Public Books

Source: http://www.publicbooks.org.License: All Rights Reserved.

Public Books homepage. Logo in Helvetica Ultra Compressed. MT Grotesque Extra Condensed for headlines and main nav. Grotesque Display Bold Condensed for bylines. OCR-B for nav and slugs. Plantin for text.

Founded in 2012 by Editors in Chief Sharon Marcus and Caitlin Zaloom,Monotype Grotesque(a family the studio uses for their own site). In this case, the main player is specifically the Extra Condensed style, which was originally issued in metal as an individual typeface (Series 383). This and otherPlantin, which suits the high-minded writing. It works well on article pages but is too small on the home page. If this site were to be designed today (2016) the makers would probably have chosen larger type and an airier, responsive front page, but I appreciate its newspaper-like density. The color and frames (each representing a category) keep things from getting too stuffy. Overall, I think the site has aged quite well over four years. Larger type and a minor update that adapts to modern screen sizes would be enough to keep it relevant for many more.

Source: http://www.publicbooks.org.License: All Rights Reserved.

Homepage list view.

Source: http://www.publicbooks.org.License: All Rights Reserved.

Filtered by category.

Source: http://www.publicbooks.org.License: All Rights Reserved.

Tag index.

Source: http://www.publicbooks.org.License: All Rights Reserved.

Blog.

Source: http://www.publicbooks.org.License: All Rights Reserved.

Article page.

Source: http://www.publicbooks.org.License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://www.publicbooks.org.License: All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://www.publicbooks.org.License: All Rights Reserved.

About page.

Source: http://common-name.com.License: All Rights Reserved.

Visual essay.

Source: http://common-name.com.License: All Rights Reserved.

Content management system.