foreword

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 planning ahead

When in doubt, think about how it works outside the realm of typesetting.

There are some very clear rules in writing that seem obvious to most people; many acronyms are “set in caps because that is the way we pronounce them” (Bringhurst 49) and typically how they are referred to in text. However, there are moments when you will be typesetting and you come across something more ambiguous. An example brought up in Chapter 3 was the acronym Unesco. It is an acronym, but it is almost always spoken as an actual word. In this scenario, Bringhurst tells us to apply the same formatting to the text as you would in your speech: if people are more commonly pronouncing Unesco as its own word, format it as an actual word.

Don’t use every element at your disposal, no matter how enticing it may seem.

Nowadays, every typeface package is supplying us with countless different fonts, covering a wide range of light to heavy weights. Even though having this amount of options can be exciting, it is up to the typesetter not to go overboard. Bringhurst explains that while they can be useful in moderation, using too many fonts in your design can do more harm than good in having a simple and effective design. The same can be said of contrast. While there are many options to separate your titles from your section headings from your body text, you do not need to make these different elements vastly different from one another. Try adding small differences at first before moving any further.

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creating a structure 4

Headings don't need drastic contrast from your body text. In this chapter, Bringhurst begins by discussing how you should design your title page. Contrary to what you might initially think, your title page should properly communicate what the following text is going to be about. If the book is loud and has a lot of personality, this can be conveyed on the title page; if it’s factual and straight to the point, the title page should communicate that before the reader even gets to the first paragraph.

Once you get into the actual content of the book, the titles on these pages should serve to work along with the text, not overshadow it. The page should appear to be balanced overall, so each case should be evaluated to decide whether the title needs to be more heavily contrasted from the body, or if it can simply use the same font as the body

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 creating a structure

with changes like using all caps, different sizes, weights, or other formatting options.

Never leave a blank recto, unless you are designing the front or back matter.

Rectos are the sign of new beginnings: your chapter opener is almost always going to be on the recto. The verso, on the other hand, can give a moment of pause to a reader before they move on to the next chapter of their book. For this reason, it is important to never leave a recto blank, unless you are designing the front or back matter, because the reader will feel as though that new beginning has ended. They will not be motivated to keep reading.

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analphabetic characters 5

Look at your analphabetic characters when choosing a typeface to work with. Analphabetic characters can sometimes be an afterthought in font creation. Bringhurst tells us that many fonts won’t even use their own original characters, they will just use a set that is well-designed from another typeface.

Analphabetic characters have specific rules based on what they are being used for.

With ampersands, it is best to always use the italic version, even if it is being used within roman text. The italic version of an ampersand is often going to be designed better than the roman version. Parentheses should always use the roman version regardless of whether your text is set in italics or roman.

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