The Stationery Project

Let’s begin with the knowledge that stationery—the one you write a letter on, and not the one that is motionless—is spelled with an e.

This exercise builds on the line intervals study. Considerations learned in that exercise will apply to the page here, as we explore different margins, the hierarchy created by placement of the type, and overall shape and balance of the page.

Keeping in mind the “rule of thirds” and the knowledge that the eye will gravitate toward clear, simple mathematical divisions of the page, we will typeset our name, address, email address, website (if there is one) and phone number.

We will explore versions with the type stacked as one group, and with one or two lines pulled out for emphasis. The use of bold type may also be used or not— but not italic or all capitals or any other styling—just plain text and bold. 

Assuming a U.S. letter-sized page as the format, we will start sketching compositions with 9 thumbnails to a page, then choose the best three from each page to typeset at full size. (Note: this exercise is about exploration—so feel free to make 9 x 9 pages of compositions! 

When typesetting the page, further exploration is made into the 1) linespacing of the stack of type, 2) using a bold setting for one of the lines, 3) using a serif or a sans serif font, 4) setting off one of the lines on another part of the page for emphasis. All these variables affect the texture and presence of the type on the page.

The full-size sketches are made by taking those nine chosen compositions and then creating three variations on each, to make 27 sketches. We continue to cull them, down to the best nine.

Lastly, we will then add the body of the letter (using lorem ipsum copy) to complete the stationery. We will see how our layout decisions shape the page and the reading experience.

We will put our compositions in a three-ring binder for reference.