Long-form writing about reading, publishing, and the web.
A sidebar should answer a question the document has created. It might show the current series, point to a related essay, explain a term, or give the reader a way back to the archive. It should not become a second homepage full of unrelated announcements. The useful sidebar is close enough to help and quiet […]
A wide page does not require wide paragraphs. The outer frame can hold navigation and context while the document keeps a comfortable reading width. For 3columns, the reading measure is roughly 680 pixels. That number is not a promise about every screen; it is a reminder that legibility is a spatial decision. Reading width is […]
A publication homepage should help readers enter the archive. It does not need to shout at them. The best homepages make a point of orientation: what is new, what is important, which series are active, and where the deeper material lives. A short introduction can establish the voice, but the index does the lasting work. […]
The three-column layout is often treated as a relic of the early web. That judgment usually comes from layouts that used columns as decoration rather than structure. A useful column has a reason to exist. Navigation benefits from a stable home. Long-form reading benefits from a controlled measure. Context benefits from proximity to the document […]
The three columns are not three equal boxes. They are three different jobs. The left column is navigation. It tells readers where they are, where they can go, and what kind of publication they are reading. The center column is the document. It is the place where the writing gets the most room and the […]