Typography
Tufte’s books set the text in a single face, in a few sizes, with italic for the headings and for emphasis. There is no bold heading and no coloured bar. The hierarchy comes from size and space alone.
A section heading
A second-level heading is in italic and in the normal weight. It has no rule under it; the space above it is enough to start a new part of the page.
A smaller heading
The third level is smaller, and still in italic. Below it the text goes on in the same size as before, so that a reader moves from the heading to the text with no change of voice.
Text
A paragraph has a generous leading, about one and a half times the size of the type. Emphasis is in italic, and strong text is in bold, which the theme keeps for the rare word that must stand out. Numbers such as 1983 and 2006 use lining figures.
- A list keeps the size of the text.
- Its items have the same leading as a paragraph.
- A long item wraps under its own first word, not under the bullet, so that the column keeps a clean left edge.
Above all else show the data. A quotation is set in from the left, with no rule beside it.
Callouts
A note has a thin rule at its left in a muted blue, and no tinted box.
The title is in italic, the colour is a dark ochre.
An important callout uses a deep red.
The body of a callout can fold away under its title.