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Add to SafariWhen comparing The Elements of Typographic Style vs Universal Principles of Design, by William Lidwell, the Slant community recommends The Elements of Typographic Style for most people. In the question“What are the best books on web design?” The Elements of Typographic Style is ranked 2nd while Universal Principles of Design, by William Lidwell is ranked 5th. The most important reason people chose The Elements of Typographic Style is:
The book is designed to cover all aspects of typography which makes it a good intro book for readers who are new to the subject.
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Provides a comprehensive overview
The book is designed to cover all aspects of typography which makes it a good intro book for readers who are new to the subject.
Pro Covers the history of typography
Throughout the book, typographic practices are explained along with their historical significance. Many terms and practices in typography are steeped in history, and learning it helps understand both the rationale, and significance of their adoption, and as a result, what role they play in modern typography.
Pro Backs up well known theories
Many of the theories presented in the book will already be familiar to designers. However this book backs up the theories with data, additional research and examples that encourage the designer to consider the theories in different ways.
Pro Variety of theories
There are 125 different theories introduced in the book that cover a very wide range of relevant disciplines (such as psychology and biology).
Cons
Con Poorly formatted book
The writing style of this book can make it difficult to read. Long walls of text, references to terms that are never defined, and a lack of captions. There is a lack of visual examples, and the small font makes it easy for a reader to lose their place.
Con Theories are not described in depth
Each theory has two pages; one page with visual examples, and another page with a written description. These act more as an introduction to the various theories as they don't go into much depth.
