donny nguyen.
donny nguyen.
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#robert bringhurst


the elements of typographic style

so i’ve been reading elements of typographic style by robert bringhurst. it’s quite technical and thorough and i’m really enjoying it. honestly i wasn’t sure if i should get it when i first came upon it in the bookstore but the endorsement in armin vit and bryony gomez-palacio’s book, graphic design referenced, along with a strong recommendation from a friend convinced me. check it out if you’ve any interest in typography.

i’m not completely through it but i came across a line that gives me hope for print. i love printed posters, illustration, design, etc. and it seems like there’s this huge forecasting of the death of print. in the case of wall hangings, it doesn’t make sense to me since people seem to love to have nice art on their walls but they say it’s too expensive. get a nice print! i think it’s great that there’s a contingent of people out there keeping it alive, especially since i feel like i’m joining the party (uninvited?) so late.
bringhurst’s words were:
“because the Web, like the subway, is not a destination. Printing is still what type is for.”
what’s funny / ironic to me is that this is the exact punctuation on the page (209). although, the text before this is:
“Now that type is principally a digital commodity, printed type specimens are quickly disappearing. Yet they remain an invaluable resource. because the Web, …”
perhaps the original quotation is not a complete thought then. either way, the grammatical error might’ve made this stand out but i like the statement. i should say that i don’t completely agree with his sentiment though. i’m sure many people would love to see proper typography on more, if not all, websites (which i do see as digital analogues to printed matter – the web is merely the ether) but i do like the encouragement to keep on printing. i would guess that because of the inaccessibility to use nice type and apply one’s preferences in support of it, bringhurst believed this to be true at the time he wrote this. maybe he still does. even apple still haven’t fully gotten type right (exhibit a) and maybe that’s a good thing.