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Thread: Type Fail

  1. #1
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    Default Type Fail

    Sherman Alexi is an "A List" author and Little Brown & Company is a major book publisher.

    There is simply no excuse for this.

    Mike W and OG will get this immediately. Anybody else see what is wrong here?

    By the way, I love the exaggerated character spacing. It is very elegant and used effectively on all the chapter headings.
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    Last edited by gwpriester; 27 August 2017 at 11:40 PM.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Type Fail

    Yes, the use of kerning/tracking while also using ligatures (fi).

  3. #3
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  4. #4

    Default Re: Type Fail

    Yep, whoever set the book should have shut off ligs in titles (at least). (I hate that it is on by default in layout applications even though that is proper in the tag registry.)

    One would have had to excessively positive kern that small cap 'E' away from the 'W' to get that. Well, unless that font has zero kerning and/or the drop caps were never part of the kerning. Or heck, maybe they used a frame for the drop cap.

    First, it's hard to imagine the book was set in-house unless done by a new-hire and there was zero over-sight & proof reading. Or that it was handled by a non A-list contractor and there was zero over-sight & proof reading. And it's hard to imagine the author didn't object, or, perhaps he only cared about the paycheck.

    Thanks for this, Gary.
    Last edited by mwenz; 28 August 2017 at 12:08 AM.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Type Fail

    It's hard to believe that so many mistakes only in this example are possible.
    In my education as a typesetter I learned never space lower or sentence case letters. The kerning in the ligature is a thorn in the eye.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Type Fail

    Yup. In the title "Nonfiction" there is a lot of tracking between letters but there's this inconsistent use of a lig on the "f" & "i" but NOT not on the "t" & "i". WTH?!

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Type Fail

    Quote Originally Posted by ernie-f View Post
    The kerning in the ligature is a thorn in the eye.
    Gotta LOVE it!

    Mark

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Type Fail

    In my education as a typesetter I learned never space lower or sentence case letters.
    Actually I remember this kind of exaggerated letter spacing in the mid 1980s when I was working in adverting. It has a certain elegance that I am comfortable with. It's just the art director, and the various levels of editing did not catch this. Reminds me of my wife's first ad she did for Sea World. They had used filled text (oris dolor lorem cupidatat velit voluptate. In labore) that was to later be replaced with the approved subhead. Except the ad ran with the filler text. It was Mary's first job as an advertising copywriter. But since she owned up to the mistake (no one else would accept responsibility) she got a small lecture from the creative director and a small bonus.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Type Fail

    Actually I remember this kind of exaggerated letter spacing in the mid 1980s when I was working in adverting. It has a certain elegance that I am comfortable with.
    No rule without exception!
    In an editorial design, advertising/seles promotion or a bookcover this can be maybe an eyecatcher. But inside a book? This is a typographic no go!

    Typography has developed over centuries. I find that rules which are useful should also be used in the sense of readability. This is also the meaning of typography.

  10. #10

    Default Re: Type Fail

    Nah, the spacing on the chap start is fine if they had disabled ligs in the style. It is a common technique.

 

 

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