--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The material of typography is the black…" description: "\"The material of typography is the black, and it is the designer’s task with the help of this black to capture space, to create harmonious whites inside..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c14/adrian-frutiger-47517_black_the-material-of-typography-is-the-black_609727.png" --- # The material of typography is the black, and it is the… ![“The material of typography is the black, and it is the designer’s task with the help of this black to capture space, to create harmonious whites inside the letters as well as between them.” quote by Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c14/adrian-frutiger-47517_black_the-material-of-typography-is-the-black_609727.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c14/adrian-frutiger-47517_black_the-material-of-typography-is-the-black_609727.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c14/adrian-frutiger-47517_black_the-material-of-typography-is-the-black_609727.png) > “The material of typography is the black, and it is the designer’s task with the help of this black to capture space, to create harmonious whites inside the letters as well as between them.” [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Designers use black type to shape space, balancing dark and light for visual harmony within and between letters. **In simple terms:** Use black to create balanced white space in letters. Key Takeaway Focus on contrast to achieve harmony. Themes design typography visual balance contrast space Mood thoughtful analytical instructive Type educational practical When to use this quote - creating logos - layout design - website typography - print media - signage Key Concepts negative space visual harmony letterform balance contrast layout graphic design branding advertising editorial design Questions to Reflect On - How does contrast affect readability? - When does harmony become clutter? A Different Perspective Too much focus on contrast can reduce readability if not moderated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black Designer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-designer-1710220/) [Capture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capture/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Designer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/designer/) [Harmonious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmonious/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letters/) [Material Typography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/material-typography-4954088/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Tasks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tasks/) [Typography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typography/) [Typography Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typography-black-4954087/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think the narrative I was stuck in - the 'black' designer category - was going to go away anytime soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerby-jean-raymond/i-don-t-think-the-narrative-i-was-stuck-in-the-black-designer/) [Kerby Jean-Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerby-jean-raymond/) > [If I'm going to be the black designer, I'm going to tell it my way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerby-jean-raymond/if-i-m-going-to-be-the-black-designer-i-m-going-to-tell-it-my-way/) [Kerby Jean-Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerby-jean-raymond/) > [Is the 'black designer' label there to warn everyone not to have the same level of expectations for me, or is it some type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerby-jean-raymond/is-the-black-designer-label-there-to-warn-everyone-not-to-have-the/) [Kerby Jean-Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerby-jean-raymond/) > [From all these experiences the most important thing I have learned is that legibility and beauty stand close together and that type design, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/from-all-these-experiences-the-most-important-thing-i-have-learned-is/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [If you remember the shape of your spoon at lunch, it has to be the wrong shape. The spoon and the letter are tools;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/if-you-remember-the-shape-of-your-spoon-at-lunch-it-has-to-be-the/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [Typography must be as beautiful as a forest, not like the concrete jungle of the tenements It gives distance between the trees, the room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/typography-must-be-as-beautiful-as-a-forest-not-like-the-concrete/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [ When I put my pen to a blank sheet, black isn’t added but rather the white sheet is deprived of light. \[\] Thus I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/when-i-put-my-pen-to-a-blank-sheet-black-isn-t-added-but-rather-the/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [The whole point with type is for you not to be aware it is there. 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Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/) [Giambattista Bodoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giambattista-bodoni/) ## More by Adrian Frutiger > [Helvetica is the jeans, and Univers the dinner jacket. Helvetica is here to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/helvetica-is-the-jeans-and-univers-the-dinner-jacket-helvetica-is/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [The whole point with type is for you not to be aware it is there. If you remember the shape of a spoon with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/the-whole-point-with-type-is-for-you-not-to-be-aware-it-is-there-if/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [ When I put my pen to a blank sheet, black isn’t added but rather the white sheet is deprived of light. \[\] Thus I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/when-i-put-my-pen-to-a-blank-sheet-black-isn-t-added-but-rather-the/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [Typography must be as beautiful as a forest, not like the concrete jungle of the tenements It gives distance between the trees, the room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/typography-must-be-as-beautiful-as-a-forest-not-like-the-concrete/) [Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/) > [If you remember the shape of your spoon at lunch, it has to be the wrong shape. 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