When we say we compose «on the editorial tradition», it isn't a decorative phrase. Behind every well-set page there are hundreds of small decisions —line measure, leading, hierarchy, spacing— that are not a matter of fashion or personal taste. They rest on a body of knowledge accumulated over more than five centuries and tested by time: the typographic tradition.

What is the typographic tradition?

It is the set of book- and journal-design conventions developed since the first printers —Jenson, Aldus Manutius, Garamond— and refined over centuries. In the 20th–21st century that wisdom was codified in a few reference works. At Macomti we cite three authors who represent three complementary levels of the craft: the principles, the detail and the practice.

An idea from Robert Bringhurst captures the craft: typography exists to honor content. Its job is to serve the text and make it comfortable to read, not to call attention to itself.

Bringhurst — the principles

The Elements of Typographic Style (1992) is the reference treatise of modern typography. Robert Bringhurst understands the craft as an art with an ethic: to honor the text and make it readable. From there come rules we apply in a journal:

  • Line measure of ~45–75 characters: neither columns so wide they tire the eye, nor so narrow they fragment reading.
  • Typographic scale harmonized across headings, body and notes, instead of randomly chosen sizes.
  • Vertical rhythm : consistent leading and spacing that give the page a regular pulse.

Hochuli — the detail

Swiss typographer Jost Hochuli, in Detail in Typography , deals with the small things: what happens between letters, words and lines. It is the level the reader does not consciously notice, but which decides whether a text «reads by itself» or tires:

  • Spacing between words and between letters (tracking and kerning).
  • Word division and correct hyphenation at line ends.
  • Control of widows and orphans, and fine punctuation behavior.

In scientific composition this matters even more: formulas, units, abbreviations and citations follow fine spacing rules that Hochuli systematizes.

Felici — the practice

James Felici's The Complete Manual of Typography is the bridge between tradition and digital tools. It is the most practical and accessible: it explains how to apply all of the above with real digital typography —OpenType, old-style figures, ligatures, justification—, which is exactly what we do when composing with ConTeXt.

Why it matters to your journal

The difference between a PDF «thrown together in a word processor» and a well-composed one lies precisely here: in hundreds of micro-decisions this tradition resolves with judgment. The result is an article that reads comfortably, projects seriousness and respects the author's work.

Citing Bringhurst, Hochuli and Felici is our way of saying something concrete: we don't improvise; every typographic decision has a grounded reason . See why choose us .