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Very helpful dialogue on good typography
I try to correct the novice whenever I can regarding "honking" numerals. I will refer them to this web site.
how do you solve
John:
I've found that old style figures don't always work in headlines, especially with two or more lines of copy. Headlines naturally want to close up the leading and lowercase numbers like 3, 4, 5, & 9 make this optically awkward. And a string of numbers such as 200 also look awkward. So how do you suggest handling this?
The same issue for me crops up with old style numbers that start a sentence. For example, "100% of the money went to...." can be replaced with the numbers spelled out, but this breaks the rule of only spelling out numbers between one and ten. Is that the solution?
Finally, some fonts have old style numbers that contain "ones" that really confuse readers because they resemble the letter "i." Adobe Caslon and Garamond to name a couple of problem fonts. This makes eleven look very awkward and poses again a problem for starting a sentence. How do you suggest solving this? Thanks.
the rule of numbers
gizgaz --
Ultimately, the only "rule" is to do what works. The common preference for spelling out numbers under ten came about simply because single-digit numbers look lonely in text; some writers and editors spell out all numbers under 100. It's a common style rule to spell out a number any time it starts a sentence (to avoid exactly the ugliness you mention), but that can be awkward if the sentence begins with, say, a year. Recasting the sentence is an option (if you're the writer) -- but, you know, we *do* start sentences with numbers, all the time; it comes naturally.
I think that in all of the situations you describe, the only real solution is to choose a typeface whose numerals suit the circumstances. Those old-fashioned 1's in some old-style typefaces aren't confusing in a context where we expect to see them, but they can be confused with a small-cap "I" in a nonfamiliar situation. Similarly, choose a headline face whose numerals look good when you use them -- whether they're old-style or lining numerals.
Rules in composition are just useful descriptions of patterns; they aren't moral imperatives. As George Orwell said, as the last item in his list of rules for writing clear English, "Break any of these rules before saying anything outright barbarous."