stood out most strongly was one which contained only a name lettered and
an article illustrated. There was no detail to detract, and the effect
was altogether pleasant. This shoe card is planned along similar lines,
and the idea could well be put to further use.
EXAMPLE 372 (Insert).—This is a presentation of a three-sheet poster
which attracted the attention of the writer a few years ago because of
its simplicity. For such effects as this, which carry but little copy,
lower-case letters are appropriate. It is seldom, however, that the
commercial printer is provided with so few words for his posters.
Lower-case display, to look well, requires plenty of surrounding blank
space, while capitals accommodate themselves to close quarters.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 372
Refinement in theatrical printing. Was a large three-sheet poster
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 373
A border such as this blends with gothic type-faces
]
EXAMPLE 373 (Insert).—The “Secession” style of border and ornament
blends well with monotone type-faces without serifs, such as the type
commonly known as gothic. As the wood-type equipment of most printshops
very likely includes gothic faces, the style of treatment shown by this
specimen may be produced successfully. A border such as this is easily
procured, or can be made by the printer if he desires.
EXAMPLE 374.—Printers seldom take advantage of the opportunities offered
for unusual effects. This copy did not suggest anything to the
compositor who first set it and the result was commonplace, with nothing
to excite anything but ordinary interest. The fact that the birth of
Franklin was to be celebrated should have been sufficient to suggest an
arrangement such as is here presented, but it did not. Benjamin Franklin
purchased his type in England, some of it at the old letter foundry of
the Caslons; and what is more interesting than a poster announcement of
a Franklin dinner set in the style of type-face that Franklin himself
used? This has been done in the example under consideration. Roman,
italic, capitals and lower-case have been blended in the interesting
manner in which this was done in the eighteenth century. The long _s_
(ſ) of Franklin’s time is also used, to carry along the interest; it
appears, as will be noticed, in all cases excepting at the end of words.
A Caslon ornamental band is at the head and foot.
EXAMPLE 375.—This is another instance where the copy furnished a motif
that could be developed typographically. Reproductions from the First
Folio of Shakespeare’s works were available and from them an initial and
two decorative bands were enlarged to the desired size. The typography
of Shakespeare’s time was then studied and worked into the poster. The
Caslon type-face is not exactly the same as that used in the seventeenth
century, but there is sufficient similarity to make it suitable. Many
persons of the present day will shy at the use of a single capital
letter immediately following the initial, but that is the way it was
done in the old days. Typographers should early begin to accumulate a
library of books. They should frequent the second-hand bookstores, and
occasionally purchase some old volume that shows the style of typography
of fifty, one hundred or more years ago. The best printers do this.
EXAMPLE 376.—It should be an easy matter to produce attractive window
cards or paper hangers in this style. Selections from the many artistic
and odd cover papers obtainable, supported by harmonizing color
combinations, make possible any number of attractive effects. Only one
size of type should be used, and the border should be one that reflects
the character of the type-face. Plain rules for border purposes are more
successful in obtaining harmony than is decoration. As most letters
contain two widths of line, a rule border matching the wider line, or
both lines, is pleasing.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 374
Type treatment that suggests Franklin’s time
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 375
Poster in Shakespearean typography
]
EXAMPLE 377.—The Colonial style of type arrangement is here adapted to
window-card purposes. The window card has the same advertising reason
for its existence as the paper poster, and is printed on cardboard to
enable it to stand upright. The treatment of this card is such that the
word “Pinafore” and the decoration stand out most prominently, taking
for granted that a person interested by the sight of this word will come
close to the card and read it. Such an arrangement should not be
attempted unless the copy is suitable. Forcing unsuitable copy in
full-line Colonial arrangements results in illegibility and
dissatisfaction.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 376
A simple typographic treatment that offers possibilities for
attractive posters or window cards
]
EXAMPLE 378.—Sunday-school excursions furnish copy for many window
cards. The printer may appreciate this suggestion for an arrangement of
such a job. It is sufficiently unconventional to attract attention, at
the same time providing a simple way of arranging the matter that
usually comes in with such orders. The arrangement has merit from an
advertising point of view, the information being given concisely and
legibly.
It is probably true that the majority of printers have given no thought
whatever to the arrangement and treatment of posters. It is even likely
that there are job printers who feel that poster composition is beneath
their dignity. In view of these conditions, it is to be hoped that what
has here been written regarding the poster will serve to create new
interest in that line of work.
