The Art & Practice of Typography / A Manual of American Printing, Including a Brief History up to the Twentieth Century, with Reproductions of the Work of Early Masters of the Craft, and a Practical Discussion and an Extensive Demonstration of the Modern Use of Type-faces and Methods of Arrangement

by Edmund G. Gress

CATALOGS

Ruskin, enumerating three branches of architectural virtue, requires of a building (1) that it act well, and do the things it was intended to do, in the best way; (2) that it speak well, and say the things it was intended to say, in the best words; (3) that it look well, and please us by its presence, whatever it has to do or say.

These three requirements, like many others that are important in the eyes of the architect, can be applied to the illustrated catalog, which most printers at one time or another are called upon to produce:

(1) The catalog should act well; it should be constructed in a manner fitting the purpose for which it is issued. If, say, it contains a list of plumbers’ supplies, it should be bound in strong stock of a color that will not easily soil. If it contains a list of jewelry and is for retail purposes, it could be bound delicately in light stock.

(2) The catalog should speak well; the illustrations should be faithful presentations of the articles to be sold, and the descriptive matter should be well written, accurate and informative.

(3) The catalog should look well; the type-faces, paper, ink, binding and other elements should be harmonious; the illustrations and descriptive matter should be arranged with regard to balance and proportion, and the treatment as a whole should be pleasing and interesting.

There was a time when catalogs were printed without attention to these things, or if the first two requirements were complied with the third was ignored. It will necessitate no effort for the reader to recall the days when merchants had no orderly plans for displaying their wares—when the average storeroom and window looked like a curiosity shop. Those were the days when the catalog was a heterogeneous collection of woodcuts and type-faces, packed on the pages to the very edge of the paper.

Now many show windows and salesrooms are delights to the eye, and similar care and taste are shown in the printing of the catalog.

EXAMPLE 177
Architectural title treatment by Will Dwiggins. The lettering contains typographical suggestions

The catalog is a portable showcase and from it the customer makes selection, often without seeing the article itself. These facts make it essential that goods be displayed invitingly and in good taste. An article well displayed requires few words to sell it.

Place a girl of plain features, but handsomely dressed, in the midst of beautiful colors and lights, and a dozen millionaires will want to marry her—an extreme illustration of the power of attractive display, emphasizing the necessity of “playing up” the ordinary to create the desire of possession. It is possible, also, to accomplish this purpose by different methods. It is told of Josephine that, wishing to gain the admiration of Napoleon, she appeared at a reception in a gown of pure white, without ornament. The contrast of her simple dress with the elaborate costumes of the other women and with the elegant furnishings of the room was such as to draw compliments from the emperor. It should be remembered, however, especially by the typographer, that mere plainness of dress did not win Josephine her triumph, but that artistic simplicity did. A block of marble rough-hewn from the quarry is plain, but, carved into statuary by a Rodin, is far more than that.

This point is worthy of meditation by all who wish to produce the effective and attractive catalog.

Efforts have been made to standardize the dimensions of catalogs; it would be well for printers and others to assist in accomplishing this purpose. A committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, after investigating the sizes of catalogs in common use, recommended that the standard size of catalogs be six by nine inches. The recommendation was also made that the size of bulletins and large catalogs be eight and a half by eleven inches.

Other suggestions by the committee were: Paper-covered catalogs intended to be permanently filed should be trimmed to exact size, cover and all, barring deckle edges. Overlapping covers are favored only when the covers are stiff enough to support the catalog’s weight when standing on edge. Titles should be printed on the exposed backs of the catalogs, reading from top downward. The date of publication should appear on the title-page. An index card of standard size (three by five inches), containing the title and character of the contents, should be inclosed in every catalog.

EXAMPLE 178

EXAMPLE 179
Facing pages that show effective results obtained in a simple way. The plain, legible typography ably supports the strong illustration and attractive border treatment. By the Matthews-Northrup Works, Buffalo, N. Y.

Before proceeding with the composition of a catalog the printer should insist that the copy be legible, orderly prepared, and all points settled as to type-face, headings and position of illustrations. A dummy page should be planned and set up, and it should be studied and discussed by customer and printer before work is begun on the catalog as a whole.

