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Hierarchy: decide what is read first
Every piece of text has a reading order. Make one element clearly the most important, one second, and let the rest be quiet. The simplest tools are size, weight and color.
| Level | Typical treatment | Example |
|---|---|---|
| First | Large, bold or script | The title of your piece |
| Second | Medium, regular | A subtitle or date |
| Third | Small, muted | Credits, handle, edition |
If everything is big, nothing is.
Contrast: like value in a painting
Typography uses contrast the way a painting uses light and dark. Pair a heavy style with a light one, a script with a sans, or large with small. Two styles that are almost the same look like a mistake; two that are clearly different look intentional.
Space: let letters breathe
Empty space is not wasted. Margins and gaps tell the eye where one idea ends and the next begins.
- Keep a margin of at least 8 to 10 percent of the canvas width.
- Leave more space above a heading than below it, so it belongs to the text it introduces.
- Wide letter spacing (like C A L M) feels calm and luxurious; tight spacing feels urgent.
Alignment: choose one and commit
Centered text feels formal and poetic. Left-aligned text feels natural and readable. Right-aligned text is unusual and works only for short lines. Mixing all three in one piece usually feels messy.
Line length: the comfortable sentence
For reading text, around 45 to 75 characters per line is comfortable. On a poster, short lines of 2 to 5 words carry more drama. In the Lettering Studio, press Enter to break lines exactly where the meaning pauses.
Color: ink and paper
Text needs contrast with its background. Light ink on dark paper, or dark ink on light paper. Mid-tone on mid-tone disappears, especially on phones in sunlight. A good test: blur your eyes. If the words vanish, increase the contrast.
Restraint: two styles are plenty
Most strong designs use one or two type styles. Choose a "voice" (script, gothic, bold) for the title and a calm partner for everything else. Read more in font pairing for artists.
A five-minute exercise
- Write one sentence you love.
- Make three versions in the studio: centered script, left-aligned bold, small caps with wide spacing.
- Look at them side by side tomorrow. Notice which one feels like your art.
Questions artists ask
What is typographic hierarchy?
The order in which text is read, controlled by size, weight, color and position.
How many fonts should one artwork use?
One or two is usually enough. A distinct title style plus a quiet partner.
What is a comfortable line length?
For reading, about 45 to 75 characters per line. Posters can use much shorter lines.
Founder and editor of Letras Bonitas Art. Builds the tools and writes the guides on this site for artists who letter on screens. How we review our pages.