Years ago the author knew an old printer who had the reputation of being
the best sale-bill compositor in the county. His work was confined
almost entirely to the setting of posters announcing sales of farm
goods, yet he did it so carefully and efficiently that residents of the
county traveled miles to place an order with the concern for which this
man worked.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 377
The Colonial style used on a window card
]
Poster printing should not be attempted unless the equipment is such
that the work can be done profitably. Lack of sufficient wood type will
result in poor printing and makeshift arrangements. However, absence of
equipment did not worry a certain printer who did business some years
ago. He had no wood type at all, yet he accepted orders for posters and,
taking advantage of the craft courtesies of those days, borrowed all the
type lines from a competitor. It frequently happened that when the
competitor desired to set up a bill he found that the type was mostly in
the possession of the borrowing printer.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 378
Suggestion for an excursion window card
]
The large two-sheet and three-sheet posters look very big indeed to the
printer in the small shop whose product is confined to the output of his
platen presses, yet poster printing is merely printing on a larger
scale. The builder of the New York subways was once asked how he found
it possible to put through such a large undertaking. He replied that he
knew he could build a cellar, and a subway was merely a multiplication
of cellars. The printer who learns how effectively to produce a small
piece of printed advertising matter should be able, by developing and
enlarging on his ideas, to produce good poster work.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 381
A city department-store advertisement of the good kind
]
[Illustration]
ADVERTISEMENTS
Not every business man can write an advertisement well. Not every
printer can set an advertisement well.
Of the poor advertisements that mar newspapers and periodicals, fifty
per cent of the ineffectiveness should be blamed on those who write them
and fifty per cent on those who set them.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 379
Newspaper advertisement arranged without thought. See 380
]
In this chapter we are interested not in writing the advertisement, but
in properly treating it typographically after it has been written.
Some day advertising typography may become so standardized that a
compositor can be told in a few words just how he shall arrange it.
Meanwhile as there is more than one way to set type for advertisements,
we must for the present depend on the study of good type work, the
advice of those who have theories, and our own judgment.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 380
Easier to read and more pleasing to look at than 379
]
It is possible, however, to learn something about advertising typography
by giving thought to the ways of the orator, who swayed human beings
long before printing was invented. We have all listened to oratory in
the church pulpit, the public square and the Chautauqua tents, and in
halls on the occasion of political gatherings and organization
conventions. Our most agreeable recollections are of those moments when
we were so pleased and impressed with what the speaker was saying that
we did not think of his manner of saying it. Probably the most
successful printed matter is that which pleases and impresses without
one’s being immediately aware of the cause.
A good speaker will enunciate clearly and speak in a moderate tone that
can be heard.
A good typographic advertisement will be set in a legible type-face and
in a size that can be easily read.
Print can be too small or too large, too gray or too black.
If a speaker is addressing an exclusive group of persons, he lowers his
voice and talks in polite diction.
If he addresses a large crowd, many of whom are of less fastidious
tastes, he raises his voice, perhaps using all his power, and most
likely mixes with his English a little popular slang.
Thus advertising printing of the exclusive kind would likely be set in
type smaller and in design more classic than that used for publicity
matter that has wide and promiscuous circulation.
The typographer must keep in mind that while bluntness and forcefulness
are liked by some, they give offense to others.
There are orators so eloquent and flowery that one is led away from the
message by pleasure and admiration for qualities that should merely
carry the message.
There are advertisements so attractive in decorative beauty that one
sometimes forgets to read them.
And then there is the heavy-voiced orator who emphasizes every
statement. He startles and he tires, and is as unsuccessful as the
speaker who croons his audience to sleep with uninteresting monotones.
How like such speakers are the excitable, over-displayed advertisement,
and the large advertisement monotonously set without emphasis, in one
size of type!
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 382
The conversational style of page advertisement
]
The speaker who gracefully accentuates his talk at important points has
the same good judgment as the typographer who neatly displays or
emphasizes significant parts of his copy—not forgetting the orator who
gets applause at the wrong time, and the printer who by carelessness in
arrangement suggests the wrong thought.
Many speakers use the same words that Shakespeare used, but “they phrase
them differently,” just as printers arrange type differently.
The orator has a message, and he tries to “get it over.” The advertiser
has a message too, and he calls on the typographer to assist him in
gaining customers. The problems are not unlike.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 384
One word is thoroly advertised
]
EXAMPLES 379 AND 380.—These two advertisements picture the difference
between setting type with a stick and setting it with the head. It would
be illogical to assume that any thought at all was given to the type
composition of Example 370. It not only is unpleasant to look at, but is
difficult to read, notwithstanding the size of type used for the text.
