pure design: white on black
DESCRIPTION
The fifty-first "fable" from Mario Garcia's "Pure design"TRANSCRIPT
mario garcia
152
White on blackFrom time to time one sees effective use of white type reversed
over a black background. Some purists of design hate the technique;
it is even banned in some newsrooms.
There is no substitute for the legibility of black type over a white
background. That said, it is also true that white type over a black
background can look sharp, raise the presence of a quote or
highlight on a page, and add a visual to a page where there
might be none.
Like all other tools available to the designer, reverses work best
when used in small sizes. A very large box going from the top to the
bottom of the page, all black, with a long article set in white over it,
will not be legible. In fact, it will look hard to penetrate, and few
will enter it. But used in small versions, and not repeatedly, it can be
another efficient way to offer contrast and hierarchy for an item
on a page.
pure design
153
Three dimensional motion: This frontpage from a proposed Spanish dailyedition for The Dallas Morning Newsshows the power of a headline set inwhite against a black background.