The cover for Matka — the latest title under Learn Through Stories (LeTS) Foundation — made in collaboration with illustrator Ruchi Shah and children from Bhopal-based NGO Muskaan; an inside page from Matka; Nanodkar’s self-initiated children’s book project covers two aspects — courting a method of teaching letters as forms, and documenting personal relatable memories. Pics Courtesy/Sanjana  Nanodkar

Drawing from his personal experience, Garge elucidates, “The cover for Milk Teeth, which I designed, features a rushed handwritten type. It’s a work of fiction, and the words are placed amidst the claustrophobic arrangement of Art Deco structures of Mumbai, where the story is set. The typeface depicts the city and the moody yet tense nature of the story. However, Tell Her Every Thing has minimal imagery. It talks about the relationship of a father-daughter duo. I needed the letters to breathe and exude poise. The spaced out arrangement underlines their need to be perceived slowly.”

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Subtle but striking

Sanjana Nanodkar, who works as design lead with Learn Through Stories (LeTS) Foundation, feels that when type is used in book design, the visuals take precedence over the stylistic appearance of words. “Apart from design in kidlit, type needs to be subtle. The subtlety should lend to typography’s transparency — this means that its role, although crucial, should seem intangible to the reader and yet do the job. However, in the case of kids’ books — since we are catering to early readers — words  and pictures can have a balanced effect as they are also beginning to understand letter forms alongside pictures,” she shares.

Sanjana Nanodkar

Any form of publication mostly uses serif fonts for text-heavy designs. Nanodkar reasons that traditional novels use serif type for the eye to rest in between letters and words while absorbing the heavy subject. “It allows your vision to move seamlessly.” With type, she attaches more significance to title design as compared to the inside text as that is what catches the reader’s eye first. Nanodkar feels that although we say that a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover, the face of any volume leads us in.

Read with ease

Typesetter Jojy Philip has been working with leading publishing houses for the past 30 years. He feels that the overarching theme of a book isn’t severely affected by the kind of font used as long as they facilitate readability. He notes, “Once you begin reading a book, the ease of the exercise is what matters the most. Even if a font is attractive, it should be trashed if it comes in the way of comfortable reading.”