Benjamin Sherbow, who has given much time to the training of type to act
for the advertiser, took the same material the newspaper compositor had
to work with, and at the crack of his whip the words assumed a new
formation. Keep in mind that Mr. Sherbow was not attempting to improve
the looks of the advertisement; he did improve the appearance, but what
he started out to do was to make the message easy to read. He labored
from the viewpoint of the reader and not from that of the advertiser or
printer. The difficulty usually is that the merchant and typographer are
too close to the details of their own daily occupations and fail to view
the advertisement as does the prospective customer.
The important first sentence was emphasized by subordinating the type
below. The smaller type is nevertheless easier to read than the same
words as originally arranged. The border serves to catch the reader’s
attention, as in the newspaper this little advertisement dominated the
page.
EXAMPLE 381 (Insert).—The department-store advertisement as represented
by this example is really a multiplication of small advertisements. It
is necessary for the writer and printer to give attention in detail to
each of the small paneled advertisements, but someone must assemble them
into a harmonious whole. This is usually done by first making a layout
in actual size. Such a layout as planned for the Lord & Taylor page
under consideration probably looked just as this advertisement would
look if everything but the panel borders, headlines and illustrations
were removed. Each panel was numbered, and the copy in each instance
contained a corresponding numeral.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 383
The name and the trademark depended on to sell goods
]
The style of lettering used for the firm name (Caslon italic) is a sort
of trademark, as it is to be found on the store’s stationery, on its
building and on its delivery cars. The ornamental border, especially the
festoon effect at the head, is used in all the newspaper advertising. It
will be noticed that two of the panels have been accentuated with
stronger borders, larger headlines and with decorative illustrations.
They are so placed in the general group as to balance pleasingly. Prices
are emphasized, but not as they usually are by department stores that
appeal more to the class of people who for economical reasons find it
necessary to take advantage of bargains. The names of articles in the
Lord & Taylor advertisement are set in a neat, bold type-face.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 385
Interesting use of white space
]
EXAMPLE 382.—This is one of those easily read, conversational styles of
advertisement set in Caslon Oldstyle. The first paragraph, in type a
size larger than the rest, invites the attention of the reader. The
ornament in the upper left corner adds attraction at the introductory
point.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 387
A study in advertising values
]
EXAMPLE 383.—Like the house of Tiffany, the makers of Knox hats do not
have much to say in their advertisements. The name and the trademark are
depended on to sell the hats. Cloister Oldstyle, the type-face,
surrounded by liberal blank space, is effective.
EXAMPLE 384.—The purpose of this advertisement is to popularize zinc,
and for this reason that word stands out so prominently. The rule band
at the head and foot attracts the attention, and the Caslon type-face
makes the advertisement readable.
EXAMPLE 385.—An easily read advertisement, due to the size and kind of
type and the use of blank space. Hart, Schaffner & Marx appreciate the
value of good typography. The two-line initial at the head guides the
eye to the beginning of the message. The signature at the foot is so
placed that it is not forced on the attention, yet it cannot be missed
after the two large paragraphs have been read.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 386
A bordered advertisement
]
EXAMPLE 386.—This arrangement of an advertisement shows a style liked by
the Mellin’s Food Company. The decorative border confines the attention
to the reading matter it contains, which is presented in Old-Style
Antique, a dark-toned, interesting, legible type-face. The display lines
are emphasized just enough to make them stand out from the main portion
of the text.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 388
This pictorial department-store advertisement attracted a great deal
of attention in New York newspapers during the holidays
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 389
The store name does not appear in this large department-store
advertisement published in the New York City newspapers
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 390
Four country-newspaper advertisements, showing slight variation in
border treatment
]
EXAMPLE 387.—The principal points in this advertisement are the name of
the company (which is accentuated to catch the eyes of the many who know
this house) and the three lines at the head (which are informative to
those who may not know the Gorham company). This advertisement serves
well as a study in advertising typography. Careless handling of it in
the composing-room would have spoiled its effectiveness. The border has
probably been used to attract attention, yet it does not interfere with
the reading of the advertisement, as the typographer has maintained a
liberal margin around the type matter.
EXAMPLE 388.—This is one of the many clever advertisements that are
inserted in newspapers by John Wanamaker, and is different from most
others because it is a picture-story of the goods on sale. The type
matter is secondary thruout excepting in the introductory panel at the
head, which is displayed merely to call attention to the style of the
advertisement and to the name of the advertiser.
