Book design is an art where minute changes have significant effects. The proportion of the margins, the length of lines, and the leading (space in between lines) greatly affect the pace of the read, as well as the comfort of the reader. A font choice is a painstaking process to find the character set that reflects the mood of the narrative. The font used here is Adobe Garamond, which is chosen for its dual nature: classical proportions and whimsical details.
A sharp, rigid ornament scheme is added to the layout, in part to add balance to spreads (chapters begin on the recto, leaving a blank verso in some cases), and also to reflect some of the recurring themes in the book: perseverance, survival, sacrifices made in order to discover a truth.
Intended as an element that rises above an accent, the ornament scheme nevertheless ranks below the text in visual weight.
Page 7, recto.
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Castle of Wisdom: Typography
The first in a two-book series, Castle of Wisdom inherits its narrative structure from epic poetry (though it is not as long). Typography, and proportions of all visual elements, are meant to reflect the gravity of the undertaking by the main character.
