I am new to design and was wondering how to decide what size the body text should be when creating a book. Are there any methods or rules to work it out? Or is it just a matter of preference depending on the font?
There's no formula, but some factors that are particularly important to consider are the size of the page (or width of the text column) and the x-height and width of the font. Also budget constraints, printing method and paper choice, the kind of book you want it to look like and, as Riccardo mentioned, the target readership.
26 Jul 2012 — 3:04am
Depending on a series of factors, not least age of intended readers.
26 Jul 2012 — 9:21am
Start with something much smaller than a book!
hhp
26 Jul 2012 — 10:41am
I recommend you start by checking out these books. Though both written decades ago, they remain the standard references for book typography:
The Design of Books by Adrian Wilson
Bookmaking by Marshall Lee
28 Jul 2012 — 12:46pm
There's no formula, but some factors that are particularly important to consider are the size of the page (or width of the text column) and the x-height and width of the font. Also budget constraints, printing method and paper choice, the kind of book you want it to look like and, as Riccardo mentioned, the target readership.