Design Principles - What is a Book - Typography/Layout

Design Principles

What is a book? 
Typography/Layout

I receive really positive feedback regarding using  a similar typesetting style to the dictionary and my target audience felt this would be a great way to reference the concept of my publication through my design decisions. I started by researching what typefaces the dictionary currently uses to inform my typography choices. I used what the font to identify the typefaces used for both titles and body copy. 

Title Typeface is - AG Book 

Body copy typeface is - Classic Extra Round

I then looked at these typefaces and decided that  I wanted to look for more contemporary typefaces to create a consistent aesthetic throughout my publication due the bold images and use of white space.  I wanted my new typefaces to still be reflective of the initial inspiration behind the dictionary however wanted my publication to have a contemporary aesthetic that would come from updated typefaces.  I started researching by searching for a new display typeface, The original titles typeface was a sans-serif face with a thick weight and tight kerning.  I looked at a range of potential typefaces however decided to choose GT Pressura as my final display typeface. 

I chose GT pressure due to its resemblance to the original AG book typeface however felt it had contemporary encasements that gave it a distinct personality such as the slightly rounded corners which give it a friendly tone for a grotesque sans-serif typeface and its quirky characters that make it slightly imperfect similar to my illustration, I felt the contrast would have been too stark if I had a really rigid/digital face whereas I feel this typeface compliments my illustrations well. 

I struggled to pick my body copy typeface as I wanted to use a serif face similarly to in the original dictionary however wanted this to be contemporary and modern. I narrowed it down to either QT Old Goudy and Century however ultimately decided on QT Old Goudy due to its distinct quirks as this worked better when trailing this with the display typeface and illustrations creating a well balanced consistent layout. 

I feel these typefaces work well together and with the illustrations to create a contemporary aesthetic that will appeal to designers due to the detailed type choices yet reflects my initial inspiration of the dictionary. 

I then started to layout my publication. I created a master page with guides for my images, text and page numbers to ensure these were consistent throughout. I chose roman numerals for my page numbers as I felt this referenced the heritage of the dictionary and also saw this as a design trend within the industry. I placed the images on the right hand side of the double page spread as this will be what the reader first sees as they turn the page instantly engaging the audience and making them want to stop and appreciate the work as opposed to just flicking through. I wanted to make my images large as it would make the whole page more engaging with room to see the details within the illustrations such as the textures and quality of the images.