Web Designer's Guide to Typography [Paperback]

Michael Leary (Author), Daniel Hale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1997

Web designers have long had to choose between attractive fonts and a long load time or jagged, plain fonts and speed. Not anymore. Emerging technologies such as Open Type and style sheets are finally opening up the world of typography to Web designers. This timely guide offers both technical information and design advice for Web designers looking to improve the typography on their Web sites.
-- Special coverage of choosing the best fonts for cross-platform display
-- Provides advice on advanced typography issues such as kerning and leading
-- CD-ROM includes fonts optimized for the Web, style sheets, color palettes, and sample Web pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Today's new Web designers are learning what novice desktop publishers learned years ago--the nuances of type matter! They can pull readers into a page or chase them away. And good typography is even more challenging on the Web than it is on paper. Michael Leary, Daniel Hale, and Andrew Devigal show how to beat that challenge and make a page both typographically exciting and inviting. You'll learn the principles, the terms, the tricks of the trade, including how to tell good typefaces from bad--even the basics of designing a font of your own.

From the Publisher

Web designers have long had to choose between attractive fonts and a long load time or jagged, plain fonts and speed. Not anymore. Emerging technologies such as OpenType and style sheets are finally opening up the world of typography to Web designers. This timely guide offers both technical information and design advice for Web designers looking to improve the typography on their Web sites. - Special coverage of choosing the best fonts for cross-platform display

- Provides advice on advanced typography issues such as kerning and leading

Product Details

• Paperback: 370 pages
• Publisher: Hayden Books; illustrated edition edition (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568303378
• ISBN-13: 978-1568303376
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,793,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Too heavy on the tech stuff, July 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Web Designer's Guide to Typography (Paperback)

An excellent book on beginning typography in general and typography using style sheets specifically. More comprehensive explanations of the use of type and less on the design would have been in order - The average Web designer won't be interested in creating his own font but definitely needs to know how use fonts correctly. All the advocates of graphics intensive (weighty!!) Web pages will definitely be surprised at how a page with few graphics but excellent use of type can be just as visually pleasing. If you don't have a degree in Graphic Design or wouldn't know PhotoShop from the Home Shopping Network, this book is definitely for you

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of *the* books every web designer needs, December 21, 2004

By 

M. Bhangal "S" (Somewhere in Northern England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Web Designer's Guide to Typography (Paperback)

I've had this book on my desk since it was first published (1997), and assumed it was actually out of print until I was looking for an updated version on Amazon (there isn't one - perhaps because there is no need - the first edition simply covers everything!).

Upon finding the same edition I use still in print, I just had to write a review, because put simply, this is one of the definitive books that every web designer needs to have.

The book is The place to go if you want to know about web typography (including the fonts and the terminology/theory behind them, the CSS/HTML associated with text, using fonts as bitmaps, and altering fonts in Fontographer). Nothing else in print even comes close - most other books either have a short section on typography, or (even worse) simply finger point to designs that show good typography.

This book is different, because it talks only about web typography, and also goes into some depth about the theory behind using type and text in web design.

Minor niggle that may apply to some... the CSS section is a little outdated. For me, this isn't an issue because the CSS section is actually an introductory text, so it doesn't affect the book usefulness.

Finally, as a designer and author myself (I have worked on or written 20 books on web design, including a previous 'Amazon Computer book of the year' winner), it is obvious that this book was written by an author team that took their time and focused on what actually needs to go into a definitive textbook/reference on web typography. There are no rushed or brief sections in the entire book, and the book simply exudes quality.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great place to start as a web designer!!!, October 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Web Designer's Guide to Typography (Paperback)

This book is both comprehensive and understandable in relating both the importance of typography in web communication and using type/fonts correctly in composing a web site. It gives clear and insightful information about the design and use of typography in some of today's most widely used software. I enjoyed it very much as well as finding it very useful in designing my web pages.