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Canons of page construction

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Contents The canons of page construction are a set of
Featured content principles in the field of book design used to describe the
Current events ways that page proportions, margins and type areas (print
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spaces) of books are constructed.
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Wikipedia store The notion of canons, or laws of form, of book page
construction was popularized by Jan Tschichold in the mid
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to late twentieth century, based on the work of J. A. van de
Help Graaf, Ral M. Rosarivo, Hans Kayser, and others. [1]
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Tschichold wrote, Though largely forgotten today,
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methods and rules upon which it is impossible to improve
Recent changes
Contact page have been developed for centuries. To produce perfect
books these rules have to be brought to life and applied.[2]
Tools Kayser's 1946 Ein harmonikaler Teilungskanon[3] had
What links here earlier used the term canon in this context.
Related changes Recto page from a rare Blackletter
Typographers and book designers apply these principles to
Upload file Bible (1497)
Special pages this day, with variations related to the availability of
Permanent link standardized paper sizes, and the diverse types of
Page information commercially printed books. [4]
Wikidata item
Cite this page Contents
1 Van de Graaf canon
Print/export
2 Golden canon
Create a book 2.1 Interpretation of Rosarivo
Download as PDF
2.2 John Man's interpretation of Gutenberg
Printable version
2.3 Tschichold and the golden section
Languages 3 Current applications
4 See also
etina
Deutsch 5 Footnotes
Frysk 6 References
Nederlands 7 Further reading
8 External links
Edit links

Van de Graaf canon [edit]

The Van de Graaf canon is a historical reconstruction of a

method that may have been used in book design to divide a
page in pleasing proportions.[5] This canon is also known as
the "secret canon" used in many medieval manuscripts and
incunabula .

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The geometrical solution of the construction of Van de

Graaf's canon, which works for any page width:height ratio,
enables the book designer to position the text body in a
specific area of the page. Using the canon, the proportions Van de Graaf devised this
construction to show how Gutenberg
are maintained while creating pleasing and functional
and others may have divided their page
margins of size 1/9 and 2/9 of the page size.[6] The resulting to achieve margins of one-ninth and
inside margin is one-half of the outside margin, and of two-ninths and a type area in the same
proportions as the page.
proportions 2:3:4:6 (inner:top:outer:bottom) when the page
proportion is 2:3 (more generally 1:R:2:2R for page
proportion 1:R[7]). This method was discovered by Van de Graaf, and used by Tschichold and other
contemporary designers; they speculate that it may be older.[8]

The page proportions vary, but most commonly used is the 2:3 proportion. Tschichold writes "For
purposes of better comparison I have based his figure on a page proportion of 2:3, which Van de Graaf
does not use."[9] In this canon the text area and page size are of same proportions, and the height of the
text area equals the page width. This canon was popularized by Jan Tschichold in his book The Form
of the Book.[1]

Robert Bringhurst , in his The Elements of Typographic Style, asserts that the proportions that are
useful for the shapes of pages are equally useful in shaping and positioning the textblock. This was
often the case in medieval books, although later on in the Renaissance, typographers preferred to apply
a more polyphonic page in which the proportions of page and textblock would differ.[10]

Golden canon [edit]

Tschichold's "golden canon of page construction"[1] is

based on simple integer ratios, equivalent to Rosarivo's
"typographical divine proportion."[11]

Interpretation of Rosarivo [edit]

