Series gta edition (represented by: Vitruvius Without Text.
The Biography of a Book) / series Mono (represented by:
Der Ingenieur. Grammatik eines Hoffnungsträgers)
Two series of academic books – available for free online but also in printed softcover form – drew on an automated design solution for both formats. The software, which was developed by a programmer working with two designers, produces web and print layouts that are optimised for readability, appearing neither untidy and complex nor overly computer-generated and formulaic. In comparing these first volumes of the two series – which are identical in size – we see, for example, that different typefaces can be selected for the main body text, whereas only minimal size adjustments are made for the title. The formatting of paragraphs, quotations, footnotes, and so on remains consistent. The design of the front cover is purely typographical, while the back cover is used for a title image that varies in size and format. The project’s conceptual implications are far-reaching: if open-access online academic publications are to be produced as cheaply as possible, the meticulous work of human designers will become all but unaffordable in the near future. That makes this collaboration between the software developer, the design team and the two publishing houses – and the fact that physical books are still being printed – all the more significant. Something of a historical analogy can be drawn between these small-format publications and Jan Tschichold’s series for Penguin, with its sparse design but loving attention to typographical detail.