EXAMPLE 389.—Few printers have seen a department-store advertisement
just like this one. It does not contain the name of the advertiser, and
there is practically no display. It looks more like a story in a general
magazine. A few circular illustrations are so placed as to relieve the
monotony of the columns of text, and a decorative piece is placed on
both sides of the heading. The page is also made interesting by the use
of space between paragraphs.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 391
A good-looking page advertisement that was easily read
]
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 392
Typography and shape of this four-column advertisement suggested by
the architecture of the tall building pictured
]
EXAMPLE 390 (Insert).—The most difficult copy to arrange well is
probably that supplied country newspapers by their advertisers. There is
seldom much to the copy, and it is almost always necessary to use
display unsupported by the solid paragraphs of text that soften the
contrast in advertisements that appear in city dailies. Here are four
advertisements different in size and representative of small-town
business. Some one has urged that fancy borders be not used in the
small-town newspaper, and that the rules for borders be the same
thruout. This advice is probably wrong, as it was tried in this instance
and the effect was found to be monotonous and uninteresting. The same
rule border is used around each advertisement, but to obtain contrast an
additional rule has been added to the coal advertisement and a holiday
border and another rule to the general-store advertisement. These slight
variations in border treatment add a great deal of interest to the page.
Each advertiser is entitled to an individual hearing, and this is only
possible when there is some distinct feature found in his advertisement
alone. In the city newspapers each department store usually has a
distinctive type-face which appears in no other advertisement. In the
small-town newspaper it may not be possible for the publisher to render
such service, but an effort in the same direction can be made by varying
the border treatment. The type-faces used in this example are Bodoni and
Bodoni Bold. With the use of the Bold, emphasis is given at proper
points in each of the four advertisements. In the largest one it is used
for the name of the firm, in the smallest one it sets forth the name of
the café, and in the other two advertisements it emphasizes the name of
the business. There may be another way to arrange the names of the
articles in the general-store advertisement, but it is doubtful if any
other arrangement would make reading easier. Typographers who are
inclined to treat lightly the problems of the small-town printer should
attempt to improve these advertisements.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 393
A page in which attractive typography was possible in spite of a long
list of agents
]
EXAMPLE 391.—The style of treatment of this trade-journal advertisement
is influenced to some extent by the article advertised, yet there is no
reason why this treatment would not be suitable for many advertisements
of another kind. The heavy-and-light-line rule border is of a darker
tone than the type page and for this reason adds color and interest.
There is sufficient blank space between the border and type matter to
allow for the text being read without interference. The capitals in the
headings are letterspaced, the letterspacing not only giving them
character, but making them more legible. The text matter is introduced
with an initial that extends upward from the first line instead of
downward as most initials are placed. This advertisement is of the
conversational style, arranged for easy reading.
EXAMPLE 392.—Some one has decreed that text types shall not be used in
advertisements, but fortunately those responsible for the planning of
this advertisement paid no attention to the decree. The advertisement
was inserted in newspapers for the purpose of calling attention to the
new building in the Gothic style of architecture erected for the Hampton
Shops. Any one who has studied the details of a Gothic structure such as
this or the Woolworth Building has felt the influence of the long,
narrow lines found in Gothic architecture. The shape of this
advertisement and the thin, pointed character of the text type used are
in splendid harmony with the general idea.
EXAMPLE 393.—There was presented to the designer of this advertisement
the problem of including in legible size a long list of cities and
agents and yet reserving sufficient space in which to give due
prominence to the text matter. The solution of the problem was the long,
narrow panel at the left. While the entire advertisement is easily read,
especially in its larger form, and probably has the approval of those
who insist on legibility in advertising composition, there is yet
something about it that will also interest those who maintain that
typography should be built on art principles. The border, trademark and
name of the article advertised blend in tone, while the remaining type
matter shows a pleasing gray. Inserting the trademark in the space left
by the shorter words of the heading makes the effect unusual.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 394
An advertisement planned to sell high-priced cars
]
EXAMPLE 394.—This is one of a series of newspaper advertisements
prepared for the Locomobile Company by T. M. Cleland. Planned to sell
automobiles costing five or six thousand dollars, it naturally is
treated differently from an advertisement that would sell cheaper cars.
The decorative crest is a factor in the effectiveness of this
advertisement, and the italic with the swash capitals helps to give a
touch of exclusiveness. It is an advertisement that will stand out on
the average newspaper page.
[Illustration:
EXAMPLE 395
Roman lettering and Roman architecture
]
EXAMPLE 395.—This advertisement has qualities similar to those of
Example 392, the typography of which was suggested by the architecture
of a building. Here we have an illustration of a building in Roman
architecture, hence it is suitable that the type should be Forum, which
is based on Roman carved lettering, and that the border should contain
lines that suggest an architectural panel. Of course, this matter of
harmonizing the plan of an advertisement with the architecture of a
building can be overdone. An advertisement is not necessarily a good
advertisement because of such harmony, yet if an advertisement is
readably presented, harmonious type selection and arrangement should add
effectiveness.