Judge a Book by Its Typefaces

A Review of SI Wicklen’s The Typography of Index (Originally published in The Indexer Vol 1 No 2 September 1958)

When people say we should not judge a book by its cover, they are ignoring an essential part of the process of “making” that book. This is besides the fact that we are insulting the designer too! Briefly, design is as important as the contents of the book; so we might as well argue that a lot is in just the cover! Among the several elements of design and in visual design theory, typography always takes the centrestage. 

According to the Armenian design agency, Rainforest, typography is the art of arranging written letters into visually appealing, legible text. The word is derived from the Greek words typos meaning  form and graphein, which means to write. This art is also about choosing the right fonts and typefaces. When it is done right, there is a strong visual appeal. Good typography offers  balance and structure, directs the readers and accentuates both the readability as well as accessibility.

In The Typography of Indexes, SI Wicklens argues that one of the important areas in publishing in general and indexing in specific is typography but that it has received the least attention. To make matters worse, he writes that even experienced indexers are seemingly oblivious of this importance. As the saying goes, a design can make or mar your whole presentation. In the article, Wicklens makes a valid point on how typography is ‘worthy of the attention of the indexer’.

In design theory, one universal objective of design is to make a product user friendly and accessible. Some observers justify that this is a factor why Apple products, from iPhones to Macbooks, are so popular amongst the public. In the context of an index, the user-friendliness lies in how easily readers can refer to the presentation and information. The writer points out again that on many occasions, skilled indexers would carefully compile an index, only to be found ‘inadequate’ when it is printed. He does mention that it is sometimes difficult to define the problem, yet often this inadequacy arises from a poor typographical presentation.

In a nutshell, typography, as stated already, improves readability and accessibility, and in turn enhances the reading experience. 

On the other hand, this article has some serious drawbacks. For instance, the use of technology is completely missing. In the Nineties, desktop publishing went through a revolution because of the introduction of personal computers and desktop publishing software. Nowadays, we also have access to many design software programs that not only make the work easier but also give us more options in terms of typography and design in our context. In this sense, it is now far easier to lay out an entire book. Wilken has put forth his arguments when the most accessible tool was a typewriter, which we know is so obsolete. Albeit it is understandable because this article was originally written in 1958.

In the article, Wilken has also paid a lot of attention to the rules of indexing. For instance, he takes a recommendation from Oliver Simon, who said: 

‘An index of two or more columns is to be preferred, set in type two points smaller than the text of the book. Begin each letter of the alphabet with even small capitals if an initial letter is not specified. Print page numbers immediately after the last word, with a comma before the figures. Divide columns by white space and not a rule.’

Wilken justifies this comment makes sense because this gives both physical and psychological benefits. He writes: ‘Our aim as indexers must be to split up these masses of words and give the printed page some resemblance of order by means of type-arrangement, in other words plan the index-page for easy reading. This can be achieved in some measure by splitting the page into columns’.

Further, he says that one of the advantages of this kind of planning and layout is the amount of white space, which makes a page clean, easy to navigate and more organised. He added that the same rules can be applied to all kinds of indices, from a general index to a subject index.  

Wilken points out that the main objective of an indexer is to accentuate the ease of reference. He explains we can do it ‘by judicious selection of typesizes and typefaces with an assortment and range of type styles, i.e. by setting in roman, italic, bold, etc.’ regardless of the book is whether it is ‘a straight-forward historical narrative or a complicated work on science with numerous cross-references’. This will, in turn, enhance the legibility of the text as well.

All said and done, Wilken focuses on the selection of typefaces. He cites the examples of Times New Roman and Bembo typefaces and how these can be sized and presented. He added: ‘A typeface such as Times New Roman may have a large x-height, this will have the effect of appearing very large and prominent if used in an index.’ He concludes by stating the importance of typography that can make or break a design. This will also benefit all the stakeholders, which in this context are the indexer, the printer as well as the readers.

Beauty, people say, is only skin deep. Perhaps it applies to many things in our environment. Yet, when we talk about design and typography, it is the first objective we must strive for and it goes well beyond the superficial level as we have seen in Wilken’s explanation. John Keats succinctly captures this mood in his poem, Endymion: ‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:/Its loveliness increases; it will never/ Pass into nothingness’.