Web typography : a handbook for designing beautiful and effective responsive typography

Typography is what comes between the author and the reader. This is as true on the web as it is in any other medium. If a text has anything at all significant to say, it needs a typographer’s care, which will in turn be repaid by the reader’s attention. If you design websites or use CSS then you are a typographer whether you know it or not. This book is a practical guide and companion reference to all aspects of typography on the web. It deftly combines implement­ation details with typographic theory, and is ideal for designers, developers and anyone else involved in the process of creating a website. A handbook for designing beautiful and effective responsive typography. Foreword 5 How to use this book 6 Contents 10 We are all Typographers 12 Why web typography really does matter 14 Embracing the medium 17 Preparing the ground 19 Setting Type to be Read 20 How we read 22 The amazing em (and friends) 25 Designing paragraphs: line length 32 Designing paragraphs: text size 37 Designing paragraphs: line spacing 45 Alignment, justification and hyphenation 54 Responsive paragraphs 68 Typographic Detail 76 Symbols, signs and accents 78 Ligatures and abbreviations 89 Hierarchy and scale 98 Meaning and semantics 107 Numerals and tables 130 Tracking and kerning 156 Headlines and impact 163 Applying vertical rhythm 182 Arrangement and composition 188 Choosing and Using Fonts 204 How fonts render on screens 206 Practical and pragmatic considerations 214 Knowing and browsing type 220 Selecting typefaces for body text 248 Choosing typefaces for display 257 Choosing typefaces for functional text 267 Combining typefaces 273 Using web fonts 280 Building a library 296 Final Thoughts 300 Communicating your design 302 If you read nothing else, read this 305 Appen­dices 312 Glossary 314 Bibliography and further reading 325 CSS index 336 Thank you 338 We are all Typographers Why web typography really does matter Embracing the medium Preparing the ground Setting Type to be Read How we read The amazing em (and friends) Designing paragraphs: line length Designing paragraphs: text size Designing paragraphs: line spacing Alignment, justification and hyphenation Responsive paragraphs Typographic Detail Symbols, signs and accents Ligatures and abbreviations Hierarchy and scale Meaning and semantics Numerals and tables Tracking and kerning Headlines and impact Vertical rhythm Arrangement and composition Choosing and Using Fonts How fonts render on screens Practical and pragmatic considerations Knowing and browsing type Selecting typefaces for body text Selecting typefaces for display text Selecting typefaces for functional text Combining typefaces Using web fonts Building a library Final Thoughts Communicating your design If you read nothing else, read this Typography is what comes between the author and the reader. This is as true on the web as it is in any other medium. If a text has anything at all significant to say, it needs a typographer's care, which will in turn be repaid by the reader's attention. If you design websites or use CSS then you are a typographer whether you know it or not. This book is a practical guide and companion reference to all aspects of typography on the web. It deftly combines implementiation details with typographic theory, and is ideal for designers, developers and anyone else involved in the process of creating a website.