Your report is ready to be published. But there’s one small thing you can add to get it noticed. Things move slowly, then quickly. The project you’ve been working on for two years now needs to be put out there, its results shared with the world. Finally, the time has come: the paper is to be published! But it was supposed to be available, like, yesterday. You’ve been tinkering with the text document. Changed the headlines, moved some footnotes around. Rewritten the introduction 12 times. Started adding in some colours. It looks alright, but could do with some touch-up. Alas, there’s no time for design. I understand. We can’t start designing this 80-page report now and put it on the website in an hour. We’ll make sure to plan for design work next time. However, here’s what a publication designer can do in a very short time: Wrap your document in an appealing cover. You’ll export your document as it is, but the designer can make a 1, 2, or 4-page cover that envelops the document, turning it from bland to striking. This way, the work will get noticed. It will invite readers into the text and create a mood for the work. The cover can then be used in social media posts, shared in e-mails, put on posters and shared anywhere. It’s simple, quick and very effective. Cover design is not mere decoration; it’s an invitation to the reader that will be well worth the investment. If you’re looking to elevate your next report or paper with an appealing cover, let’s talk

Many people get the idea to publish a book, either on their own or with help from others. It could be a collection of poems they've written over the years, or a novel they're working on, or perhaps some business advice they want to share. But before we move too fast into a book project, let's take a step back. Is it really a book? If you have ideas you want to communicate, there are many ways to do so. You can make - an article series in a magazine or newspaper - a podcast series - an online lecture - a searchable website - a Facebook page - an email series - a YouTube channel - a Skool community Or other forms of expression and channels. Whatever you want to communicate, think through different ways to tell the story. Not everything needs to be a book lying on the table in a bookshop. Putting together a good book is often a long and complex process with many people involved. It takes time and can become expensive. And even if the book turns out well and can be ordered in bookshops or bought online, there's no guarantee there's a large enough audience for significant sales or wide distribution. But of course, if you are a decent writer (or know someone who is), you've had signals from people around you that they'd like to have a book in their hands on the subject – and you strongly believe in the idea yourself – then you're well on your way to starting a book project! If you'd like help planning the project and designing a good book, you can always message me here on Skool or book a call to see if we can work together.

Finally! The calendar is now available in the community. And with it, you'll find our first-ever Typographic get-together on Thursday, 6 November. It will be our first live call in this community, and you're very welcome to join. We have no agenda, just offering a place to hang out and talk – also probably about things related to typography and design :-) Come hang out and say hello! Find the event in the calendar. You can also add it to your own calendar from there.

Hello, I'm Erick, a graphic designer from California living in Italy. I've been a graphic designer for about 10+ years. Let's break that down: I started as a novice graphic designer in high school, a few months before graduating high school I started a freelance business and worked as a freelance designer and video editor. Went to school for Graphic Design, received a degree in 2018, and now I'm working for a start-up where I've been working as the creative director for about 5 years. My favorite font is Hitchcock, which is reminiscent of the golden age of film era when Saul Bass, my favorite graphic designer, was in his prime. My favorite typeface is a trickier answer, but Futura/Helvetica are some of my favorites.

Hello, explorers! I've added a page to the introductory course in the classroom, where I try to define what we're building in this group. It goes something like this: Typography is the art and craft of arranging text so that it reads well. It's part functionality and part aesthetics. When you read a text, you don't want any unnecessary friction; you want to move through the text with your eyes quickly and get the message. Whether it's a sign at the airport directing you towards your gate, or a classical novel you're reading. When it works well, you don't notice it. It's invisible. But when you turn the page and can't find out where to read next, something is missing. When you have to squint your eyes to read the back of the bottle, the text is too small, or too tight, or the colours lack contrast. Typefaces can also express emotions and style. There's a stark contrast between a typical wedding invitation and a typical subway billboard. Typography encompasses all the small details on the page, on the screen, or on a sign. Text is everywhere, and a typographer makes sure it's readable and feels right. The content in this group is related to all these things, and more. We look at typefaces, line spacing, kerning, the contrast between the headings and the body text, where to put page numbers and how to format a good bullet list. Sometimes we go overboard and move into graphic design, or web design, or photography, illustration and film editing. But the common denominator is the text. What we discuss here can be useful for anyone who designs with text. Or writes. And that is almost everyone. Another central part of the content here will be tackling long-form publications. Books, magazines, long websites, multi-page documents. These have another dimension to them when it comes to text flow. Not only are we looking at the text on one side of a business card, but we’re thinking about how the text moves from page to page. When we insert a photo on one page, the text jumps further down the following page. If we increase the font size, the document needs more pages to contain the text.