The glow of grime Of course this 'sheen of antiquity' of which we hear so much is in fact the glow of grime. In both Chinese and Japanese the words denoting this glow describe a polish that comes of being touched over and over again, a sheen produced by the oils that naturally permeate an object over long years of handling—which is to say grime. If indeed 'elegance is frigid', it can as well be described as filthy. Jun'ichirō Tanizaki & Thomas J. Harper, In Praise of Shadows timeaestheticsfilthflaws
A state of energetic repose Read the text before designing it. Discover the outer logic of the typography in the inner logic of the text. Make the visible relationship between the text and other elements (photographs, captions, tables, diagrams, notes) a reflection of their real relationship. Give full typographic attention even to incidental details. Invite the reader into the text. Reveal the tenor and meaning of the text. Clarify the structure and the order of the text. Link the text with other existing elements. Induce a state of energetic repose, which is the ideal condition for reading. Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style The inner nature of material typography