There are rules for the arrangement of characters, spaces and paragraphs
Orthotypography is a concept that is formed with the prefix ortho- (which refers to what is “correct” ) and the noun typography (the way in which a text is expressed). The term refers to the conventions and practices that regulate writing with typographic signs in a language .
Typography Guidelines
An analogy can be drawn between spelling and orthotypography. While spelling is linked to the rules that govern writing at a general level, orthotypography is the set of guidelines associated with the appropriate use of typographic elements. In any case, it is usually indicated that orthotypography is the combination of typography and spelling .
The rules linked to spaces , the use of lowercase and uppercase letters and the choice of letter styles (bold, italic, etc.) are part of the field of action of orthotypography.
Microtypography and macrotypography
It is possible to differentiate between microtypography and macrotypography . Microtypography focuses on how signs and letters are positioned, taking into account the relationship they establish with each other. Macrotypography , for its part, considers blocks of text globally.
Together, both divisions of typography serve to achieve results that respect the aesthetics expected of a text. Needless to say, this must be framed in each genre and field : the conventional appearance of a collection of poems is not the same as that of a photography magazine. In fact, while in the former the force of the conventional structure is usually considerable, in the latter there is greater freedom to break certain rules.
In any case, no matter how spontaneous the design of a text may seem, if it has been produced in a professional environment it has surely gone through the filters of spelling specialists, to achieve a perfect balance in the arrangement of characters and spaces, as well as a harmony in the presentation of text blocks.
We can say that microtypography and macrotypography are disciplines that are essential for the publication of content, because they provide a degree of solidity that translates into an image of stability and seriousness, which has an impact on confidence on the part of the reader.
Examples of orthotypography
Let's look at an example : "The girl, upon seeing that her friend needed help, began to scream; her desperate request, however, was not heard." As you can see, in this sentence there are several spelling errors , since after the inclusion of a comma and a semicolon a space must always be left.
“My neighbor, a man named Pedro, works in a hospital” is another expression whose spelling is not correct. The spaces that appear before the commas are incorrectly included.
For an informal text, spelling is not mandatory, but it helps.
Outside the academic field
It is important to note that the rules of orthotypography are less known than those of orthography by people outside of academic writing, journalism and any other discipline that depends on written language for its realization. Someone who has not received any training in typing or computer writing, and simply uses a keyboard to send informal messages, may be completely unaware of the aforementioned rules.
In contrast, journalists, writers and proofreaders , among other professionals, must not only learn all these rules but must stay up to date with changes to ensure they present correct work. Here we make it clear that the correctness of a text is measured according to the time: no one guarantees that in a few years the current rules will still be in force, just as a few decades ago the word o had an accent, for example.