From the course: Learning Graphic Design: Set Perfect Text
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Indents, spacing, fractions, and footnotes
From the course: Learning Graphic Design: Set Perfect Text
Indents, spacing, fractions, and footnotes
- Now that we've changed the typeface, let's get going. First up is the paragraph indent. The surprise is that we don't need it. Why indent the first paragraph? The purpose of a paragraph indent is to separate it from the previous paragraph. You want to start with a nice, strong corner, so always make your opening paragraph flush to the left. It also distinguishes it from the others. It says, this is the beginning. Subsequent paragraphs do get an indent. How deep should the indent be? The rule of thumb is one em space. An em space is the same as the point size, so a 12 point type will get a 12 point indent. On unusually narrow columns, you might want to make it a little less. You know, maybe 3/4 of an em, or nine points. And on very long lines, you might want to make it a little deeper. Maybe 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 ems. The idea is to keep it in proportion to the paragraph. But for most text, you won't go wrong with one em. Next is spacing after a sentence. One space or two? Or three? We've…
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