User:Andrew/Typography
Purpose
The guideline helps ensure that typography is always in harmony with the overall visual design.
Guidelines
Typeface Styles
A selection of typeface styles are allocated throughout the user interface as follows. Set system defaults and conduct design activities using the design typeface styles. To respect user typeface choices while preserving the distinction afforded to each typographic category, implement the design using the corresponding system typeface styles.
- A monospace version of the Content Body 1 typeface should be used for code content.
- Typography is treated like any other visual element when considering spacing and alignment.
- Limit the number of typeface style variations to about three in any single design.
- Multi-line blocks of text should be either left or right aligned; avoid center alignment for multi-line blocks of text.
- Point sizes correspond to actual typeface sizes at the default xorg 96 dpi setting, where 1 pt = 1/72 inch (0.35mm). Resize all visual elements, including type, when scaling the user interface for higher dpis.
- Layouts with dynamic type resizing should be carefully considered. Dynamically resizing the type of a text element may alter the visual hierarchy. Limit the range of any dynamic type resizing to preserve that the intended visual hierarchy.
Typographic Category Examples
Menus - Menu bar, Popup menus
Content Title - Category title, Panel popups title
Content Header - Section headers
Content Body 1 - Text content, Icon grid items, List items
Content Body 2 - Captions , tooltips
Properties and Tools - Property panel, Toolbar, Status bar
Color and Contrast
The text color and background color can be varied to provide additional hierarchical hints (e.g. selected text). However, the contrast between the text and background color must be sufficient to preserve legibility of the text.
Words per line
Limit line length to between eight and ten words per line. For typographic categories that use an all caps typeface, limit to between three and four words per line.
Exceptions
When the visual design calls for an area of exceptional focus, a larger typeface size may be used. For a significantly larger typeface use a Light typeface weight to keep the stroke width similar to other typeface styles throughout the interface . All other typeface characteristics for the typographic category should be maintained. For such typeface exceptions to be effective, they must be rare.