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

EXAMPLE 397
The modest display of a large magazine advertisement

Example [397].—This advertisement has been reduced considerably, as it originally occupied a large magazine page. For effectiveness the typographic treatment was depended on, and, as will be seen, it is unusually neat. The headline and the name of the company are the only suggestions of display on the page. The illustration, of course, is to catch the reader’s attention.

EXAMPLE 398
The blank space emphasizes the illustration

Example [398].—Altho this is a lettered advertisement, it is a good example of blank space used to attract attention not only to the advertisement, but to the illustration, which here is really of the most importance. It should be noticed how the blank space in the upper right portion clears the way for a view of the automobile. Many advertisers are using a strip of white space in their advertisements, at the right or at the left.

Example [399].—The treatment of this advertisement proves that it is not absolutely necessary to have the typography of country-newspaper advertisements as formal as that presented in Example [390]. For general newspaper use Bodoni modern might have preference over the more interesting Cloister Oldstyle, yet a newspaper treated entirely in old-style type-faces would be likable. If this advertisement were placed on the average newspaper advertising page, it would stand out strongly because of the blank space used around the type group, the restful and pleasing type-face and the dark-toned border.

Example [400].—The manner in which this page of advertisements is treated should have suggestion for newspaper and periodical publishers who wish to make their classified-advertising sections more interesting. This page, from a trade publication (The American Printer), was set in eight-point type instead of the six-point that some publications usually use. It is a mistake to use type smaller than eight-point for matter that is supposed to be read. The expense and the time necessary to put in initials at the beginning of each advertisement are avoided by capitalizing the first word and setting it flush with the end of the line. Instead of using the stereotyped “Help Wanted” and “Situations Wanted” headings, human interest was introduced by phrasing each heading as a question, as would likely be done on a larger advertisement.

EXAMPLE 399
A country-newspaper advertisement