Why is typography important?

When you speak to a judge, do you stand at the lectern, eyes cast downward, and read from a script in a monotone? No, of course not. To maintain the judge’s attention during your argument, you change the speed and volume of your delivery; you gesture; you extemporize. You do this because you don’t merely want to be heard—you want to persuade. The text matters, but so does the presentation.

So it is on the printed page. The text matters, but if that’s all that mattered, then everything could be set in 12-point Times New Roman. And that would be the equivalent of staring at the lectern.

Typography is always important because presentation is always important. Just like a gesture can punctuate a point in court, good typography can reinforce the meaning of your text. Good typography helps your reader move beyond your words and into your meaning. Conversely, bad typography can mislead your reader and undermine your meaning.

You post a job listing for a junior attorney. If the rest of their resumes are identical, which of these applicants will you interview first?

You don’t need aesthetic judgment to be a good typographer. (It won’t hurt, but you don’t need it.) You just need to be able to identify what your text is trying to accomplish and figure out how to reinforce that message with typography. Steven and Roscoe have a few things to learn.

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