There are tons of resources you can use to learn about working with type in InDesign. Hundreds of posts here at InDesignSecrets. Dozens of InType articles in InDesign Magazine. And more videos on Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning than you could probably watch in a year.
So why, in 2018, would you need a printed book, like Nigel French’s brand new InDesign Type (4th Edition)? Simply because when it comes to working with type in InDesign, this is it. This is the authoritative resource. Over the course of 350 pages, you get the grand tour of type in InDesign, from one of the best instructors on the planet. Every essential topic is covered in detail, and in the context of real world production for print and screen. And Nigel’s writing style is clear, concise, and approachable. How do I know all this? Because I’ve read every single word of it. I was fortunate enough to be the technical editor for this book. This means a) I got to read it before anyone else, and b) I got to nitpick the geekiest of details like when exactly is International Apostrophe Day? (It’s the 3rd Friday in August and don’t let anyone tell ya different!).
The other reason I think every serious InDesign user should have a copy of this book (no, I don’t get royalties), is something that John McWade wrote, called Why I Still Love Paper:
“The reason I read a paper magazine or book is for the time it gives me — for the space to think, reflect, pause, return, re-read, and so on until what’s on the page has morphed from an idea to something deeper.
Online, and even on a tablet, is a different experience. There’s a light in my face. There’s an urgency. It has no closure; there’s always another click, an eternal, forever, world-without-end-amen stream of data rushing, flowing, pounding, demanding, agitating.
Paper gets me away from that…”
So true. If you really want to go 100% in on a topic like type in InDesign, you have to give it your full attention. No emails or tweets. No alerts or notifications. No likes or comments. Just read the whole darn thing and let it settle into your brain. We’ll still be here any time you want to jump back into the flow.
And I’m sure if you wanted to have a cup of tea whilst reading InDesign Type, Nigel would approve.
Here’s the Table of Contents:
- Chapter 1: About Type
- Chapter 2: Type on the Page
- Chapter 3: Type Choices
- Chapter 4: Screen Typography
- Chapter 5: Leading
- Chapter 6: Alignment
- Chapter 7: Letterspacing, Tracking, and Kerning
- Chapter 8: Small (but Important) Details
- Chapter 9: Paragraph Indents and Spacing
- Chapter 10: Breaking (and Not Breaking)
- Chapter 11: Tables
- Chapter 12: Bullet and Number Lists
- Chapter 13: Drop Caps
- Chapter 14: Combine Typefaces
- Chapter 15: Styles
- Chapter 16: Type and Image
- Chapter 17: Page Geometry, Grids, and White Space
- Appendix: Type Checklist
You can buy it today and support InDesignSecrets from this Amazon.com link.
This article was last modified on June 24, 2020
This article was first published on July 26, 2018
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
