Exploring Examples of Carl Dair’s 7 Principles of Type

According to typographer Carl Dair, there are seven types of contrast, or ways that type can differ from each other. This includes size, weight (bold vs regular), form (caps vs lowercase), structure (typeface), texture (how the type amasses), color, and direction (horizontal vs vertical).

The first thing that I noticed with these two articles was that they both definitely use size contrast. You can clearly tell which parts were supposed to draw your attention first and get the most emphasis. In the news article, it’s to highlight the most important bits of information,

such as the headline and the damage caused et cetera. In the other one, it’s more used to highlight the text amongst all of the images. Weight is also used in the news article. Both the headline and the stats are big, but because the headline is heavier, it draws the eyes in first. I think form is used most in the example with all the pictures. Because “Irma’s Ire” is in all caps, it contrasts greatly with the deck that seems like more of an afterthought.

I don’t see too much contrasting structure in either of these examples. It's more varied by weight or size instead of the font. You can see texture in the news article, because of the way the blocks of text are arranged. I think color is used in both of these to emphasize the seriousness of the situation. By choosing to leave it in just black and white it’s a bit grimmer, and it would probably be inappropriate to have it in different colors regarding the topic of the story. Direction isn’t used here either.

The last thing I analyzed was a book cover, “Come Back to Me” by Mila Gray. Immediately the first thing that I noticed on the cover was the contrast of weight. The “me” is emphasized to give it more importance. The size is also quite large and takes up a majority of the cover overlaid in front of the picture. Size is also used on the author’s name, as it’s small because it is of lesser importance. On the back, form and color are used on the quote at the top. The words “she’s fallen in love” are in italics and a different color as compared to the rest of the quote. This shows emphasis and more emotion. Texture is apparent in the text below that describes what the book is about. Overall, it has a good handle on using the different types of contrast to create a cohesive cover that is easy to understand.