Close analysis of The Vignelli Canon

A major source of inspiration so far in this project has been The Vignelli Canon. It'd be effective to reflect the inherent simplicity but tactile beauty of this book in Typography in Interface Design.

The book's design is simple but elegant, with a block red cover and bold Helvetica text. It's uncluttered and impactful without being over the top; the bright red cover allows the book to draw the eye's attention and to be easily identified on a bookshelf, and the mirrored white text allows for identification if the book is stored or upside down. It also epitomises the design style of Vignelli - an eternal modernist who utilised clean cut, simple letterforms. 

The cover has a satin-esque, smooth feel (almost like very thin rubber), which makes the publication seem high quality and pleasant to touch. It doesn't have many pages and they don't need to be laid flat, so perfect binding works ideally here. It makes the book easy to flick through and use comfortably (this is also helped by the relatively compact size, which simultaneously aids cost, use, transport and storage), as well as giving it a nice, sharp-edged block appearance when closed. Recreating this look and feel with my own publication would seem appropriate in order to create the same ease of use and visual appeal. Though I have been tempted by the compact form of The Vignelli Canon, a larger format is more appropriate for my book due to its analytical and image-based nature. 

The inside pages of the book are printed on glossy paper to allow the type and images to appear shiny and evoke a higher feeling of 'quality'. Though my general preference is for matte stock, glossy paper usually creates a higher quality feeling, and is almost essential for the reproduction of printed images. Though smell might not often be considered in book design, it is of high importance. A book with a nice smell encourages the reader to pick it up and engage with it more often, and it can also create a historical and emotional connection with the book. It can also make the book feel more considered and 'designed'.

Because of the relatively large amount of text within the book, a serif is employed. In this case it's Bodoni, which is quite rare in publication design. To offset the negatives of the typeface in small scales (i.e. the very thin tails), it has been set in a larger point size. The titles are set in a bold sans serif typeface of the same point size to identify themselves as different and important, but not so much to intrude. It'd make sense to use a similar technique in this book, particularly considering that a lot of digital interfaces do too.