Ral Rosarivo analyzed Renaissance books with the help of

a drafting compass and a ruler, and concluded in his Divina
proporcin tipogrfica ("Typographical Divine
Proportion", first published in 1947) that Gutenberg , Peter
Schffer, Nicolaus Jenson and others had applied the
golden canon of page construction in their works.[12]
According to Rosarivo, his work and assertion that
Gutenberg used the "golden number" 2:3, or "secret
number" as he called it, to establish the harmonic
relationships between the diverse parts of a work,[13] was
analyzed by experts at the Gutenberg Museum and re-
published in the Gutenberg-Jahrbuch , its official
magazine.[14] Ros Vicente points out that Rosarivo
"demonstrates that Gutenberg had a module different from
the well-known one of Luca Pacioli " (the golden ratio ).[14]
Tschichold's "golden canon of page
construction" here illustrated by a
synthesis of Tschichold's figure thereof,
with the diagonals and circle, combined
with Rosarivo's construction by division
of the page into ninths. These two
constructions rely on the 2:3 page ratio
to give a type area height equal to page
width as demonstrated by the circle, and
result in margin proportions 2:3:4:6. For
other page ratios, Rosarivo's method of
ninths is equivalent to van de Graaf's
canon, as Tschichold observed.

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Tschichold also interprets Rosarivo's golden number as 2:3,

saying:

In figure 5 the height of the type area equals

the width of the page: using a page
proportion of 2:3, a condition for this canon,
we get one-ninth of the paper width for the
inner margin, two-ninths for the outer or Medieval manuscript framework
fore-edge margin, one-ninth of the paper according to Tschichold, in which a text
area proportioned near the golden ratio
height for the top, and two-ninths for the
is constructed. "Page proportion is 2:3,
bottom margin. Type area and paper size are text area proportioned in the Golden
of equal proportions. ... What I uncovered as Section."[9]
the canon of the manuscript writers, Raul
Rosarivo proved to have been Gutenberg's
canon as well. He finds the size and position
of the type area by dividing the page diagonal
into ninths.[9]

The figures he refers to are reproduced in combination here.

John Man's interpretation of Gutenberg [edit]

Historian John Man suggests that Gutenberg 's Bible page was based on the golden ratio (commonly
approximated as the decimal 0.618 or the ratio 5:8), and that the printed area also had that shape.[15] He
quotes the dimensions of Gutenberg 's half-folio Bible page as 30.7 x 44.5cm, a ratio of 1:1.45, close
to Rosarivo's golden 2:3 (1.5) but not to the golden ratio 1.618.

Tschichold and the golden section [edit]

Building on Rosarivo's work, contemporary experts in book design such as Jan Tschichold and Richard
Hendel assert as well that the page proportion of the golden section (21:34) has been used in book
design, in manuscripts, and incunabula , mostly in those produced between 1550 and 1770. Hendel
writes that since Gutenberg's time, books have been most often printed in an upright position, that
conform loosely, if not precisely, to the golden ratio.[16]

These page proportions based on the golden section or

golden ratio, are usually described through its convergents
such as 2:3, 5:8, and 21:34.

Tschichold says that common ratios for page proportion

used in book design include as 2:3, 1:3, and the golden
section. The image with circular arcs depicts the
proportions in a medieval manuscript, that according to
Tschichold feature a "Page proportion 2:3. Margin
proportions 1:1:2:3. Text area in accord with the Golden
Tschichold's drawing of an octavo-
Section. The lower outer corner of the text area is fixed by format page proportioned in the golden
a diagonal as well."[17] By accord with the golden section, ratio or golden section "34:21". The text
area and margin proportions are
he does not mean exactly equal to, which would conflict
determined by the starting page
with the stated proportions. proportions.
Tschichold refers to a construction equivalent to van de

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Graaf's or Rosarivo's with a 2:3 page ratio as "the Golden Canon of book page construction as it was
used during late Gothic times by the finest of scribes." For the canon with the arc construction, which
yields a text area ratio closer to the golden ratio, he says "I abstracted from manuscripts that are older
yet. While beautiful, it would hardly be useful today."[18]

Of the different page proportions that such a canon can be applied to, he says "Book pages come in
many proportions, i.e., relationships between width and height. Everybody knows, at least from hearsay,
the proportion of the Golden Section, exactly 1:1.618. A ratio of 5:8 is no more than an approximation
of the Golden Section. It would be difficult to maintain the same opinion about a ratio of 2:3."[19]

