In Beatrice Warde’s famous crystal goblet essay, she argues that the role of type is to invisibly convey its message, to carry the words’ meaning, and otherwise disappear. And I think it’s clear what she’s saying is that the typography ought not distract the reader from the text, but this “long-winded and fragrant metaphor,” finds its limits outside of “quietly set book-pages.” Editorial design operates under different constraints. Yes, minimize distraction while reading, but a number of other practical concerns peculiar to editorial work define the look and function of editorial faces.
