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InDesign Type: Professional Typography with Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is the world’s premier page-layout tool, and its user-friendly yet sophisticated typographic controls are a big reason why. This updated edition of Nigel French’s InDesign Type, the first book to focus exclusively on the typographic features of InDesign, provides a comprehensive overview of the application’s vast array of type capabilities, from the basics of character-level formatting to strategies for designing complex layouts using grids. With practical examples, loads of tips, and a wealth of illustrations, InDesign Type offers guiding principles for how to get the best-looking type in the most efficient way possible. InDesign Type is a rich resource for anyone who wants to master the fine points of typography and works with Adobe InDesign.
277 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 21, 2016
Only a book design nerd would read this for pleasure (ok, I did), but it's a fantastic reference to InDesign. I'm keeping it close!
November 30, 2021
This book is a really thorough overview of everything a designer could want to know about InDesign, from setting up a document to customizing columns, grids, and other design tools. It is definitely advanced/technical, so I agree with the other reviewer that it can be a bit much to wade through at first. I had it assigned for a class, and for me, it worked better to reread sections after they were covered in class--the material made more sense in review than they did as an introduction to the tools. Because of that, I'd recommend either keeping a file open and practicing the steps as the book describes them, or saving this book for a reference guide after taking a class or watching some tutorials on InDesign. As a reference guide, though, this is a fantastic resource and I expect to refer back to it frequently.
July 21, 2014
Depending on your needs this could be the best thing since sliced bread for not only using InDesign, but understanding the accepted techniques for layouts and fonts. It's an excellent reference book with a very useful index. You want to know about drop caps? Widows and orphans? Line spacing? It's all there. You can learn about the actual construction of a letter and how it affects the look of text on a page. It's all very interesting and useful.
However, if you picked this book up in the hopes it would lead you from Step A to Step Z on setting up templates, Master Pages, when to start a new book and how to add your manuscript to it, etc., then you'll be disappointed. Mr. French's book is more of a style book than a blow by blow how-to book. I think it's a must-have since much of what is contained in its pages are necessary for making a book manuscript look its best, but its purpose isn't to tell you specifically how to set up your novel in InDesign.
While I didn't particularly love Thomas M. Hill's "How to Design a Book Using Adobe InDesign", it will give you the steps needed to get the basics done. I would take almost all of his actual "design" choices with a huge grain of salt and instead look to Nigel French's book for that information. Even there, you'll want to use your own eyes to make some final decisions. I initially set my line spacing up exactly as the accepted rules suggest, and the person assisting me pointed out that it just made the text look too dense and tiring to read. Adding just a little more space between the lines opened it up and made for a more attractive layout. So use the book, certainly, but don't ignore your own common sense, and don't hesitate to have a friend look at it and make suggestions as a reader.
On a final note, there is a newer edition out. I do not know how it differs, however, odds are you'll want to pick that one up in order to have the latest and greatest at your fingertips. If you find this one at a great price, though, do not hesitate to grab it as most likely it will serve you admirably.
However, if you picked this book up in the hopes it would lead you from Step A to Step Z on setting up templates, Master Pages, when to start a new book and how to add your manuscript to it, etc., then you'll be disappointed. Mr. French's book is more of a style book than a blow by blow how-to book. I think it's a must-have since much of what is contained in its pages are necessary for making a book manuscript look its best, but its purpose isn't to tell you specifically how to set up your novel in InDesign.
While I didn't particularly love Thomas M. Hill's "How to Design a Book Using Adobe InDesign", it will give you the steps needed to get the basics done. I would take almost all of his actual "design" choices with a huge grain of salt and instead look to Nigel French's book for that information. Even there, you'll want to use your own eyes to make some final decisions. I initially set my line spacing up exactly as the accepted rules suggest, and the person assisting me pointed out that it just made the text look too dense and tiring to read. Adding just a little more space between the lines opened it up and made for a more attractive layout. So use the book, certainly, but don't ignore your own common sense, and don't hesitate to have a friend look at it and make suggestions as a reader.
On a final note, there is a newer edition out. I do not know how it differs, however, odds are you'll want to pick that one up in order to have the latest and greatest at your fingertips. If you find this one at a great price, though, do not hesitate to grab it as most likely it will serve you admirably.
November 15, 2012
First of all, this isn't a bad book. It's informative, and has plenty of examples to help walk you through InDesign. My problems with the book stem from the way I learn, especially when learning things on the computer.
I'm a visual learner, so reading how-to from a book didn't quite cut it. The assumption the writer has is that the reader is already familiar with the basics of design and typography. Having been assigned this book for a beginning software class, my classmates and I did not fall into this category.
I found that I learned how to use InDesign better and faster by looking up tutorials on YouTube. This book was helpful AFTER I'd already learned the basics by watching YouTube, and wanted a refresher or to look something up quickly (instead of sitting through several minutes of chatter). In the hindsight sense, it's a great tool, but is far to technical for someone completely new to the design world. On the other hand, someone who already has experience might find this book to be a great help.
I'm a visual learner, so reading how-to from a book didn't quite cut it. The assumption the writer has is that the reader is already familiar with the basics of design and typography. Having been assigned this book for a beginning software class, my classmates and I did not fall into this category.
I found that I learned how to use InDesign better and faster by looking up tutorials on YouTube. This book was helpful AFTER I'd already learned the basics by watching YouTube, and wanted a refresher or to look something up quickly (instead of sitting through several minutes of chatter). In the hindsight sense, it's a great tool, but is far to technical for someone completely new to the design world. On the other hand, someone who already has experience might find this book to be a great help.
May 25, 2014
This book is a detailed introduction to the major concepts of typography within the framework of InDesign. As a new user of the software, I found this book invaluable, as it focuses on the topics of font selection and text layout and relates these subjects to the specific functionality and menus of the program. I will come back to this book as a reference as I learn InDesign. Very thoughtful and understandable.
March 13, 2013
Very useful and userfriendly book. Highly reconmended for working with and finetuning type using InDesign. Lots of good advice, tips and even "tricks".
September 23, 2017
A very useful guide to InDesign, with tips on both good design and best practices in the use of the software.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews