Recently I was asked to contribute an introduction to print book design for a publication that will be out soon. I decided to address the piece to an author who was thinking about self-publishing, but wondering whether it’s worth doing a print book. Here’s...
Between the grace and rhythm of oldstyle typefaces, with their serifs inspired by the pens of calligraphers, and sans serif typefaces, with their uniform strokes and modern look, there are several other groups of type designs. One of the most popular, and most useful,...
The first sans serif typeface I lived with was Univers, and I fell hard. It was first love, after all. At some point I got entranced by the dark charms of the hybrid Optima, an infatuation which had to run its course. Optima was so versatile. Eventually things had to...
Typefaces have always exerted a powerful force on my imagination. I grew up with huge, heavy American Type Foundry type sample books in our living room, and would spend hours looking at the designs. When I started to study typography and book design, I was fascinated...
Have you ever thought about negative space? And no, I don’t mean some metaphysical concept of matter and anti-matter. When book designers talk about “negative space” they are talking primarily about unprinted areas of the page. Any areas that are...
