Tim Brown: Flexible Typesetting

From 2002 to 2008, I had the honor of working with Tim Brown in a small web design and development group at Vassar College. Even in the early days of his career as a web designer, Tim had already built a vast amount of knowledge on type. Just being around him, I had learned so much about typography even though we were still limited to using system fonts (Georgia, Verdana, and Helvetica Neue) on the web.

Reading Flexible Typesetting, his latest book for A Book Apart, reminds me of good old days when Tim gently and patiently guided me through the world of typography. I can feel his passion and articulation in his writing as if he were explaining typesetting to me over our lunch breaks. The best part about this book is that Tim has collected and shared all the best practices and methods he has honed and developed over the years. As a result, you will learn just what you need to set legible, readable, and pressure-free text.

If you are new to typesetting on the web, this book is for you. You will learn why typography has changed for the first time in hundred years. You will get to see his design decisions, including text preparation and type selection, to help you find your own process. You will gain the hands-on experience by following and coding a real-world project. You will recognize all the pressures related to setting type on the web and how to relieve them.

My thanks to Tim Brown and A Book Apart for publishing an essential guide to shape better typography on the web. It’s our turn to do it.