THE ROLE OF TYPOGRAPHY IN PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTURAL GRAPHICS AND THE FORMATION OF THE ARCHITECT’S VISUAL CULTURE

Abstract

The article examines the role of typography as a component of professional architectural graphics and its significance in shaping the architect’s visual culture under the contemporary transformations of architectural education and design practice. It is substantiated that a typeface within the structure of an architectural project performs not only the function of a technical carrier of textual information, but also acts as an essential element of visual language that influences the readability of project documentation, the perception of spatial solutions, and the overall quality of professional communication. Typography is considered an integral component of the architect’s graphic culture, forming standards for information presentation, disciplining the compositional organization of materials, and contributing to the development of a coherent stylistic image of project outputs. Purpose. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the role of typography as a component of professional architectural graphics and to determine its significance in the formation of the architect’s visual culture in the context of contemporary transformations in architectural education and design practice. Methodology. The methodological framework includes theoretical analysis and generalization of scientific sources on architectural graphics, typography, and visual communication; structural and compositional analysis of architectural materials; comparative analysis of the use of typefaces in different types of graphics (working drawings, technical documentation, presentation materials, competition projects); as well as evaluation of the impact of digital technologies (CAD/BIM environments) on the formation of modern typographic culture. Results. The study substantiates that a typeface within an architectural project serves not only as a technical carrier of textual information but also as a significant element of visual language affecting documentation readability, perception of spatial solutions, and the quality of professional communication. Typography is viewed as an integral component of the architect’s graphic culture, shaping standards of information presentation, structuring compositional organization, and ensuring stylistic integrity of project materials. It is demonstrated that typographic choices determine the structure of visual hierarchy, the logic of “reading” graphic materials, and the accessibility of information for different categories of recipients. It has been established that the digitalization of design processes has standardized many typographic procedures while simultaneously creating risks of formalization and loss of individual presentation style. Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty lies in the comprehensive consideration of typography as a structural factor of professional architectural graphics and as a component in the formation of the architect’s visual culture. The functions of typography in organizing the informational hierarchy of architectural boards and drawings are clarified, and the necessity of integrating typographic competence into the professional training of future architects is substantiated. Practical relevance. The practical significance of the research lies in the possibility of applying its results to improve teaching methodologies in architectural graphics, to develop recommendations for typographic design of project materials, and to enhance students’ visual literacy and the quality of professional design communication. Keywords: typography, architectural graphics, professional graphic culture, architect’s visual culture, typographic design, project communication, visual literacy, architectural presentation, digital graphic technologies, CAD/BIM environment, typographic hierarchy, graphic representation.