'Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works'

'Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works'


By Erik Spiekermann & E.M. Ginger

Page 37:

"Anyone looking at a printed message will be influenced, within a split second of making eye contact with the page: the arrangement of various elements as well as the individual look of each one. In other words, an overall impression is created in our minds before we even start reading the first word. It's similar to the way we respond to a person's presence before we know anything about him or her, and then later find it difficult to revise our first impression.

We read best what we read most, even if it is badly set, badly designed, and badly printed. This is not to suggest there is a substitute for good type, great design, or clean printing, but a reminder of the fact that certain images are deeply ingrained in the reader's mind. Graphic designers, typesetters, editors, printers and other communicators are well advised to be aware of the rules; at other times the rules need to be broken to get the point across. Good designers learn all the rules before they start breaking them."



Page 57:

"You know what its like. It's late at night, your plane leave at 6am, you're still packing. and you just cant decided what to put into that suitcase.

Picking typefaces for a design job is a very similar experience. There are certain typefaces you are familiar with. You know how they will behave under certain circumstances, and you know where they are. On the other hand, there are those fashionable fonts that you've always wanted to use, but you're not quite sure if this job is the right one to experiment on. This is just like choosing which shoes to take on your trip - the comfortable ones are not the height of fashion, but the fashionable ones hurt. You might be able to stand them for a short reception, but not for shopping, let alone for a hike into the countryside.

Before you pick your font suitcase, you need to look at the task ahead. Strike a balance between practicalities and aesthetics - that's what design is all about."