Vertical rhythm is only applicable when pages are printed back-to-back and/or on facing pages. It isn’t applicable online. If you read section on vertical rhythm in “The Elements of Typographic Style,” you can see that none of the justifications for vertical rhythm are relevant online. And, when designing printed matter, it is important to understand the exact justifications for the vertical rhythm recommendation, when it applies, and importantly when it does NOT apply. Unfortunately, the book is often misunderstood on this matter. In fact, I would say this is the most-often-misunderstood part of the book; “The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web” gets it completely wrong, for example.
Brian Smith
Scott,
Vertical rhythm is only applicable when pages are printed back-to-back and/or on facing pages. It isn’t applicable online. If you read section on vertical rhythm in “The Elements of Typographic Style,” you can see that none of the justifications for vertical rhythm are relevant online. And, when designing printed matter, it is important to understand the exact justifications for the vertical rhythm recommendation, when it applies, and importantly when it does NOT apply. Unfortunately, the book is often misunderstood on this matter. In fact, I would say this is the most-often-misunderstood part of the book; “The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web” gets it completely wrong, for example.