is extremely beneficial for PR professionals. There are plenty available resources to maximize the use of both of these programs. Adobe InDesign offers online tutorials through Adobe Help Center and Adobe Creative Cloud Tutorials that offer guides on how to use specific tools. Since Canva is more user-friendly and offers a Design School with courses for many topics, it is a little easir to navigate. YouTube also offers a lot of free tutorials.

What Makes A Good Design?

What makes a good design? A good design has visual appeal. A good design is also consistent and clear. No matter what design tools you use, there are always going to be key elements that actually make a design effective and a hit with it’s target audience. Consistency and typography are two of the most important. Having set colors, fonts and logos maintains a consistency throughout designs that is more effective and visually appealing. Typography is more important than a lot of people realize. The right fonts, alignments, and other typography elements can be the deciding factor on if a design registered with the audience or not. Having strong consistency and typography is essential to a good design.

My Takeaways

If I am being completely transparent, I did not enjoy this assignment. I am not good with these programs whatsoever and get easily frustrated. That being said, I did learn a lot through this assignment and was actually proud of myself for being able to finish it all the way through. The project took me absolutely FOREVER, but I definitely learned a lot and I’m excited to see how my skills can progress from here.

Typography: Making Your Words Look Like They Have Their Life Together

Light bulb alphabet with gold frame on dark red background. – stock illustration

So What Even Is Typography?

We see the use of typography multiple times every single day, and most of us probably don’t even realize it. Typography is the visual component of the written word. This includes many different ways of altering text, such as making sure to choose the correct positioning of the text, the right font, correct line spacing and length, and more. Making sure you have the most aesthetic font isn’t the only aspect of typography. We want to be able to make written words look more appealing and make them more effective in communicating their goal message. Something I find interesting about typography is that you have to have a deeper understanding than just the surface-level visuals; different fonts, colors, text layouts, and spacing can all have an impact on the way that we perceive information.

Typography Thin Line Icon Set – stock illustration

Why Does This Matter?

A blog post written by Thomas Phinney gives us a lot of good information on why typography is even important. He says that typography is essential for many reasons. Branding is one thing that typography is essential for. The choice of colors, fonts, graphics and arrangements are all aspects of typography that directly work with how we perceive a brand. It allows us to see the personality of a brand before we actually know any information about them. Every choice made regarding typography holds weight. Using default fonts and settings is a choice even if you don’t realize it/don’t intend for it to be perceived that way. Flux Academy also discusses how typography plays an important role in the actual legibility of a message. Typography allows messages to be processed in clear and concise ways. Designs that are super text-heavy have to have a particular typography design that separates the different sections and draws attention to the most important points and messages. So whether you’re designing a simple advertisement or creating the cover of a newspaper, typography is important and it is EVERYWHERE!