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

Think it Through

If you have something important to say and you want to reinforce the message with typography, think it through very carefully. There is a place for platitudes. Sometimes the most obvious solution is the best, just as the trite phrase, “like looking for a needle in a haystack” is very clear—a reader can make no mistake about what you mean. All of our tired phrases have a reason for being true—we get it. We get the point. We see the connection. We understand the analogy. So there is also a place in typography for the old saws.

But don’t neglect the beauty of a new turn of phrase, a new way of expressing an old thought, a new twist on a tired idea. Sometimes it will behoove you to probe a little deeper, think about the project, ...