16th Century Typography: The Geneva Bible, London, 1581
Printed in London, 1581, by Christopher Barker.
These typefaces, the paper, the density, the uneven quality of the ink: All these elements come together to give us an example of lush typography from the 16th century.
Look how the margin notes wrap into the text column (especially apparent in the second image). We could apply this to current design projects just as you see it, or in other ways too. What other secondary or tertiary design elements could be allowed to “impede” on the territory of the top-level heirarchy?
Click each image to view a large version.
Source: Fromoldbooks.org.
You’ve hit on one of the things that fascinates me about these older books – there are a lot of practical solutions to design problems there, as well sa a lot of sheer physical beauty. Which is why I posted the paeg images of course
Liam