BOOK DESIGN
"A thing of beauty is a joy forever." John Keats
What we strive to achieve in the design of each book is a balanced symmetry on each page. Ideally, this means each page begins and ends with a complete paragraph. (Although this is impossible to achieve always, you might be surprised how often it happens.) More realistically, however, this means the following:
No fewer than two lines appear at either the top or the bottom of any page. In typography, this means no orphans (the first line of a paragraph by itself at the bottom of the page) and no widows (the last line of a paragraph by itself at the top of a page).
No fewer than two lines appear at either the top or the bottom of any column.
No fewer than two words appear on any line.
To ensure these two conditions are met, the following may occur:
Paragraphs are either combined or broken -- but only if such a revision retains the passage's original meaning and fluency.
Sentences are tracked (the space between letters and words) -- either loose for expansion or tight for reduction.
Words are cut, added, or substituted -- but never at the expense of a sentence's meaning, conciseness, or clarity.
To maintain the same principles of balance with a book's images, we also ensure the following:
Images are linked to the narrative -- photographs, maps, and artwork appear adjacent to their first reference in the text.
Image placement is balanced across a two-page spread.
Captions on images are at least two points smaller than the type used in the text.
Another principle of design is the enhancement of "white space" throughout the book. This not only improves readability but also generates an inviting "look." The three factors that create these qualities are as follows:
Wide margins
Short paragraphs
Increased leading (the white space between lines of text). Typically, we use 33 percent more leading than the specified font size (for example, 16 point leading for 12 point type) rather than the traditional 20 percent (14.4 point leading for 12 point type).
Typeface: With few exceptions, we use Times, a serif typeface created by typographer and font designer Stanley Morison (1889-1967) in 1931 for The Times, a London daily newspaper (the first issue using the new type was published October 3, 1932). We have found this type to be concise, readable, and adaptable to numerous layouts. (We do not use sans serif fonts.) Times is not to be confused with Times New Roman, a modern version that differs from the original in that it is slightly thinner and has more pronounced serifs, though some say the two typefaces are virtually indistinguishable. (You can learn about Times here.)
Note: One reputable book designer says this about Times: "Times is a dead give-away for 'I did this myself in [Microsoft] Word.' Look at that new book table at your local bookstore. You won't find ONE book from a major publisher that uses Times (or Times New Roman). It just doesn't look so hot." To this we respectfully, and emphatically, disagree.
Sizes:
18-24 pt. headings
11-12 pt. main text
11 pt. insertions
10-11 pt. bibliographies, indexes
9-10 pt. captions
Leading:
12/16 main text
"Auto" (type size+20 percent) all others
Alignments:
Text justified (no hyphenations).
Headings and captions centered.
5.5x8.5 Books
Pages: Lynx Opaque Text (manufactured by Weyerhaeuser), white, 70-pound #1 opaque, acid free, archival quality, brightness 96, approximate caliper .0053.
Covers: Futura Laser Gloss Cover (manufactured by Storaenso), white, 80-pound gloss, coated two sides, acid free, 96 brightness, laser-guaranteed, approximate caliper .008.
7x8.5 Books
Pages: Exact Digital Color Copy Text (manufactured by Wausau Papers), white, 70-pound, acid free, archival quality, smooth finish, 98 brightness, laser-guaranteed, approximate caliper .0046.
Covers: Fortune Gloss Cover (manufactured by Storaenso), blue-white, 80-pound, #3 recycled coated (10% post-consumer waste), acid free, 88 brightness, laser-guaranteed, approximate caliper .0074.
8.5x11 Books
Pages: Lynx Opaque Text (manufactured by Weyerhaeuser), white, 70-pound #1 opaque, acid free, archival quality, brightness 96, approximate caliper .0053.
Covers: Futura Laser Gloss Cover (manufactured by Storaenso), white, 80-pound gloss, coated two sides, acid free, 96 brightness, laser-guaranteed, approximate caliper .008.
A book's first layout is text only -- no photos, maps, or other images. This version goes to the author as the first "proof." Once he notes the necessary corrections, additions, and omissions, a second proof is prepared, this one with a complete set of images. Once this is completed, we expect authors to heed this warning:
In effect, this means DON'T MESS WITH THE LAYOUT! Think of it as carved in stone without a rock and chisel, something that -- with the exception of correcting typographical, stylistic, or grammatical errors -- can be altered only under extraordinary circumstances.
This is because the layout sets rules that cannot be violated without grave consequences -- at least as far as the overall quality and effectiveness of the book's design is concerned. Add or delete one space, one comma, one letter, and the entire layout for that chapter or section can shift dramatically. Failure to act accordingly can halt, even kill, a project.
| At Bear Creek Press, we make books the old-fashioned way. Scene at right is taken from our book farm, which uses a wheeled plow and an iron-toothed harrow to prepare the field for hand-sown book seeds. In addition, we use a three-field rotation, leaving a different one fallow each year. This is the same system developed on European feudal estates in the days of the reign of Charlemagne. Books are usually harvested four times per year, once per season. These are then listed as "recent releases" in our catalog. |
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Bear Creek Press
With its World Headquarters located at the old Abbie Riggle Place on Bear Creek Road just one mile from downtown Wallowa, Oregon, Bear Creek Press is the largest publishing house on the southwest bank of the Wallowa River.
"Well-designed and well-printed books."
Statesman-Journal (Salem, Oregon)
"There could be nothing so important as a book can be."
Editor Max Perkins in a letter to author Thomas Wolfe
