5 ms·

Ask HN: What are the best typography talks?

77 points by farleykr 5y ago

Hi all, I'm looking for some good talks on typography. What do you think are the most helpful talks on typography? Or which did you learn the most from?

zefhous 5y ago
This may not be what you are looking for, as it’s about history rather than usage. However, if you are interested in the subject you may find it quite interesting, and perhaps helpful in some manner too. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcNA74tz9QNL45RbC3iKtcQKXg1bi_EAE https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcNA74tz9QNL45RbC3iKtcQKX...
jchanimal 5y ago
Not talks, but maybe an index into some names you can google to find talks. http://luc.devroye.org/usa-newyork.html http://luc.devroye.org/usa-newyork.html
heleninboodler 5y ago
Not a talk, but I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from the book Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works from Adobe Press
gorgoiler 5y ago
I really recommended looking up type / layout in a library if you have a good one near you. The classic material on is, unsurprisingly, to be found in books. Stuff you find online is US-centric and barely has a toe in the world of the printing past. That’s not to say it isn’t interesting, but it barely scratches the surface. (Example: it is unlikely one would ever learn about mortising on The Internet, but “keming” jokes are ten a penny.)
open-source-ux 5y ago
Talk: Web Typography (48mins) I can recommend this 2018 talk on tips for Web typography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbIZX6tE9JY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbIZX6tE9JY The tips are: 1. Don't trust computers 2. Use the default font size for paragraph text 3. Adjust type size according to reading distance 4. Adjust the font size if the typeface requires it 5. Set tables to be read 6. Resize display text as you would an image 7. Reduce your playload 8. Optimise page render timing There is a lot more detail than suggested by the headings above. I found the talk informative and helpful. ------ Course: Typography for Developers (2hrs) This is not a talk, but a course. Treehouse (an online course provider) just recently posted a typography course on the freecodecamp YouTube channel. I've not watched the course so can't comment on whether it's good or not but it's aimed at developers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agbh1wbfJt8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agbh1wbfJt8
zachrose 5y ago
You might get a lot out of the documentary Helvetica by Gary Hustwit
sonofhans 5y ago
It’s not a talk, but you’ll learn a lot watching Gary Hustwit’s movie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica_(film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica_(film) It’s much more than a history of the typeface. They walk through fashions and trends in design over the last half century, how that influences typography and vice versa. Most of the talking is by professional typographers and designers, so you get a lovely window into their trade. It’s one of my favorite documentaries.
jdavis703 5y ago
This isn’t quite a talk, but this episode of Abstract with the founder of Hoefler & Co was quite interesting: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt10990038/ https://m.imdb.com/title/tt10990038/
edpadilla 5y ago
I liked Jonathan Hoefler's episode from Netflix's Abstract series. https://www.netflix.com/co-en/title/80057883 https://www.netflix.com/co-en/title/80057883
- sheepybloke 5y ago
  I agree! It really got me excited and interested in typography.
enhdless 5y ago
Not a talk, but Ellen Lupton's book, Thinking with Type, is really good: http://thinkingwithtype.com/ http://thinkingwithtype.com/
adefswrgwrefre 5y ago
Try this channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TypeDirectorsClub https://www.youtube.com/c/TypeDirectorsClub Typography is an art, so it's very personal. I particularly enjoyed this talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgsHSVsNRdg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgsHSVsNRdg —the guy's whole sensibility, etc.
mikedc 5y ago
For an insightful look at creating modern commercial type this talk[0] from Typographics 2017 features Kris Sowersby of Klim Type detailing the process of taking his "Untitled" fonts from inception all the way through to marketing. You can find some other videos where he discusses adapting historical typefaces which may also be of interest. In general Typographics[1], The Type Directors Club[2], and Type@Cooper[3] all have good talks depending on what you're looking for. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PyfwbXWaUk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PyfwbXWaUk [1] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFCAIdei-H8VYD2NK1S3HkA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFCAIdei-H8VYD2NK1S3HkA [2] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjKXDLrb6mrftD1NW-r4l5w https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjKXDLrb6mrftD1NW-r4l5w [3] https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-WfLn9ekLD_SMrB7APoZCN_NAqF0x2Dm https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-WfLn9ekLD_SMrB7APoZ...
nerpderp82 5y ago
https://practicaltypography.com/ https://practicaltypography.com/ https://typographyforlawyers.com/ https://typographyforlawyers.com/ https://beautifulracket.com/ https://beautifulracket.com/ Racket package by Butterick for book layout, https://docs.racket-lang.org/pollen/ https://docs.racket-lang.org/pollen/ (sixth RacketCon): Matthew Butterick -- The Making of “Beautiful Racket” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_ptYjf8Bes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_ptYjf8Bes
- swyx 5y ago
  tacking on my other typography resources since we're making this a general thread: https://github.com/sw-yx/spark-joy/blob/master/README.md#typography https://github.com/sw-yx/spark-joy/blob/master/README.md#typ...
  - nerpderp82 5y ago
    Wonderful!
cormullion 5y ago
Luc(as) de Groot hosts a battle between TrueType and PostScript curves here: https://youtu.be/I75Efo7whrs https://youtu.be/I75Efo7whrs Once there you'll find other TypoLabs talks... Mike Abbink gave a great presentation about the development of IBM Plex - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzLKjeuXLQY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzLKjeuXLQY Yves Peters has a few talks about fonts and type - his "Trajan in movie posters: the rise and fall of the Roman Empire" is a popular talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0ELcasdlXY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0ELcasdlXY (2015 date) His talk about fonts and sex is good too: https://youtu.be/JfdTZDNE3Xw https://youtu.be/JfdTZDNE3Xw I enjoyed this talk about crazy OpenType techniques - "Yes, But Can Variable Fonts Do This — Rainer Erich Scheichelbauer" which is at https://youtu.be/ZM1vSHzD3HI https://youtu.be/ZM1vSHzD3HI
bzalasky 5y ago
The Flawless Typography Checklist (https://www.typewolf.com/checklist https://www.typewolf.com/checklist) from Typewolf is a great resource that has served me well on multiple projects. It covers the following: - Punctuation & Type - Body Text - Legibility & Readability - Layout & Hierarchy - Typeface Selection & Pairing - Design & Branding The Typewolf site itself is pretty cool as well, but skews towards print/graphic/marketing site design that isn't always applicable to applications, though there are some exceptions.

