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Add to SafariWhen comparing Design for hackers vs The Elements of Typographic Style, 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 Design for hackers is ranked 7th. 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 For programmers
The book is specifically written for developers who aren't sure how to approach design problems.
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.
Cons
Con Disjointed and hard to follow
Rather than providing proper context, and author frequently tries to tie points together by using backwards and forwards references ("As you've seen in chapter ___,").
Though there is a lot of interesting points throughout the book, nothing ties together so it can be hard to make sense of.
Con Too philosophical at times
The author goes into detail about things that would have been far better explained using practical examples.
For example, a rant on why Comic Sans is bad but no discussion on font selection for the context.
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.
