What Is Macrotypography?

Question

So far I know only about typography. But now I see somewhere the "macrotypography" word . I don't know what is that how it affects design for web pages?

Answer 1

I recommend reading this smashing magazine article which gives a good introduction to Microtypography.To quote the article

Microtypography has to do with the details; setting the right glyph, getting the appropriate kerning and tracking, and making stylistic choices such as when to use small-caps. Micro techniques have received a lot of attention recently, as browser makers adopt new CSS attributes that allow for finer control over Web type. Microtypography deals mainly with legibility and can be thought of as the design of letters and words.

I also recommend looking at this article about how to implement Microtypography for additional inputs on code and design practices.

To quote the article

TIME TO FIX THE PROBLEM

We researched existing JavaScript libraries and found a ton of great stuff. But none focused on micro-typography as a whole. When we started the project, we laid out five clear goals:

• Correct micro-typography, including as many of the elements in the list above as possible;
• Degrades so that devices without @font-face or JavaScript support are not negatively affected;
• OS independence;
• Browser independence;
• Correct markup;

Answer 2

What is macrotypography anyway? Is there a microtypography?

The difference between microtypography and macrotypography is that the former deals primarly with the individual fonts or even characters, while the latter is focused on the broader page layout.

Reference: Macrotypography of a Web Page (Paris Web 2010)

Macrotypography is all about how typography is arranged on a web page. Macrotypographical techniques can be achieved on CSS but we must also bear in mind that the Web itself is changing rapidly. Macrotypography is all about how paragraphs and groups of sentences are placed together and how they appear on a page.

Reference: What Is Macrotypography? How Can It Increase Readability of a Web Page?

Macro, Micro, what’s the difference?

Microtypography, as you may have gleaned from the prefix “micro,” has to do with small details like glyphs, kerning, tracking, and other stylistic choices. It deals mostly with legibility and is concerned with the design of letters and words. Macrotypography refers to how letters and words are arranged on the page. It’s concerned mainly with the readability of paragraphs on the page.

Reference: Macrotypography: It’s All in the Details