77 points by farleykr 5y ago

Hi all, I'm looking for some good talks on typography. What do you think are the most helpful talks on typography? Or which did you learn the most from?

zefhous 5y ago

This may not be what you are looking for, as it’s about history rather than usage. However, if you are interested in the subject you may find it quite interesting, and perhaps helpful in some manner too. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcNA74tz9QNL45RbC3iKtcQKXg1bi_EAE https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcNA74tz9QNL45RbC3iKtcQKX...

jchanimal 5y ago

Not talks, but maybe an index into some names you can google to find talks. http://luc.devroye.org/usa-newyork.html http://luc.devroye.org/usa-newyork.html

heleninboodler 5y ago

Not a talk, but I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from the book Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works from Adobe Press

gorgoiler 5y ago

I really recommended looking up type / layout in a library if you have a good one near you. The classic material on is, unsurprisingly, to be found in books. Stuff you find online is US-centric and barely has a toe in the world of the printing past. That’s not to say it isn’t interesting, but it barely scratches the surface. (Example: it is unlikely one would ever learn about mortising on The Internet, but “keming” jokes are ten a penny.)

open-source-ux 5y ago

Talk: Web Typography (48mins) I can recommend this 2018 talk on tips for Web typography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbIZX6tE9JY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbIZX6tE9JY The tips are: 1. Don't trust computers 2. Use the default font size for paragraph text 3. Adjust type size according to reading distance 4. Adjust the font size if the typeface requires it 5. Set tables to be read 6. Resize display text as you would an image 7. Reduce your playload 8. Optimise page render timing There is a lot more detail than suggested by the headings above. I found the talk informative and helpful. ------ Course: Typography for Developers (2hrs) This is not a talk, but a course. Treehouse (an online course provider) just recently posted a typography course on the freecodecamp YouTube channel. I've not watched the course so can't comment on whether it's good or not but it's aimed at developers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agbh1wbfJt8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agbh1wbfJt8

zachrose 5y ago

You might get a lot out of the documentary Helvetica by Gary Hustwit

sonofhans 5y ago

It’s not a talk, but you’ll learn a lot watching Gary Hustwit’s movie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica_(film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica_(film) It’s much more than a history of the typeface. They walk through fashions and trends in design over the last half century, how that influences typography and vice versa. Most of the talking is by professional typographers and designers, so you get a lovely window into their trade. It’s one of my favorite documentaries.

