Investigating type and layout using InDesign

6 Examples of a typeface being used

Typeface vs Font

A typeface is a design for a set of characters. This typeface however can be presented in a wide range of fonts which is how the characters look, be it boldness, italics, wide or thin. Fonts most commonly known are Bold, Regular and Italic, however some others are condensed, making each character thinner and black which makes each character bolder.

Serif vs. Sans Serif

A serif is a dash/line which finishes off the stroke of a letter in a typeface. In French, 'sans' simply means 'without', therefore, if a typeface is sans serif it means it doesn't have strokes or pointy bits on each letter making it look more fancy. The typeface I'm using now is serif. An example of a sans serif typeface is Arial.

Parts of a Typeface

Type Families

Kerning, Tracking and Leading

Kerning is the adjustment of space between two characters in a block of text. It can be done on InDesign by selecting Optical (it defaults to Metric) in the 'Character' window.


Tracking is the adjustment of space between all characters in a block of text. It can be done on InDesign by selecting a number or typing in your own in the tracking section of the Character window.



Leading is the spacing between each line in a block of text. You can change the tracking of a block of text in InDesign by typing in or selecting a number in the Leading section of the Character window.

What is a Grid?

In typography, a grid is a series of intersecting vertical and horizontal lines which help to arrange blocks/lines of text alongside images and other elements to easily organise a piece of work.

To set up a grid using InDesign you click InDesign > Preferences > Grids, then you have to specify the colours, where the grid starts, and the spacing between grid lines.