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

10. Outlined Shadowed Type

Type that has been outlined and shadowed automatically by the computer still shows up, and in the most surprising places (like book covers, billboards, and annual reports). Don’t do it. If you’re just starting to use your computer, I know the temptation is great because with the click of a button you can make your type fancy. And that’s the impression it gives—someone trying to make their type look fancy because they don’t know what else to do with it. When you let the computer add a shadow with the click of a button, you have no control over where the shadow goes or how thick it is, and most often it just looks cluttered and junky because of all the different parts of the letters in various layers. It creates an especially ...