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Course details

Typography is the art of designing with type. Good typography is essential to design. Learning the history of language and the development of early type provides a greater understanding of how to use it successfully within design layouts. Students will deconstruct fonts to show their working components and learn the terms and measurements that form typographic vocabulary. Students will apply the pica measurement system and compose balanced documents using rules and conventions. InDesign preferences will be dissected to show their dramatic impact on typography. Demonstrate improved readability by controlling type aesthetics and optimizing optical and metric kerning. Exercises and projects enable students to clearly communicate ideas and work confidently and effectively with type.​

Prerequisite(s)

Credits

3.0

Cost

$574.24 - $575.24 See individual course offerings below for actual costs.

Course offerings

Spring/Summer 2023

Below is one offering of GDES 2145 for the Spring/Summer 2023 term.

CRN 68659

Duration

Mon Apr 03 - Mon Jun 26 (11 weeks)

  • 11 weeks
  • CRN 68659
  • $574.24
Class meeting times
Dates Days Times Locations
Apr 03 - Jun 26 Mon 18:00 - 21:15 Online
Instructor

TBD

Course outline

Course outline TBD — see Learning Outcomes in the interim.

Cost

$574.24

Important information
  1. Internet delivery format.
  2. Important course information will be sent to you prior to your course start date. Check your myBCIT email account to access this information.
  3. No class on April 10 and May 22. This is not a self-paced course. You will be expected to be available and online on the posted days and times shown on your registration schedule. It is important you have a stable and consistent internet connection to access course content. Please log into learn.bcit.ca using your BCIT student email and password on the first day of class. You will require access to the Adobe Creative Cloud in order to complete this course. Students who are currently registered in one or more part-time courses can purchase a subscription for Adobe Creative Cloud Pro at a discount through BCIT’s new software portal kb.bcit.ca/student/adobe-creative-cloud-subscription-part-time-student-3130
Status

Cancelled

This course offering has been cancelled. Please check this page for other currently available offerings or subscribe to receive email updates.

Fall 2023

Below is one offering of GDES 2145 for the Fall 2023 term.

CRN 50139

Duration

Mon Sep 11 - Mon Dec 11 (11 weeks)

  • 11 weeks
  • CRN 50139
  • $575.24
Class meeting times
Dates Days Times Locations
Sep 11 - Dec 11 Mon 18:00 - 21:15 Online
Instructor

Carolina Becerra

Course outline

Course outline TBD — see Learning Outcomes in the interim.

Cost

$575.24

Important information
  1. Internet delivery format.
  2. Important course information will be sent to you prior to your course start date. Check your myBCIT email account to access this information.
  3. No classes on the following days: Oct. 2, Oct. 9 & Nov.13 This is not a self-paced course. You will be expected to be available and online on the posted days and times shown on your registration schedule. It is important you have a stable and consistent internet connection to access course content. Please log into learn.bcit.ca using your BCIT student email and password on the first day of class. You will require access to the Adobe Creative Cloud in order to complete this course. Students who are currently registered in one or more part-time courses can purchase a subscription for Adobe Creative Cloud Pro at a discount through BCIT’s new software portal h kb.bcit.ca/student/adobe-creative-cloud-subscription-flexible-learning-student-3130/
Status

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Describe how history and technology has shaped type classification and its major characteristics.
  • Identify type anatomy and terminology such as x-height, small caps, ligatures, and accents.
  • Follow principles and guidelines based on research to select the most effective typeface(s) for a given project.
  • Implement font pairings for readability and expression.
  • Apply design with type as the primary element (expressive type).
  • Construct page layouts using printers' measurements (points and picas).
  • Alter InDesign typographic preferences to enhance output.
  • Produce a typographic design layout using multiple and complex grids.
  • Apply and control basic typesetting functions for standard text, tabular settings and tables.
  • Apply typesetting conventions such as measurement, paragraph spacing, hanging punctuation, and indents, to help create sophisticated typography.
  • Distinguish tracking and customize kerning for large, highly visible typography such as headlines.

Effective as of Spring/Summer 2023

Related Programs

Typography (GDES 2145) is offered as a part of the following programs:

School of Business + Media

  1. Graphic Communications
    Diploma Full-time
  2. Graphic Design
    Certificate Full-time/Part-time

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