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 406
Actual size of a well-treated four-deck Heading

Head-letter type should not be intensely black, unless the reader is expected to read only the headlines. It is irritating to attempt to read the text matter in an article if strong black headlines continually glare at you. (See Example [404].) The head letter should be just a trifle darker in tone than the background of text type, or if liberal leading is possible a letter the same tone as the text is suitable.

Because of the narrowness of newspaper columns it is necessary that type for headlines shall be slightly condensed, especially for the large lines. As few type-faces are legible in a condensed form, it is a problem to select a type-face for this purpose. Probably the most successful type-face of this kind has proved to be Latin Antique Condensed, a letter that has been in such use for a number of years. (See Example [406].)

It is, of course, best to have all type-faces harmonious in design, but the requirements of the newspaper are so unusual that in order to secure contrast this rule must be violated. In Example [403] will be seen the neat and restful effect that is possible by using thruout type that is harmonious, yet there is a monotony to the page that could probably be overcome by substituting, say, italic for roman in several of the headings. On the page of the New York Times (Example [405]) will be found headings in italic. Lower-case italic looks well used for the main lines of a double-column heading.

EXAMPLE 407
The sporting page of the New York “Tribune,” showing interesting make-up

It is well first to harmonize the newspaper page, as in Example [403], and then add needed contrast, as in most newspapers attempts at contrast are so frequent that the result is confusing.

Paneled headings also add variety; specimens of such headings will be found in Examples [404], [407] and [408].

Restraint in the use of display headings by the New York Times, as compared with the noisy scareheads of the New York American used in reporting the same news, will be seen by comparing Example [405] with Example [404].

What is called a four-deck single-column heading, as used by the New York Times, is shown actual size in Example [406]. Latin Antique Condensed is used for the first two lines and Newspaper Gothic for the other three decks. This heading as it stands is perhaps the most pleasing and legible of those used by metropolitan newspapers. A four-deck heading should present in the first deck the feature of the story; the first deck, and if possible every other deck in the heading, should contain a verb. The third deck is really the second in importance, and, like the first one, is usually set in capitals. The size of the lower-case used for the fourth deck is usually smaller than that used for the second. It would be a mistake to use capitals for the second and fourth decks, as the result would be monotonous and illegible. The small section of text matter accompanying the head also shows a seven-point face on an eight-point slug, as used by the Times.