What is typography? A boring definition of typography, according to about.com would be, “the practical and artistic arrangement of type and printing with type.” Although there is nothing wrong with defining it in that way, typography is much more.

It started in the early days of printing with the invention of the moveable type and printing press. They could arrange the type on the page in any way they would like. The drawback then, was that the fonts were standard and there wasn’t much variation. As things moved forward, typography was actually a unique occupation until the digital age and then things started to change. Now, typography is almost like art. You can arrange your type in any way that you would like it. Bold the letters, italicize, make every letter look different, it really is just what is appealing to the eye and the type of work you are doing.

A cool design aspect with typography is that it’s common now for typography to be used to spell out shapes with words. You can see an example of that here: Ki6rcXvUWP0

The most important thing about typography is that you need to make it interesting.  To the consumer, if it is boring to look at it, it might be boring to read. Use appealing colors, switch it up and don’t overload the design. Typography can be a lot of fun; you just have to use your imagination!

Augmented reality might be a new term for most people. A lot of you might even be asking, what is augmented reality? Well, unlike virtual reality which completely replaces all layers of the real world, augmented reality or AR is a virtual layer and a real life environment placed all in one. But what does this have to do with print?

Like QR codes, augmented reality gives print a chance to come to life. Instead of scanning like you would with your QR code and being immediately taken to the internet, AR allows you to bring paper to life. For example, you are walking by a movie poster and it has an AR code on it, it might allow you to scan the photo with your phone, iPad, etc and watch the trailer embedded in the poster. It might make something on the poster move or come to life. AR can also revolutionize the way students learn. With codes inside textbooks, students will be able to scan it and see 3-D renderings of say the Earth or inside volcanoes. The possibilities are endless.

Sometimes print is thought of as a dying source but according to the Marsid M&M group, “AR is causing print to evolve.” The main thing with this new technology is that it allows print and computers/tablets to work together instead of being forced to use one or the other. These technologies are coming together which is rare. Although AR isn’t as mainstream as QR Codes it is definitely gaining momentum. What do you think of Augmented Reality? Leave your comments below.