Re: Typography Check (was FLASH: Site Check: ITVerge.com)

[Eva Isabel/E Graphics]

David:


I  happen to have this typography book,   it belonged to my father, so it is

quite old... but reliable!  So i just had a look and found some tips that

perhaps you will find useful to clear your doubts about text arrangement.  I

just copied the stuff  I thought you might found interesting, so my

apologies if one paragraphs does not make sense with the next one... or

something like that.

It is also meant for printed materials (it was published on 1973....), but i

guess the same principles apply for websites as well.


-Justified:

Advantages:  Most of your reading matter is set justified, because this

arrangement is best suited for sustained reading comfort.  The page assumes

a quiet look and does not distract the reader.  Its predictabilty allows the

reader to concentrate on the content rather than on the design.  Justified

type is recomended whenever reading material is lenghty, such as in a novel,

or whenever the designer wishes the type areas to remain quiet on the page.

Disadvantages:  If the pica measure is too narrow, there is a risk of poor

word spacing that is esthetically displeasing and inhibits comfortable

reading.


-Unjustifed:

Advantages:  Because of its equal word spacing, the type has an even texture

and is easy to read.  The risk of white rivers flowing down the page is

eliminated.  This is especially apealing when the type is to be set in

narrow columns.  Moreover, since the lines can run either short or long,

hypenating words is virtually unnecessary.  The reader has no difficulty

locating the beggining of a new line, because the lines are aligned at the

left.  The ragged edge on the right also adds visual interest to the page.

Disadvantages:  Unless the lines are set approximately the same lenght, the

ragged edge can disrupt the layout and can become a disturbing factor in the

design.  It is important that the ragged edge should create a pleasing

shilouette, convexe rather than concave.  The designer can often assist the

typesetter by specifying a maximum and minimum lenght.  As further aid, he

can also instruct the typesetter to hypenate words rather than destroy the

desired silouette.


And also I found this:  "Type should aling mechanically, not optically".

When display type is set flush left or flush right, the alignment of the

letters may seem irregular,  even though it may be *mechanically* correct.

Since the designer wants a clean, decisive edge, he must adjust the letters

in order to make it *optically*  correct.  This adjustment is called

"optical alignment."


This is interesting:  try typing the next letters:


D

S

O

M


following this format, each one in a separate row, and justified to the

left.  They are "mechanically" aligned, but *not* to the human eye,  because

O and M are wider than D and S, even that they are the same size in points.


Nice dilema... my conclusion once i read all this stuff is that when you

want your type to look nice, you may find it necessary to edit it manually.

You can justify it or not on the computer, and still, it may not look good

to you or others....


Hope this helps.


Eva Isabel.




PS This was taken from the book "Designing with Type, A Basic Course In

Typography", by James Craig.



<Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 13:12:08 -0800

<From: "Michael Dunn" <

mdunnthemericaagency [dot] com

>

<Subject: Re: Typography Check (was FLASH: Site Check: ITVerge.com)


<I have to agree. If you are going to fully justify, you need to have more

words

<on a line so that there is more "give". As it stands, there are too many

rivers

<in the text, which to the trained eye are a tell-tale sign of bad design

(like

<using an open signle quote instead of an apostrophe



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