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On Web Typography

On Web Typography

by Jason Santa Maria
Publisher: A Book Apart
Release Date: September 2014
ISBN: 9780134075969
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Book Description

Foreword by ELLEN LUPTON

Typography is your design’s voice and the most powerful tool you have to communicate with your readers. Learn how to wield type with care and wit: how to evaluate typefaces, consider technical constraints, create flexible typographic systems, and put together your own collection of favorite faces.

Jason Santa Maria wants you to see type beyond code or flourishes. You’ll discover how typography shapes the way we read and how you can adapt the craft’s practices for the screen. So go ahead. Choose, combine, and set typefaces with ease–and invite readers in.

Table of Contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. More from The a Book Apart Library
  4. Table of Contents
  5. Foreword
  6. Introduction
    1. What this Book Will Do
  7. 1. How We Read
    1. Readability
    2. The Act of Reading
      1. Saccades and fixations
    3. Stacking the Deck
  8. 2. How Type Works
    1. Why Typography Matters
      1. Typography is communication
    2. An Embarrassment of Riches
    3. Type on the Web
      1. System fonts
      2. Images
      3. Text replacement
    4. The Language of Type
  9. 3. Evaluating Typefaces
    1. Font Versus Typeface
    2. Classifications
    3. Physical Traits
    4. Em Box
    5. Typeface Contrast
    6. Weights and Styles
    7. X-Height
    8. Numbers, Punctuation, and Special Characters
    9. Small Caps and Ligatures
    10. Language Sets
    11. Optical Sizes
    12. Historical Context
      1. Classic typefaces
      2. Remakes and revivals
    13. Finding Alternatives
    14. Technical Considerations
      1. Loaded assets
      2. Web Font Loader
      3. Rendering
  10. 4. Choosing and Pairing Typefaces
    1. Know your Context
      1. Type for a moment
      2. Type to live with
      3. Choosing type for extended reading
        1. Sufficient x-height
        2. Low or medium contrast
        3. Recognizable and distinct letterforms
    2. Methods for Choosing Typefaces
      1. Word association
      2. Comparisons of real text
      3. Appropriateness
      4. Avoid ready-mades
      5. Be careful with free fonts
      6. Narrowing the field
    3. Methods for Pairing
      1. Look for distinction
      2. Look for harmony
      3. Start with one and build outward
    4. Find Your Own Classics
  11. 5. Typographic Systems
    1. Hierarchy and Contrast
      1. A new order
    2. Paragraphs
      1. Type size
      2. Measure and line-height
      3. Indents and blank lines
      4. Headlines
      5. Big type
    3. Small Type
    4. Other Notable Types
    5. Interface
    6. Putting It All Together
  12. 6. Composition
    1. Known Unknowns
    2. Responsive Typography
    3. Composing the Page
      1. Grids for layout
      2. Baseline grids
    4. Alignment and Hyphenation
    5. Typographic Color
    6. Whitespace
      1. Margins
    7. Typographic Scales and Rhythm
  13. Conclusion
  14. Resources
    1. Quick tips for improving your typography
    2. Further reading and favorites
      1. Books
      2. Websites
    3. Foundries and services
  15. Acknowledgements
  16. References
    1. Intro
    2. Chapter 1
    3. Chapter 2
    4. Chapter 3
    5. Chapter 4
    6. Chapter 5
    7. Chapter 6
    8. Resources
  17. Index
  18. About A Book Apart
    1. Colophon
  19. About the Author