Non-Designer’s Type Book, The, Second Edition

Display vs. Text

It is easy to see the differences in the two faces below. Both are the typeface Warnock Pro, an OpenType font, but the word on the left is set with Warnock Pro Regular; the word on the right is set with Warnock Pro Regular Display (all examples are set in 80-point type). The instant impression, even if a person is typographically illiterate, is that the display face is finer and more elegant, less chunky and clunky. That’s because the letterforms and spacing attributes in the display face have been designed specifically for larger type sizes—they have not been simply enlarged.

Take notice of exactly what makes these faces different, which details create the more elegant look of the display face. Look carefully at the serifs, ...