Tschichold also expresses a preference for certain ratios over others: "The geometrically definable
irrational page proportions like 1:1.618 (Golden Section ), 1:2, 1:3, 1:5, 1:1.538, and the simple
rational proportions of 1:2, 2:3, 5:8 and 5:9 I call clear, intentional and definite. All others are unclear
and accidental ratios. The difference between a clear and an unclear ratio, though frequently slight, is
noticeable. ... Many books show none of the clear proportions, but accidental ones."[20]

John Man's quoted Gutenberg page sizes are in a proportion not very close to the golden ratio,[15] but
Rosarivo's or van de Graaf's construction is applied by Tschichold to make a pleasing text area on pages
of arbitrary proportions, even such accidental ones.

Current applications [edit]

Richard Hendel, associate director of the University of North Carolina Press, describes book design as a
craft with its own traditions and a relatively small body of accepted rules.[21] The dust cover of his
book, On Book Design, features the Van de Graaf canon.

Christopher Burke, in his book on German typographer Paul Renner, creator of the Futura typeface,
described his views about page proportions:

Renner still championed the traditional proportions of margins, with the largest at the
bottom of a page, 'because we hold the book by the lower margin when we take it in the
hand and read it'. This indicates that he envisioned a small book, perhaps a novel, as his
imagined model. Yet he struck a pragmatic note by adding that the traditional rule for
margin proportions cannot be followed as a doctrine: for example, wide margins for
pocket books would be counter-productive. Similarly, he refuted the notion that the type
area must have the same proportions as the page: he preferred to trust visual judgment in
assessing the placement of the type area on the page, instead of following a pre-
determined doctrine.[22]

Bringhurst describes a book page as a tangible proportion, which together with the textblock produce an
antiphonal geometry, which has the capability to bind the reader to the book, or conversely put the
reader's nerve on edge or drive the reader away.[23]

See also [edit]

Book
Grid
Page layout

Footnotes [edit]

1. ^ a b c Tschichold, Jan, The Form of the Book. p.46, Hartley & Marks (1991), ISBN0-88179-
116-4.

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2. ^ As cited in Hendel, Richard. On Book Design, p.7