jdavis703 5y ago

This isn’t quite a talk, but this episode of Abstract with the founder of Hoefler & Co was quite interesting: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt10990038/ https://m.imdb.com/title/tt10990038/

edpadilla 5y ago

I liked Jonathan Hoefler's episode from Netflix's Abstract series. https://www.netflix.com/co-en/title/80057883 https://www.netflix.com/co-en/title/80057883

sheepybloke 5y ago
I agree! It really got me excited and interested in typography.

enhdless 5y ago

Not a talk, but Ellen Lupton's book, Thinking with Type, is really good: http://thinkingwithtype.com/ http://thinkingwithtype.com/

adefswrgwrefre 5y ago

Try this channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TypeDirectorsClub https://www.youtube.com/c/TypeDirectorsClub Typography is an art, so it's very personal. I particularly enjoyed this talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgsHSVsNRdg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgsHSVsNRdg —the guy's whole sensibility, etc.

mikedc 5y ago

For an insightful look at creating modern commercial type this talk[0] from Typographics 2017 features Kris Sowersby of Klim Type detailing the process of taking his "Untitled" fonts from inception all the way through to marketing. You can find some other videos where he discusses adapting historical typefaces which may also be of interest. In general Typographics[1], The Type Directors Club[2], and Type@Cooper[3] all have good talks depending on what you're looking for. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PyfwbXWaUk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PyfwbXWaUk [1] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFCAIdei-H8VYD2NK1S3HkA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFCAIdei-H8VYD2NK1S3HkA [2] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjKXDLrb6mrftD1NW-r4l5w https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjKXDLrb6mrftD1NW-r4l5w [3] https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-WfLn9ekLD_SMrB7APoZCN_NAqF0x2Dm https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-WfLn9ekLD_SMrB7APoZ...

nerpderp82 5y ago

https://practicaltypography.com/ https://practicaltypography.com/ https://typographyforlawyers.com/ https://typographyforlawyers.com/ https://beautifulracket.com/ https://beautifulracket.com/ Racket package by Butterick for book layout, https://docs.racket-lang.org/pollen/ https://docs.racket-lang.org/pollen/ (sixth RacketCon): Matthew Butterick -- The Making of “Beautiful Racket” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_ptYjf8Bes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_ptYjf8Bes

swyx 5y ago
tacking on my other typography resources since we're making this a general thread: https://github.com/sw-yx/spark-joy/blob/master/README.md#typography https://github.com/sw-yx/spark-joy/blob/master/README.md#typ...
- nerpderp82 5y ago
  Wonderful!

cormullion 5y ago

Luc(as) de Groot hosts a battle between TrueType and PostScript curves here: https://youtu.be/I75Efo7whrs https://youtu.be/I75Efo7whrs Once there you'll find other TypoLabs talks... Mike Abbink gave a great presentation about the development of IBM Plex - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzLKjeuXLQY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzLKjeuXLQY Yves Peters has a few talks about fonts and type - his "Trajan in movie posters: the rise and fall of the Roman Empire" is a popular talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0ELcasdlXY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0ELcasdlXY (2015 date) His talk about fonts and sex is good too: https://youtu.be/JfdTZDNE3Xw https://youtu.be/JfdTZDNE3Xw I enjoyed this talk about crazy OpenType techniques - "Yes, But Can Variable Fonts Do This — Rainer Erich Scheichelbauer" which is at https://youtu.be/ZM1vSHzD3HI https://youtu.be/ZM1vSHzD3HI

bzalasky 5y ago

The Flawless Typography Checklist (https://www.typewolf.com/checklist https://www.typewolf.com/checklist) from Typewolf is a great resource that has served me well on multiple projects. It covers the following: - Punctuation & Type - Body Text - Legibility & Readability - Layout & Hierarchy - Typeface Selection & Pairing - Design & Branding The Typewolf site itself is pretty cool as well, but skews towards print/graphic/marketing site design that isn't always applicable to applications, though there are some exceptions.