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

Example Sentences

It’s all a bit rattling to typography nerds, some of whom don’t want to see their art form used by businesses to font-wash their reputations.

From The Wall Street Journal

On this Saturday morning, he’s wearing baggy shorts, Vans sneakers and a graphic T-shirt featuring “Death Racer” in heavy metal band-like typography.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s a sort of revolution in thinking about what typography can be and how it can be put to use in a very productive way.”

From BBC

“We were typographers before we were printers,” Cary says, pointing to the hulking Intertype brand typography machine dating from the early 20th century that stands in one of the shop windows.

From Los Angeles Times

Letters are letters, but for designers and typography fans, they matter a lot.

From New York Times