THE NON-DESIGNER'S TYPE BOOK

What makes "color"?

The color of a typeface is determined by a combination of details: the space
between the letters and between the lines, the space built into each char¬
acter, the x-height, the thickness of the strokes, the serifs or lack of serifs,
etc. A light, airy typeface with lots of letter spacing and linespacing creates
a very light color (and texture). A bold sans serif, tightly packed, creates
a dark color (with a different texture). You can clearly see the contrast of
colors in the samples below.

In the time of your life,
live ... so that in that
wondrous time you shall
not add to the misery
and sorrow of the world,
but smile to the infinite
delight and mystery of it.
William Saroyan
Caslon Regular 8.5/10.5

In the time of your life,
live ... so that in that
wondrous time you
shall not add to the
misery and sorrow of
the world, but smile to
the infinite delight and
mystery of it.
William Saroyan
Memphis Medium 8.5/9

lt\ tk« tÏK.« of your lif«,
li'v« ... SO tkit ¡M tU.t
IwObdt-OUS tilx>« yOU Skb.ll
hot bdd to tk« **ÍS«ry Kt\á
Sori-ОШ Oí tk« U/OI-ld, but
Sh*iU to tk« ihfihit«
d«li^kt bhd lr.yst«ry of it.
Willli.fr, Sbroybh

Regular Joe 8.5/10.5

In the time of your life,
live... so that in that
wondrous time you
shall not add to the
misery «and sorrow of
the world, but smile to
the infinite delight and
mystery of it.
William Saroyan

Decon Struct Bold 8.5/9.5

In the time or your lire,
live ... so that in that
wondrous time you shall
not add to the misery and
sorrow or the world, hut
smile to the infinite
delight and mystery ol it.
William Saroyan
Bernhard Regular 8.5/12

Ok tkt tint of your lilt, l/Yt. .
so tkat ік tkat wohdrtJHS time
yon /lull hot add io ike m'/tiy
andsorrow oj tkt world, Lut
/mit to tkt ir.fiKÌtt dtliski
and mystery of it
William. Saroyan
E/Ponto XäktMM H.S/tO S

S7n t/ie time oft/our life,
five . . . so inai in timi
wondrous time t/ou snail not
add to /ne miseri/ ano sorrow
of Ine worfd, but smife io ine
infinite defiant and mi/steru
ofil.

Wiffiam Saroyan
DCupliaf Script lollO.S

In the time of your life,
live... so that in that
wondrous time you shall
not add to the misery and
sorrow of the world, but
smile to the infinite delight
and mystery of it.
William Saroyan

JimboMM 8.5/10.5

In Hie lime of your life,
live... so thai in that
wondrous lime you shall
not add to the misery and
sorrow of Hie world, but
smile to Hie infinite delight
and mystery of ¡t.
William Saroyan
Flyer ExtraBlack Condensed
8.5/10.5

25: TYPOGRAPHIC COLOR

Why use black-and-white color?

If you add color to your heads and subheads by using a typeface with a
heavier weight, or if you perhaps set a quote or a passage or a short story
in an obviously different "color" (as in a pull quote), the page becomes more
visually appealing. If it's visually appealing, readers are more likely to stop
on a page and actually read it. And that s the point, right?

Besides making the page more inviting to read, this change in color also
helps organize the information. Below, which of the two arrangements
gives you an instant visual impression of what's going on, as opposed to
having to read the actual text to see what the organization is?

Center Alley

Center Alley worse jester
pore ladle pill hoe litt wetter
stop-murder ¡in toe heft-
cisterns. Daze worming war
furry wicket an shellfish
parsons, spatially dole stop-
murder, hoe dint lack Center
Alley an, infect, word orphan
traitor pore gull mar lichen
ammonol dinner hormone
bang.

Oily inner moaning disk
wicket oiled worming
shorted, "Center Alley, gad
otter bet an goiter wark!
Suture lacy ladle bomb!
Shaker lake!" An firm moan¬
ing tell gnat disk ratchet gull
word heifer wark lacquer

hearse toe kipper horsing washer dashes, an doe

ardor, washer heft- oily udder hoard wark.

cistern's closing, maker Nor wander pore Center

bets, gore tutor star fur Alley worse tarred an

perversions, cooker males, disgorged!

Hormone Derange

О gummier hum

warder buffer-lore rum

Enter dar enter envelopes ply,

Ware soilcd'em assured

adage cur-Itching ward

An disguise earn it clotty oil die.

Harm, hormone derange,

Warder dare enter envelopes ply,

Ware soilcd'em assured

adage cur-itching ward

An disguise earn it clotty oil die.

With this page being so
dullandgray\ it is not
instantly clear whether
there are two separate
storieSy or perhaps they
are both part of the same
one. And the page has
no contrast to attract
your eyes.

Typefaces are Caslon
Regular and Bold.

Center Alley worse jester
pore ladle gull hoe lift wetter
stop-murder an toe heft-
cisterns. Daze worming war
furry wicket an shellfish
parsons, spatially dole stop-
murder, hoc dint lack Center
Alley an, infect, word orphan
traitor pore gull mar lichen
ammonol dinner hormone
bang.

Oily inner moaning disk
wicket oiled worming
shorted, "Center Alley, gad
otter bet an goiter wark!
Suture lacy ladle bomb!
Shaker lake!" An firm moan¬
ing tell gnat disk ratchet gull
word heifer wark lacquer

hearse toe kipper horsing washer dashes, an doc

ardor, washer heft- oily udder hoard wark.

cistern's closing, maker Nor wander pore Center

bets, gore tutor star fur Alley worse tarred an

perversions, cooker males, disgorged!

Hormone Derange

О gummier hum warder buffer-lore rum
Enter dar enter envelopes ply,
Ware soilcd'em assured

adage cur-itching ward
An disguise earn it clotty oil die.
Harm, hormone derange,
Warder dare enter envelopes ply.
Ware soiled'em assured

adage cur-itching ward
An disguise earn it clotty oil die.

The "color" now does two
things: it attracts your
eyes to the page, and
makes it clear that there
are two separate stories.
Can you see what is
creating the different
"colors" of type?

Typefaces added are
variations of Eurostile.

Stories are by Howard Chace.