If the catalog is to be elaborately treated, all drawings should be approved and plates made before the type work is commenced. If the printer is assisting in the general preparation of the catalog, he should keep before the customer the fact that decoration is merely supplemental, and should urge first attention to the type matter and illustrations.

Example [175].—This catalog is one of those productions which in style so closely express the personality of an individual that they are not a direct help in teaching typography or catalog planning to others. Most typographers must proceed according to defined requirements and plan their work with regard to set styles. Mr. Cleland and a few other typographic artists in this country carry out their ideas without the assistance of an advisory board. The average typographer or artist, on the other hand, must not only incorporate the suggestions of half a dozen persons, but must submit to the deletion of most of the little things that to his way of thinking give his work character and make it worth while—the penalty of being merely an average typographer. Mr. Cleland is a student of the best printing of past centuries, and his refined taste and wonderful skill with the pen enable him to produce effects that would be envied by the master printers of old.

On this page he has used Bodoni Book, slightly spacing the capital letters and grouping the matter so that it dominates the blank space in the lower portion of the page.

The cartouche, or panel, as here used for the car name was in favor in Bodoni’s day, a hundred or more years ago. The horizontal position of the illustration adds to the pleasure in examining the catalog, for when an illustration runs the long way of such a page the necessary turning of the book is an annoyance.

Example [176].—Brass rules are seldom well applied in typographic work, but when they are, as in this instance, the results are pleasing. This page, because of its tabular nature, was doubtlessly difficult to arrange, and every compositor, appreciating that fact, will admire what Mr. Cleland has accomplished. It should be noticed that words of roman capitals have in every instance been letterspaced, while those in lower-case have not. This treatment gives effects that are unusual and well liked by persons of good taste.

Example [177].—This shows the cover of a catalog of plays. Will Dwiggins in his usual clever manner has made a design full of character, human in the absence of the mechanical. The lettering contains suggestions for effects that could be approximated with some well-designed type-face. It will probably be well to warn against the careless use of typographic ornaments in any attempts that may be made to imitate the effect of this decorative border. Architectural designs formed with the average printshop material seldom look well. Simple rule effects would be better.

EXAMPLE 180

EXAMPLE 181
Inside page and cover of a publication catalog designed by D. B. Updike. The typographic treatment of these two pages is suitable and pleasing. The cover stock was green-gray of a rough antique finish

Examples [178] and [179].—In many catalogs a page illustration is faced with a page of reading matter describing it. In this instance the descriptive matter is small in amount and for that reason presented a problem in typography. The printer, however, solved the difficulty by using a type-face fairly large in size, but of good design, and placing the group in the upper part of the page aligned with the top of the illustration. It is well to keep in mind that in booklets, catalogs and similar work good results are frequently obtained by aligning all pages at the head. The effectiveness of these two pages is helped also by the fact that a red border surrounds each page and the halftone has a dark background.

Example [180].—There is evidence in this specimen that it is possible to obtain variety and interest by simple means. The italic, especially with the decorative quality found in swash letters, is a factor, and the rule at the head, with bits of decoration at the ends, also helps. It will be noticed that no leaders have been used; their omission is sometimes advisable, at other times not. An antique-finished white paper is best for old-style effects such as this.

Example [181].—This cover-page has been built on the small illustration. From the old fireplace the view of the room fades into the paper stock. After the border line is extended from the drawing, there remains a large amount of blank space, on which the title, in a well-balanced position, is arranged in type. The address neatly fitted in the space at the foot finishes the design at that point.

