DESIGNING BOOKS
Jon Wozencroft (1988)
◼️From a design point of view, books are primarily about establishing a clear typographic system. Book design is of course a very different proposition to working on magazines, which have a different structure and a much stronger bias towards the use of images.
◼️◼️The design is largely a matter of pure common sense. The grid must be well proportioned on the page, with adequate inner and outer margins. You must find out in advance how the book is to be bound, so that you know whether its pages will open easily or whether you must exaggerate the margin away from the spine.
◼️◼️◼️Each book's character is largely developed out of detailing, such as the placing of headings and the choice of typeface. The jacket or cover is either the first or the last thing you do, and should signal the design and content as a whole.
◼️◼️◼️◼️It is important to remember that as a designer you are working not only with a different temporal requirement, but, in most cases, a more deliberate and personal kind of expression. With this in mind, the design has to strike the right balance between passivity and intrusion.
◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️In the case of magazines that are around for a limited period, the design of an article or feature must immediately encourage the reader to read it. You can never take it for granted that this will happen. With books, you can, or at least you should be able to.
◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️Space is as important a factor in a book as it is anywhere else. The design must be finely weighted so that the type has an impressive overall appearance, but not so much that it encourages the reader to stare at the page at the expense of the words themselves. If you are going to choose a typeface other than a sympathetic book fount like Garamond, Times or Bodoni Book, then you must be sure that the content supports such a deviation. The subject matter might be so indistinct that it helps to produce a more expressive element – a typeface such as Corvinus or Rockwell, for example. As usual, you work to the given task, not to the given norm.
◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️If you are going to opt for a more distinctive design, you have to consider the book's potential lifespan. With any design, a good question to ask yourself is “What will it look like in five years time?”
DESIGNING BOOKS
Jon Wozencroft
From a design point of view, books are primarily about establishing a clear typographic system. Book design is of course a very different proposition to working on magazines, which have a different structure and a much stronger bias towards the use of images.
The design is largely a matter of pure common sense. The grid must be well proportioned on the page, with adequate inner and outer margins. You must find out in advance how the book is to be bound, so that you know whether its pages will open easily or whether you must exaggerate the margin away from the spine.
Each book's character is largely developed out of detailing, such as the placing of headings and the choice of typeface. The jacket or cover is either the first or the last thing you do, and should signal the design and content as a whole.
It is important to remember that as a designer you are working not only with a different temporal requirement, but, in most cases, a more deliberate and personal kind of expression. With this in mind, the design has to strike the right balance between passivity and intrusion.
In the case of magazines that are around for a limited period, the design of an article or feature must immediately encourage the reader to read it. You can never take it for granted that this will happen. With books, you can, or at least you should be able to.
Space is as important a factor in a book as it is anywhere else. The design must be finely weighted so that the type has an impressive overall appearance,but not so much that it encourages the reader to stare at the page at the expense of the words themselves.
If you are going to choose a typeface other than a sympathetic book fount like Garamond, Times or Bodoni Book, then you must be sure that the content supports such a deviation. The subject matter might be so indistinct that it helps to produce a more expressive element – a typeface such as Corvinus or Rockwell, for example. As usual, you work to the given task, not to the given norm. If you are going to opt for a more distinctive design, you have to consider the book's potential lifespan. With any design, a good question to ask yourself is:
“What will it look like
in five years time?”