posted
Does anybody else find that the font and layout of a book affects their feelings about it?
As in, when a book is written in big letters in a big hardcover book with lots of empty space on the page, it feels different in tone than a little paperback book where the words are packed in close, and there's not so much blank space?
I think for me, the denser the words on the page are, the "denser" the book feels. The wider spaced the words are, the "looser" the feeling I get from the book. I've had different impressions of the same book based simply on whether I read it in paperback or hardcover.
I know it's not just my imagination--obviously, the word "SUNSHINE!" would have a dramatically different feel if it were written in two-feet tall letters of dripping blood across a brick wall--but I wonder if it has the same effect on other people it has on me.
Posts: 1894 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
As long as it is legible, I don't feel a huge difference. I recall more the sound of the words in my head than the look of them on the page, though.
And I thought this was an offer to swap. I'd gladly give you my Monotype Corsica for a copy of Magic Street.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: And I thought this was an offer to swap. I'd gladly give you my Monotype Corsica for a copy of Magic Street.
Which is set, it says, in Monotype Dante. Which I rather like, upon inspection. But I certainly wouldn't have noticed what font had been used if it weren't pointed out.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
My favourite English font for elaborate Script is Vivaldi, for normal writing Garamond and for Blocked Quotations I'd choose Monotipe Corsiva.
In Hebrew? Guttman Hodes, but not as plain text (unless in a prayer-book or something). Biblical writings in Koren's font (some super-duper version of Guttman Keren).
Posts: 2978 | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Does anybody else find that the font and layout of a book affects their feelings about it?
Oh, definetely. The letters totally change the way I imagine the situation. Different colors come to mind. Small dense writing reminds of of red, or very dark grey. If the font is big and "happy" (like Comic Sans MS) I think of purple and yellow.
Posts: 803 | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
My "book" is set in futura. It lends a definite funk, most likely because sans serifs are so rare for body text. But I like feeling funky, so I tend to ignore the preferences of my millions of readers.
(by "millions," I mean eight)
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
Yeah, just like us snobs who prefer most professionally done oil on canvas over finger paintings.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
I used to write in all different fonts, but now I write all fiction and plays in Times New Roman (12 pt.) and all screen stuff in Courier New (10 pt.) Non fiction information is in Trebuchet (10 pt.).
It just feels right to me...like it's reduction to the basics- almost as if the words themselves aren't there at all, only the information they convey.
EDIT: Or Snob and Slob and Snub. (Say that three times fast!)
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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