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Breaking for Sense

Setting type has changed drastically from the days of metal and phototypesetting. The responsibility for composing type no longer lies with a highly skilled, dedicated typographer, but more often with a designer or production artist, who may not be trained in this skill.

Breaking for sense
The awkward upper setting is improved (lower) when the first line breaks after the comma, keeping the phrase that follows, together.

As a result, there are details of setting good-looking, readable type that have become the responsibility of the designer. One of these is deciding where to break lines in headlines and subheads so that they read well. “Breaking for sense” means not relying on where the software makes automatic breaks, but evaluating the text and making considered line breaks when necessary. This is determined by reading and observing the text, and breaking lines for the best readability –often where one would logically pause when reading it aloud – as well as appearance.

When breaking for sense, strive to:

  • Keep important phrases together
  • Avoid hyphenations
  • Break a line after punctuation
  • Pair adjectives with their nouns
  • Keep proper names together
  • Avoid widows
  • Group color and typestyles together

Breaking for sense
Never break up a hyphenated phrase, as in the upper setting. The lower setting is much improved by placing “turn-of-the-century” on one line, as well as keeping the phrase, “age of feminism” together.

Breaking for sense
Pay particular attention when making color or typestyle changes in a heading. The upper setting dilutes the effectiveness of these changes when grouping them on the same line, which also results in a widow. A stronger treatment is below it.

Designers are now responsible for making the text as readable, logical, and attractive as possible, and line breaks have a major impact on this.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Additional information regarding Monotype’s trademarks is available at monotype.com/legal. Fontology is a trademark of Monotype Imaging and may be registered in certain jurisdictions.

Ilene Strizver
  • Editor’s Note:Ilene Strizver, founder of The Type Studio, is a typographic consultant, designer and writer specializing in all aspects of typographic communication. She conducts Gourmet Typography workshops internationally. Read more about typography in her latest literary effort, Type Rules! The designer's guide to professional typography, 4th edition, published by Wiley & Sons, Inc. This article was commissioned and approved by Monotype Imaging Inc.