Melissa Hunt

In discussing the typographic conventions and traditions in contemporary publishing contexts, my personal perspective is that the rules have been broken to such a point, that the return to accepted convention is beautiful, simple, and effective. It is about the development of a global design language.

Like most things that have rules, conventions, or acceptable behaviors, it is inevitable that they will be bent, broken, or ignored, whether it is to make a statement, or push the limits. But, in saying this, as history suggests, if a designer successfully breaks the rules, their line of thought will eventually turn into what they were rebelling against in the first place – a rule. It is a way for other designers to mimic their success.

An example of unconventional design is Jason Santa Maria’s web design. Santa Maria has created a website where every single page is different. Successful in their individual right, the website as a whole lacks consistency and relevance as readers browse through the pages. They could easily think they have clicked through to a totally different website. 

In the end, typographic conventions were established for a reason – when followed correctly and creatively, the outcome is not only aesthetically pleasing, but functional in terms of readability and understanding of the content – the balance and key to successful design.

An example is the simplistic and clean layout of high-end fashion magazine Vogue. With a sophisticated clientele, the target market of Vogue demands the design to be edgy, but at the same time be easily read and demonstrate a definable return on investment. The designers at Vogue know ‘when to stop’ and at exactly which point the layout is finished, a difficult skill to learn. The publication is neither over nor under styled. Their use of a constant grid system, strong visual pull and balance and scale are all elements driven by convention, which make the magazine so visually powerful and internationally successful.