What is the term for artwork that uses letters or words as main element?

Answer Details

Typography is the art and practice of designing and arranging type - letters, numbers, and symbols - so that written language becomes a visual design element. In typographic art, the letterforms themselves serve as the primary compositional element, conveying meaning through their shape, size, weight, spacing, and arrangement as much as through the words they spell.

Calligraphy is the art of beautiful handwriting and focuses on the decorative quality of hand-drawn script, but it centres on handwriting skill rather than using letters as a broader compositional or design element. "Word art" and "letterform art" are informal, descriptive labels rather than established academic terms in art and design education.