typography

American  

[tahy-pog-ruh-fee] / taɪˈpɒg rə fi /

noun

1. the art or process of printing with type.

2. the work of setting and arranging types and of printing from them.

3. the general character or appearance of printed matter.

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typography British  

/ taɪˈpɒɡrəfɪ, ˌtaɪpəˈɡræfɪkəl /

noun

1. the art, craft, or process of composing type and printing from it

2. the selection and planning of type for printed publications

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Other Word Forms

• typographical adjective
• typographically adverb

Etymology

Origin of typography

1635–45; < New Latin typographia, equivalent to Greek týpo ( s ) type + graphía -graphy

Explanation

Use the noun typography to describe the art of putting words into print. You might admire the typography of a concert poster that uses an elegant font, for example. When typography began, the process involved choosing the letters, arranging them, and printing with a press on paper. Today, almost anyone can practice typography by using a computer to design and print flyers, magazines, posters, and more. Don't confuse typography with its near-homonym, topography, which is a branch of Earth science. You'll recognize typography by the Greek typos, which means "dent or impression."

Example Sentences

The lime-green background and blurry typography on the cover of her sixth album, “Brat,” quickly became internet shorthand for the season’s pursuit of devil-may-care indulgence and personal adventure.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

A jar of Homiah Sambal Chili Crunch is packaged in a colorful floral paper label, while a jar of Momofuku Chili Crunch is more simple in appearance and typography.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2024

Paperback The redo offers more color and more expressive typography, set against a backdrop of flowers that came from a website of commercial stock images.

From New York Times • Dec. 27, 2023

After graduating in 2013, he moved to London and worked for design agencies, specialising in typography, a form of art involving lettering.

From BBC • Oct. 1, 2023

“I learned about serif and sans-serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great,” he wrote.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove