Typography: Form and Function Part 2

When reading a text, letters must be visible yet able to disappear in order to convey content. Readers process blocks of words without paying attention to the individual shapes of letters; the message is constructed in the mind. However, the quality of letterforms and their interaction with space determines legibility and ensures ease of reading.

The perception and memory of a letter do not constitute an isolated process; they are subject to a series of physical and psychological factors, as well as to the image stored in the observer’s memory. Gestalt psychologists pointed out that perception is organized: we do not perceive independent elements in isolation, but rather as interconnected parts in mutual relationship.

The perception of total configuration is the primary aspect of perceptual organization. One part, structured and clearly defined, is called the figure; the other, undifferentiated and peripheral, is perceived in a diffuse manner and is known as the ground.

Figure–Ground Relationship (Form and Counterform)
Any enclosed surface tends to become the figure, while the remaining area functions as the ground; the brain cannot interpret an object simultaneously as both figure and ground. The boundaries between the two spaces belong exclusively to the figure. The figure is generally smaller in size, while the ground is larger and extends behind it. The figure presents greater stability, clarity, and precision; it appears closer to the observer and is more easily remembered.

The following variables may occur within the figure–ground relationship: contrast, fusion, complexity, reversibility, ambiguity, transparency, and transition.

There are also three additional laws of perceptual organization:

• Law of Primacy: the whole is more original and primary and manifests itself before the parts.
• Law of Autonomy: the whole is determined more by internal factors than by external ones.
• Law of Good Form (Law of Prägnanz): perception organizes itself so that figures appear as simple, regular, and symmetrical as possible. This law governs the segregation of objects or figures from the visual field into distinct forms and includes characteristics such as regularity, simplicity, symmetry, and similarity.

The orientation of writing is primarily determined by fundamental axes that define the vertical and horizontal directions of the space it occupies. The elements of a configuration group and organize themselves to form a harmonious whole. The subordination of individual elements to the whole depends on the degree of visual force each letter possesses—whether its forms are strong, stable, or dynamic.

Each letter retains its own internal organization within the whole and exhibits a different degree of subordination. As forms approach one another, the forces of both interact, creating a more complex distribution across their surfaces and the surrounding field.

The number of structural characteristics determines the degree of simplicity. Reducing complexity in writing favors perception and immediacy of recognition; however, attention is focused on understanding the sign within the context of the word as a whole. We do not read letters in isolation, but rather blocks and groups of words. The relationship between letters depends on the structure of the whole. In a harmonious organization, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and greater simplicity enhances unity.

In graphic composition, visual weight is determined by the quantity, size, and spatial placement of elements, whereas in typography, weight refers to the thickness of the stroke.