scr ipta

the typogr aphic institute

developing new typographic strategies for publishing in new times

Our purpose

Set standards for typographic excellence in new media. Encourage development of new tools for digital typography, and the adoption & use of those tools by visual designers. Preserve traditional typographic knowledge and apply it creatively to digital media.

Our focus
Text and display typography for extended reading ondigital screens.

ergonomic typography|type you can read

Lets talk

John D. Berry 415 203 9306 | john@johndberry.com

Typography is central to the continuity of culture. It is an essential part of how we transmit our ideas and our voices across space and time. Typography is the art and craft of arranging pre-formed letters to convey the meaning of a text. The text may be just a couple of words (EMERGENCY EXIT) or it may be a long, complex narrative ( Moby-Dick); either way, the purpose of the typography is to communicate the words m essage. The forms in which words are communicated keep growing and changing, as we invent new technologies to convey them, but the fundamental purpose remains the same. We need to find new ways to apply the old knowledge of how to transmit words and ideas, bringing the best of our typo graphic traditions to bear on the challenge of reading in digital form. Type today is mostly digital and malleable, rather than hard pieces of metal arranged in fixed lines. But the patterns of arranging those letters, however they may be made, and the principles behind that arrangement, grow out of the traditions created for metal type.

Right now we are at a pivotal moment in the develop ment of digital publishing. Now is the time to set high standards for the future and to develop the tools to implement them. If we dont set standards of typographic excel lence today, our reading will be compromised for many years to come.

Scripta is both a typographic resource and an advocate for the improvement of typography in digital reading.

areas of interest (an open-ended list): Digital text for extended reading Digital books and periodicals Onscreen reading Readable typography Readability studies: how we read Microtypography: the details that matter Clarity in public written communication Typography of websites and web publishing Typographic standards for onscreen publications The practice and principles of the print tradition Templates & tools for digital publishing Standards in e-publishing Multilingual and non-Latin digital typography Usability of type in medical labeling Usability of type in instrument-panel displays Potential services: Develop templates & tools for digital publishing Provide design & typographic assistance to publishers Provide typographic consulting to software companies Teach hands-on workshops for e-book designers Coordinate the services of typography experts for c lients Supply expertise in non-Latin and multilingual t ypography Work with standards bodies to develop & encourage higher typographic standards on the Web Evaluate typographic standards for digital publishing platforms Evangelize the need for high-quality text typography in digital media Bring together thought leaders in publishing for digital devices Work with publishers & software companies to develop capable, flexible tools for digital publishing

scripta A typographic institute & think tank draft prospectus 3 October 2013 Advisory board (so far): roger black ROBERT BRINGHURST matthew carter CORY DOCTOROW charles nix Erik Spiekermann MIN WANG

littera scripta manet (the written word remains)

John D. Berry 415 203 9306 | john@johndberry.com