Advanced Typography for Book Design
with
Jesse Johanning
Have you ever wondered why a paragraph you’ve laid out doesn’t look quite as good as in your favorite books? There are countless tricks and theories to typesetting a beautiful page that aren’t in textbooks but passed down by word-of-mouth over generations. In this class, you will unlock the hidden keys to typesetting beautiful bodies of text and create groundbreaking layouts with typographic precision.
The course will be split into 4 sections: Grid Systems, Typeface Selection, Typesetting, and Production. Through a series of lectures, demos, and workshops, this course will cover the history of typesetting and grid layouts, polyrhythmic grid and baseline grid systems, nuanced typeface selection, GREP styles, Javascript programming for typesetting, Opentype features, and more. Students will come out of this course with a fully designed and typeset book project.
This course is perfect for seasoned designers and recent design school graduates alike who are looking to gain more insight into the small details of typography. Although the focus will be on book design, learnings from the class can be applied to any typographic project.
Prerequisite Experience
- Intro to Typography
Required Materials
- Typographic ruler
- Adobe Indesign
- Laptop
Registration for this class will open on January 6, 2026.
About Jesse Johanning
Jesse Johanning is the cofounder of JesseJessi, a design studio specializing in editorial design, branding, and exhibition design. With a background at Parsons, Werkplaats Typogfrafie, and Type@Cooper, he fuses historical analysis, media theory, and coding techniques to find unique design solutions that both support the content and differentiate it from the detritus of today's visual culture. He has collaborated with companies such as Phaidon, Monacelli, MIT, Simon & Schuster, Herman Miller, Pioneer Works, Nikelab, and Pantone. His work has been recognized by ADC Young Guns, AIGA, New York Times, Type Directors Club, and D&AD among others. He has taught graphic design at Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute's MFA program, and Kean University. In his free time, he likes to collect records and fiddle around with electronics and microcontrollers.