5 minute read
Column width
“ The question of column width is not merely one of design or format;the question of legibilityis of equal importance. The reader should be able to read the message of a text easily and comfortably.This depends to a not inconsiderable extent on the size of the type, the length of the lines,and the leading.Printed matter in normal format is generally read with the eye at a distance of 30-35 cm.The size of the type should be calculated with this distance in mind.Both too small and too large a type costs the reader an effort.He tires more rapidly. According to a well-known empirical rule there should be 7-10 words per line,for a text of any length of the line can be readily calculated.So as to keep the type area light and open in appearance,we have to determine the leading,i.e.the vertical distance from line to line,so that it suits the size of type.Photo- typesetting has brought an additional problem; namely,that of the spacing between letters.In lead type the distance between the letters was determined by the body size an equalized.In photo-typesetting the distance between letters has to be adjusted a new every time in the photosetting machine. Hence the irregularity of the typeface and the,unfortunately, usually too closely set letters.The designer is well advised when ordering photo-typesetting to insist on normal spacing between the letters. Practical experience has shown that the column width of most printed matter (magazines,brochures) contain from 5 to 8 words,averaging 40 to 60 characters.Even though there are no standards for the number of characters per line,we can take the average number of 40 to 60 characters as being an easily readable quantity.Type sizes for continuous text matter are between 8 and 12 points.Well-leaded lines emphasize the horizontal and make reading easier.In each kind of work (e.g. book or display pane), the dimensions of the page size or format are an important factor in determining the arrangement of columns.Where display lines are placed on above another, the space between lines has to be judged optically.In some cases equal line-spaces (leading) has an unequal optical effect. Such “errors”are overcome by different variations of linespacing.”
Every difficulty standing in the reader’s way means loss “ of quality in communication and memorability. Just as overlong lines tire,so do overshot ones.The eye find the long line strenuous to read because too much energy must be spent keeping the horizontal line in sight over a long distance.In the case of the too short line,the eye is copelled to change lines too often and this again wastes energy. The right width of column is essential for an even and pleasant rhythm of reading which enables the reader to relax and concentrate wholly on the content.”
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Grid Systems in Graphic Design
Robert Bringhurst
Ruedi Rüegg
Column width short Column width medium
Leading
“Leading calls for just as close attention as the width of the lines. For,like lines which are too long or too short, leading can also affect the type area and hence the readability of the text. Lines that are too narrowly set impair reading speed because the upper and lower lines are both taken in by the eye at the same time.The eye cannot focus on excesi-vely close so accurately that one line alone is read without the immediate surrounding area also entering the visual field.The eye is distractires more easily.The same also holds true in respect of lines that are too widely space.The reader has trouble in linking up with the next line,his uncertainty grows,and fatigue sets in earlier. Good leading can carry the eye optically form one line to the next,giving it confidence and stability,and enabling it to absorb and remember more easily what has been read. Where reading is smooth and easy,the meaning content of the words is gra-sped more clearly;they acquire more character and expression and etch themselves more sharply on the mind. Proper leading is one of the most important factors in obtaining a harmonious and functional type area which is aestheti cally pleasing and will stand the test of the time.Another point calling for attention concerns the type area containing 3,4 or more different type sizes.To ensure a regular and attractive typographic design the leads for the various type sizes must be adjusted to one another.The size of the leads determines the number of lines that can be accommodated on a printed page. The larger the leads,the smaller the number of lines that can be placed on a page.”
From Grid Systems in Graphic Design
Robert Bringhurst
Ideas
Everything is connected to everything else and searching for solutions often requires being alert to spot the unlikely connections…
In Critique magazine Marty Neumeier writes:“If idea making can’t be reduced to a system,perhaps it can be expressed in a formula.Like the workings of the internal combustion engine,the conceptual process can be seen as a series of controlled explosions that drive ideas forward. In a car engine,when fuel is mixed with fresh air and ignited by a spark, the wheels turn and the car accelerates. In the human mind,when a problem is mixed with a new perspective and exposed to intuition,the wheels turn and we arrive at a new concept.Problem + fresh perspective x intuition = concept.An example of this formula in practice is the invention of the printing press.Gutenberg could not figure out how to press a large number of letter seals onto a single sheet of paper at the same time. One day at a wine festival (after sampling a glass or two),he began to look carefully at a wine press.Suddenly he realized that the wine press,with minor alterations,might be transformed into a printing press.Mein Gott! The simple mixture of two ideas,the letter seal and the wine press, sparked by a little imagination,produced one of the greatest inventions of the Renaissance.”
9/9 Bembo
Idea
Everything is connected to everything else and searching for solutions often requires being alert to spot the unlikely connections…
In Critique magazine Marty Neumeier writes:“If idea making can’t be reduced to a system,perhaps it can be expressed in a formula.Like the workings of the internal combustion engine,the conceptual process can be seen as a series of controlled explosions that drive ideas forward.In a car engine, when fuel is mixed with fresh air and ignited by a spark,the wheels turn and the car accelerates.In the human mind, when a problem is mixed with a new perspective and exposed to intuition,the wheels turn and we arrive at a new concept. Problem + fresh perspective x intuition = concept. An example of this formula in practice is the invention of the printing press.Gutenberg could not figure out how to press a large number of letter seals onto a single sheet of paper at the same time.One day at a wine festival (after sampling a glass or two),he began to look carefully at a wine press. Suddenly he realized that the wine press,with minor alterations, light be transformed into a printing press.Mein Gott! The simple mixture of two ideas,the letter seal and the wine press,sparked by a little imagination,produced one of the greatest inventions of the Renaissance.”
