It’s Clément again! Welcome to the 3rd edition of the CU Design newsletter – a curated set of learnings, inspiration, resources, and tips.

If you’re not familiar with CUxD (Cornell User Experience Design), we’re a centralized community for UI, UX, and product designers at Cornell. We learn and grow together both professionally and socially!

This week’s topic is about typography! We’ll cover the fundamentals – typefaces, anatomy, typographic scales, and all the small details that make a block of text come to life.

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and visually appealing. It involves the selection of typefaces, sizes, line lengths, spacing, and other design elements that influence how the text is presented and perceived.

These terms are usually used interchangeably, but they actually mean slightly different things. A typeface is a family or collection of fonts, while the font itself refers to the variation of the typeface. You can think of the typeface as the parent, while fonts are its children.

For example, Helvetica and EB Garamond are typefaces, while Helvetica Light or EB Garamond Semi Bold are fonts.

Typefaces have a range of attributes that make each element of text unique. Understanding these features helps designers make informed choices about readability, aesthetics, and usability.

A few of the important components include:

For a more detailed look into each of these typographic details, check out Material Design’s article.

Different typefaces can evoke different moods and serve different purposes in design. Choosing the right one is key to creating the right atmosphere and enhancing user experience. Here are some of the most common types:

Once you’ve chosen a typeface, how do you decide which sizes to use for your text? Designers typically use tools like typographic scales (e.g., Typescale) to calculate a structured progression of font sizes. These typographic scales follow mathematical ratios to ensure consistency and hierarchy.

For accessibility reasons, it’s typically recommended to aim for a minimum font size of at least 14px for desktop, and 12px on mobile.

Apart from the common reasons like readability and legibility, having a well-structured and unique typography is essential for a unique brand identity. It also plays a big role in accessibility by ensuring intuitive hierarchy and proper contrast between different text elements.

Having a well-organized typographic system also makes improves efficiency, as designers and developers can work faster when typography styles are predefined and consistent.

One of my proudest projects was my internship at Roblox last summer, where I worked on the Creator Hub and Studio—tools that help game creators manage and build experiences on Roblox. I contributed to their established design system, built tools to improve designer efficiency, and tackled accessibility challenges that directly impacted game creators. It was a great learning experience in understanding how even the smallest design decisions can scale. I’m proud of how I navigated working with so many designers/stakeholders and clearly communicated the value of my decisions. Feel free to reach out if you’re curious to hear more!

Some cool designs to for your dopamine hit!

Have any feedback or want to see something on the newsletter next week? Email us at [email protected] or reply directly to this email.

See you soon,

Clément @ CUxD