I’m no graphic designer, but I love typefaces. I even get an e-newsletter from a font website and I actually view its contents, which I can’t say is true for the other 97 percent of my inbox. And now what I love just as much as Archer (is that font passé? I don’t care.) is the new iPad app Typography Insight. Created by Parsons student Dong Yoon Park as a thesis project, Typography Insight will teach you typography with a slick, hands-on approach.
Suited for design students and professionals alike, Typography Insight is packed with information. Learn Basics features four sections — the most expansive of which is the Terminology Guide. Here you’ll find definitions for common terms, as well as see the anatomy of a typeface. You might know what a serif is, but how about spine, apex and aperture? Tap the term, and Typography Insight will zoom in on the part of the letter it refers to. Once you’re up on the terms, head to Historical Typefaces, where you can see how a selection of letters (scroll down to see more) have evolved throughout the years. The Measurements section provides moveable pica- and inch-rulers and 24- to 300-point type, so you can see the physical space a letter uses. Type setting offers lorem ipsum paragraphs so you can play with alignment, leading and tracking.
Typography Insight relies on 16 fonts to make up its library, including Garamond, Times New Roman, Helvetica and Snell Roundhand. In Compare, you can choose the alphabet or individual letters of two fonts, and compare them side-by-side. If you need more, head into Overlay, and view two fonts on top of one another (tap the screen to enter your own words or letters). Finally, the Ascender/Descender Library shows you those areas of all 16 fonts at once — swipe across to view the rest of the alphabet or down to see hidden typefaces. In Type Inspector you can view types individually, highlight their earmarks, and enter in your own blocks of text.
Typography Insight is a specialized app, and I think Park’s pricing is on the mark. Really, the only downside of the app is that you can’t load or select additional types for use in Compare or Type Inspector. I hope the library grows in future updates, but even if it doesn’t, the app is more than worth a look for typography fans.
Download the free Appolicious iPhone app
