The best general book on production typography we have seen

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Product Description

It's no mystery why InDesign has become the premier page layout program: It offers great tools-not least among them its sophisticated typographic controls. Here to show you how to take advantage of them is the first book devoted solely to that topic. Whether you're a graphics pros migrating from InDesign's long-entrenched competitor QuarkXPress or a hobbyists producing fancy invites and book-length projects, you'll appreciate this guide's finely tuned focus on everything typographic. Realizing that to take full advantage of InDesign's typographic tools, you must understand the principles guiding their use, author Nigel French addresses both the whys and the hows of good typography. Using practical examples, and loads of tips, Nigel provides a comprehensive overview of all of InDesign's type features, including the Paragraph Composer, optical kerning, and its support for OpenType fonts. Starting with character formats and then moving through paragraph formats, styles and effects, and layouts, you'll have gained all the skills they need to produce beautiful type by the end of the volume.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #209774 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 280 pages

About the Author
Graphics pro Nigel French currently works as a consultant for IPC Media in London. In addition, he has taught graphic design at several Bay Area colleges and is the author of one previous book, PageMaker 6.5 for Windows Bible (IDG).

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Customer Reviews

InDesign Type (Best new book on how to handle type like a pro)
I am a recent graduate from a design school, and I am constantly reading design books and books on how to navigate through software applications. I've read several InDesign books on how to use the entire program, however if you are looking to really learn how to control type rather than have a program control you and what you do with your type, buy this book. It is 262 pages of just handling pure typography, from formatting with paragraph and character styles to all the different techniques on how to cope with troublesome type that your typography teachers never told you about (this includes nonbreaking spaces, discretionary hyphens, several ways to hang puctuation, breaking columns and pages, how to make your drop caps look delicious, kerning, leading, tracking, traditional typography rules and when to break them, rules in paragraph formatting and how to make them look great, and so much more I can't begin to elaborate on). I really enjoy design, but most of all I love typography and I strongly feel that this book will be of great value to anyone who wants to improve on how they set type regardless if you are a student or a professional. Again it is definitely worth it's price and is an amazing book for any designer.

STUNNING.
I bought this book thinking that it would be a simple guide to the typographical controls within InDesign CS2. It IS that, certainly enough, but it surprised me no end by being one of the best books I have (and I have a LOT) on thinking with type, using type correctly, and how to be a better designer through type usage. Even if you DON'T have InDesign, there is a tremendous amount of knowledge to be assimilated here on the finer points of good typography. An excellent resource, worth twice its price.

Way more than just another InDesign book
I give this book five stars because:

1. Specific Focus
As a writer, editor, and reader of many graphic arts technology books I have to admit I'm weary of most of the monolithic, 1,000+ page volumes that try to cover everything under the sun. These books are important to the industry as they serve as important reference resources, but most folks don't sit down and actually read those books. On the other hand, lots of designers can spend a few afternoons reading a small and focused book like this.

2. Not Just About Software
This book is definitely about setting type with InDesign, but it's much more than a software book. I'd say this book is mostly about typography and the remainder is how to achieve that with software. It's a lot of why with a bit of how instead of a lot of how with a bit of why.

3. History and Craft
It's helpful for a designer to be historically versed in their craft, especially when it comes to typography. It's not a history book, but Nigel does a good job of explaining the context, purpose, techniques of good type. Good type is a true craft that is simultaneously readable, beautiful, and invisible.