3. ^ Hans Kayser, Ein harmonikaler Teilungskanon: Analyse einer geometrischen Figur im
Bauhttenbuch Villard de Honnecourt (A canon for harmonious page division: analysis of a
geometric figure in Bauhaus book of Villard de Honnecourt). Zurich: Occident-Verlag, 1946.
cited by web page loaded 2006-09-11 Writings on Villard de Honnecourt, 1900-1949 "An
article-length (p. 32) attempt to demonstrate the use of Pythagorian musical proportion as the
basis for the geometry in three of Villard's figures: fol. 18r, two figures at the bottom; and fol.
19r, rightmost figure in the second row from the top. While the geometric design itself is
unquestionably that generated from the Pythagorian monochord, Kayser does not convince the
reader that Villard understood its musical basis. Kayser apparently worked from photographs
of the original folios, and the significance of Kayser's claim may be summarized in his own
admission (p.30) that Villard's geometry does not match that of the Pythagorean design when
correctly drawn."
4. ^ Egger, Willi. "Help! The Typesetting Area" (PDF). De Nederlandstalige TeX
Gebruikersgroep. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
5. ^ Van de Graaf, J. A. , Nieuwe berekening voor de vormgeving. (1946) (as cited by Tschichold
and others; original not examined)
6. ^ Tschichold, Jan, The Form of the Book. pp.28,37,48,51,58,61,138,167,174, Hartley & Marks
(1991), ISBN0-88179-116-4.
7. ^ Max, Stanley M. (2010) "The 'Golden Canon' of book-page construction: proving the
proportions geometrically," Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, 4:3, 137-141. [1]
8. ^ Hurlburt, Allen, Grid: A Modular System for the Design and Production of Newspapers,
Magazines, and Books, p.71, John Wiley and Sons (1982) ISBN0-471-28923-X
9. ^ a b c Tschichold , The Form of the Book p.45
10. ^ Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style, p.163
11. ^ Rosarivo, Ral M., Divina proporcin tipogrfica, La Plata, Argentina (1953). Previous
editions: 1948 and 1947. Brief discussion about his work, is available online in Spanish [2]
12. ^ Carreras, Fabin, "Rosarivo 1903 - 2003" . Retrieved 2008-03-16.
13. ^ Rosarivo, Ral M., Divina proporcin tipogrfica, La Plata, Argentina, "[...] el nmero de oro
o nmero clave en que Gutenberg se bas para establecer las relaciones armnicas que
guardan las diversas partes de una obra"
14. ^ a b Ros, Vicente, Infodiversidad. Ral Mario Rosarivo o el amor al libro, Sociedad de
Investigaciones Bibilotecolgicas, Argentina Vol. 7 (2004) Available online (Spanish) (PDF)
15. ^ ab Man, John, Gutenberg: How One Man Remade the World with Word (2002) pp.16667,
Wiley, ISBN0-471-21823-5. "The half-folio page (30.7 x 44.5 cm) was made up of two
rectangles the whole page and its text area based on the so called 'golden section',
which specifies a crucial relationship between short and long sides, and produces an irrational
number, as pi is, but is a ratio of about 5:8 (footnote: The ratio is 0.618.... ad inf commonly
rounded to 0.625)"
16. ^ Hendel, Richard, On Book Design, p.34, Yale University Press (1998), ISBN0-300-07570-7
17. ^ Tschichold , The Form of the Book, p.43 Fig 4. "Framework of ideal proportions in a
medieval manuscript without multiple columns. Determined by Jan Tschichold 1953. Page
proportion 2:3. margin proportions 1:1:2:3, Text area proportioned in the Golden Section. The
lower outer corner of the text area is fixed by a diagonal as well." (in the Dutch version,
"letterveld volgens de Gulden Snede" text area in accord with the Golden Section)
18. ^ Tschichold , The Form of the Book p.44
19. ^ Tschichold , The Form of the Book, p.37
20. ^ Tschichold , The Form of the Book pp.3738
21. ^ Hendel, Richard, On Book Design pp.15
22. ^ Christopher, Burke, Paul Renner: The Art of Typography, Princeton Architectural Press,
1999, ISBN1-56898-158-9
23. ^ Bringhurst, The elements of typographic style (1999), p.145

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References [edit]

Bringhurst, Robert (1999). The elements of typographic style. Point Roberts, WA: Hartley &
Marks. p.145. ISBN0-88179-132-6.
Burke, Christopher. Paul Renner: The Art of Typography. New York: Princeton
Architectural Press. ISBN1-56898-158-9.
Egger, Willi, Help! The Typesetting Area (PDF) (shows the Van de Graaf canon and a variant
that divides the page into twelfths)
Hendel, Richard (1998). On book design. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press.
ISBN0-300-07570-7.
Infodiversidad. Ral Mario Rosarivo o el amor al libro, Sociedad de Investigaciones
Bibilotecolgicas, Argentina Vol. 7 (2004)
Hurlburt, Allen. Grid: A Modular System for the Design and Production of Newspapers,
Magazines, and Books. New York: Wiley. ISBN0-471-28923-X.
Rosarivo, Ral M., Divina proporcin tipogrfica, La Plata, Argentina (1953). Previous editions:
1948 and 1947
Tschichold, Jan (1991). The form of the book: essays on the morality of good design. Point
Roberts, WA: Hartley & Marks. ISBN0-88179-116-4.

Further reading [edit]

Elam, Kimberly (2001). Geometry of design: studies in proportion and composition. New
York: Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN1-56898-249-6.
Luca Pacioli , De Divina Proportione (1509)
Lehmann-Haupt, Hellmut, Five Centuries of Book Design: A Survey of Styles in the
Columbia Library, Columbia University, (1931)

External links [edit]

"A Tribute to Richard Eckersley: British-born Book Designer" .

"Rosarivo - Divina proporcin tipogrfica" (in Spanish).

vte Typography terminology

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