EXAMPLE 182
German poster type on a grocery catalog with characteristic block grouping

EXAMPLE 183

EXAMPLE 184
Typographic arrangement of the title-page and one of the inside pages of a museum catalog. The proportions of this type-face blend harmoniously with the dimensions of the page. Example [184] shows some details of catalog composition

EXAMPLE 185
Rules add a decorative quality to this book catalog. By J. H. Nash

Example [182].—Modern German typographical ideas have found expression in this grocery-catalog page. The lettering is type, the black tone and decorative form of which were probably inspired by strong lettering designed for poster purposes. Rules seem to have a place in the building of modern German art effects, as will be seen by this design. Bold type as used here is possibly unnecessarily forceful, but when color is to be shown in its true values it is desirable. Color never shows to advantage in thin lines, while broad lines bring out the color qualities of the ink. This is why colored inks printed from light-faced types seem to lack the brilliancy of the prints from flat-surfaced plates in ink-makers’ sample books.

Examples [183] and [184].—Every printer at some time is called on to produce catalogs in which books or other published articles are listed and priced, and on such occasions wishes to see what “the other fellow” has done in this line. For this reason the two pages are of interest. They show a title-page and a representative inside page from a catalog issued by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The type-face is of the class usually designated as French Oldstyle, and its proportions blend harmoniously with the dimensions of the page. The distribution of blank space on the title is pleasing; the type lines are so grouped as to secure value from the background of white. In Example [184] the heads and subheads are pleasingly contrasted by the use of capitals in some cases and small capitals in others. Each item is grouped, and the technical details are kept orderly by being placed in a line with the price. No period is used after the item number.

EXAMPLE 186
An automobile catalog page in which the type matter was prominently treated. The original page (about twice this size) was printed in dark-gray and orange inks on white antique paper. By the Robert L. Stillson Company, New York

EXAMPLE 187
Unusual treatment of an automobile catalog page. The original was more than twice this size. The matter is liberally supplied with headings, the arrangement in the panel at the left taking care of most of them. By the Cadillac Printing Company, Detroit, Mich.

EXAMPLE 188
Page in reduced size from a wine list designed by T. M. Cleland for the Oswald Press. Interesting use of rules in tabular style

Example [185].—Scotch Roman type is used to excellent advantage in this book-catalog page. The title in each case is in large capitals, the sub-title and the name of the author are in smaller capitals, the explanatory matter in roman lower-case and the technical details in small italic. It will be seen that the advertising points have been carefully considered. A rule border and two ornaments add decorative quality. The closeness of the border to the type matter merges it with the page in an attractive manner. As in this case, decorative treatment should be a part of the general design and not something separate.

Example [186].—On automobile catalogs typography seldom receives the attention it deserves. Illustration and decoration are given great attention, and what type matter is used seems to be like a guest invited at the eleventh hour. However, this example is from a catalog in which type acts an important part. In its original form this page was about twice the size of the reproduction and was printed in dark gray and orange on white antique paper. It will be seen that beginning with a colored initial the reader can without effort or eyestrain read the descriptive matter, which is followed by technical details in smaller type and a line illustration of the car. Scotch Roman was used, and it was not found necessary to introduce italic.

Example [187].—The treatment of this page is uncommon for catalog purposes. A Goudy type-face was printed in dark brown (border rules in light brown) on an Italian hand-made paper. The size was more than twice that shown here. Sub-headings have all been grouped in the panel at the left, each so placed as to be opposite the paragraph to which it belongs. The effect was one of richness and suggestive of quality. Illustrations of the cars were of page size printed by the gravure process.

Example [188].—Few printers would use rules in tabular form for a high-class wine list; tabular work is supposed to offer no opportunity for art expression. We know of the stone rejected by the builder which became the headstone of the corner. We have also heard of Michelangelo carving a masterpiece from an ill-shaped block of stone that had been discarded by other sculptors. Mr. Cleland did an equally interesting thing when he selected rules to give decorative quality to this wine list, supplementing characteristically drawn head- and tail-pieces. Caslon Oldstyle was used and the paper was hand-made. A pleasing effect was obtained by letterspacing the capitals in the headings.

EXAMPLE 189
German treatment of a wine list, showing neat typography and attractive decoration

Example [189].—We usually expect strong, masculine effects from German typographers and decorators, and when we come across a wine list as dainty as this one we are surprised and pleased. There is remarkable harmony of type-face, decoration and illustration. The type-face is uncommonly legible for so ornamental a letter, and the light decorative lines of the illustration and border reflect the qualities of the type-face. In the original there was an additional border around the one here shown, and it was printed in a very light gray-brown tint. The tint also appeared in parts of the illustration.

