book design inspiration III — recipe format

i thought i'd add some page layouts from a couple of cookbooks. i think these two are good examples of type organization. note how two columns are used, the name of the recipe, the serving size, the time, a paragraph describing the recipe, ingredients, tips (which are called out), and instructions. i also think both layouts' use of page numbers is interesting. for the bottom's, the number is enclosed in a little circle on the bottom right, and the chapter name ("drinks") is in the bottom center. for the top layout, the page number and chapter name are both included in the right margin, which i think is a really cool way to display that information!

book design inspiration III — index

indexes (indices?) are boring. but they're critical to most books. and if the reader wants to find something quickly, he or she goes to the index, which must be organized crisply and logically. i like how the word "index" is situated in the right margin. also note that the page number is located on the bottom left, not the bottom right. i'm not sure what to think about that—it's not very intuitive for the reader to look at the bottom left. hmmm.

book design inspiration III — text pages

until studying typography, page layouts in books were things i've never thought long and hard about. you open a book, read it, the type tends to look the same. you read left to right, page numbers tend to be in the corner, and maybe the chapter name is somewhere at the top. that's pretty much it. as you can see from these examples, however, the way type is used in a books' page layouts are amazingly diverse. different typefaces are used, some fonts are larger, leading is different, the page number and chapter name treatments are different, some fonts are serif, some are sans serif (all examples include both).

book design inspiration III — chapter pages

these are pages that start a chapter. (duh.) my favorite is the top example ("summer of love"). it's simple. the chapter is numeric. the chapter name is large, easy to read (maybe helvetica?), and positioned close to the chapter number. both are right-justified. the first line of the text starts off in bold call caps. the page number is at the bottom right. it doesn't create unnecessary work. all the reader has to do is read the story. the middle example is a little busy, but good for the context of the book, which is based around the concept of a mixtape. the chapter page features an actual track listing of a mixtape made in the year the chapter describes. it sets the stage for the story. the text begins with a large initial cap, with two words in italics. the last example is also crisp and easy to read, left-justified. the chapter includes the number, the name of the chapter, and a brief description of the chapter, which lets the reader know what's to come.

book design inspiration III — table of contents

like the index, a table of contents needs to be crisp, clean, and easy for the reader to follow. these table of contents examples are extremely diverse, with various justifications. example 1 (top) shows a row of periods directing the reader to the page number; the others do not. examples 1 and 4 include the brief descriptions, or subheads, of each chapter. example 4 is the only one in which the page numbers are not aligned, which may be a little jumbled-looking for the reader. i like the use of space in example 5 (a cookbook). chapters and recipes are clearly organized, page numbers are aligned beautifully, and i like the use of page numbers and chapter name in the right margin. example 3 is a favorite as well. i like the chapter names and page numbers in the center, and i like that the chapter names are bold. it's pleasing to the eye.

book design inspiration III — title pages

title pages appear to be all about the effective use of white space. i mean, according to our textbook, all effective design does, but in researching books' page layouts, i find it especially obvious here. in each of these examples, the publisher's information is placed toward the bottom, in much smaller sizes than the title and author's name. in all of these examples, the title appears to be the most prominent (although you might argue in example 4 that the author's name is most prominent; here i would argue back that even though the author's name is at the top of the page, it's not as noticeable as the title, which is set in an old typewriter face). three out of the four examples have subtitles, which are placed under the title. i like example 3 best, because i like how the elements are arranged; however, i also like the tightness of example 1.

book design inspiration II

this page layout is part of the graham gillmore catalog, designed by FORT design co. it makes very good use of white space. i like the treatment of the title and author's name, along with the bold five words that start the article.

book design inspiration

okay, okay. i know we're actually supposed to be looking at books' interiors, but i'm such a sucker for these graphic penguin classics covers!

white space

an example of white space? of course, the first thing i thought of was the beatles' self-titled The Beatles, also known as the "white" album. on the original pressings, the uneven text was practically invisible—instead of grey lettering, it was embossed in white. it was designed by richard hamilton, a pop artist, and was intended to resemble the look of conceptual art. the album design also is a stark statement of the beatles music at that time, compared to the psychedelic, vibrant sounds of Sgt. Pepper, released just one year prior.

typography II

otherwise known as "typography hardcore." i'm a tad nervous. following along in class is going to be a challenge, because when everyone's mastered the third step in a set of instructions, i'm still figuring out step one. hey, at least i'm better at shortcuts now (thanks, paul!).