Non-Designer’s Type Book, The, Second Edition

Choosing a Type Size and Leading Value

Captions are traditionally a bit smaller than the point size of the body copy, but keep in mind that many people read only the captions, so you don’t want them to be difficult to read! Generally, use a size that is one to two points below the size of the body text (unless your body text is already tiny). If your body copy is 10 or 11 point, you can easily use 9- or 9.5-point caption type.

Alternatively, use the same size as your body text, but use the italic or semibold version of the font. You want it to be clear to the reader that these few lines are not meant to be in the flow of the story.

Your choice of leading value (linespace) depends on whether or not you are trying to align all your elements to ...