EXAMPLE 190

EXAMPLE 191
Title-page of a catalog of exhibits, and a page showing the use of capitals and italic for the descriptions. By D. B. Updike

Examples [190] and [191].—These pages are from an exhibition catalog. D. B. Updike is responsible for the typography, hence the pages afford an interesting study. The catalog is printed in four sizes of type, altho a cursory view of the pages would lead to the impression that a less number is used. There are three sizes of capitals and one size of italic. A fact that makes the catalog unique is the absence of roman lower-case. It is difficult to visualize an eighty-two-page book without roman lower-case, but here is one. The title-page (Example [190]) is composed in three closely related sizes of capitals, corresponding to the sizes used on the inner pages. The important words, “Catalogue,” “Memorial Exhibition” and “Augustus Saint-Gaudens,” are set a size larger than the minor words “of a” and “of the works of,” altho the difference is but a point. The small woodcut is an appropriate accompaniment of the classic style of the type composition, and the harmony is further enhanced by printing in a clear black ink on thin white antique paper. Example [191] shows a page from the body of the catalog, the features of which are worth noting. All lines excepting the exhibit number are set flush at the left, and the paragraphs or groups are separated by space. The title of the exhibit is set in the larger capitals, the descriptive matter in italic lower-case, and quoted words in the smaller capitals. Punctuation at the ends of lines is sometimes omitted and sometimes used. The rule adopted by modern typographers—to omit punctuation points at the ends of display lines—leads to nice distinctions when a page such as this one is to be treated. As a help in deciding on proper marginal distribution on work of this sort, it is well to mention that the size of the leaf of this catalog was 4¾ × 7¾ inches, the type pages measuring 2⅝ × 5½ inches or less, the type pages not being of regular length. The margin at the head was ⅝ inch; at the binding edge, ⅞ inch; at the outer edge, 1¼ inches; at the foot, 1⅝ inches or more.

EXAMPLE 192
Interesting page from a sewing-machine catalog. By Matthews-Northrup Works, Buffalo, N. Y.

Example [192].—This shows a page from a catalog of sewing machines and sewing-machine parts. The workings of the machine were pictured in such a realistic manner that the effect was almost equivalent to a demonstration on the machine itself. The border did not force itself on the attention, yet furnished the decorative element to the page. The type matter, in Caslon roman, was stylishly arranged in harmony with illustration and border, and was notable because it was probably given as much consideration as the designing and plate-making.

EXAMPLE 193
Neat typography on an attractive background. Glove catalog by the Hall-Taylor Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

EXAMPLE 195
Clever treatment of tabular matter in a catalog page. By the Chasmar-Winchell Press

EXAMPLE 194
An artistic treatment of a commercial catalog showing what is possible in typography. By Taylor & Taylor, San Francisco, Cal.

Example [193].—This firm has gloves to sell and in a particularly pleasing and artistic manner catalogs them for the information of the buying public. By means of the four-color process the gloves are shown in their natural colors, and placed in the “spotlight,” as it were, by the gradual fading away of the dark background about them. A general talk on the subject of gloves is carried from page to page, while the number and description are placed in smaller type directly beneath the articles.

Example [194].—In commercial catalog work the illustration of the article to be sold is of the same importance as the article on the counter in the salesroom. The usual method of selling is to show the customer the article and then by giving information about it and telling of its good qualities to persuade the customer to buy. The illustration, then, is important, and by looking on Example [194], we can see how one printer recognized this fact. The roll of yarn is prominent in the page and the name of the yarn is second in seeking attention. The goods are displayed attractively in surroundings that are interesting. The decorative border (made of rule) has merged with it the name of the manufacturer.

Example [195].—It requires the skill of a typographer and the talent of an artist to make a good-looking page from tabular matter. Where this combination is lacking the result is commonplace and unsatisfactory. It was not lacking on this example, for one seldom sees a tabular page so attractively arranged.

EXAMPLE 200
Program cover page in ecclesiastical style