For the new edition, I decided to turn this online book into a rich visual experience. Completely redesigned, the new website offers prominent illustrations and typefaces. Using CSS Grid, the design is structured in a four-column fluid layout, which is fully responsive from small devices to large screens.
The typography is entirely reset in Fern, an elegant Venetian text face designed by David Jonathan Ross specifically for the screen. I had the pleasure of working with David on expanding Fern to support Vietnamese. Headers and captions are set in Adapter, designed by William Montrose and Sláva Jevčinová. Plus, many more typefaces are featured throughout the site.
For content, the history of Vietnamese writing has been expanded to include more information on the development of Quốc ngữ, the Romanization of the Vietnamese writing system. The second edition includes new material on đồng (the official currency of Vietnam), kerning horns, and pairing horns. The chapter on type recommendations has been completely revised.
Samples have been redesigned to showcase Vietnamese typographic typesetting ranging from informational to editorial designs. I am planning to add more in the future as more typefaces with Vietnamese available.
The print edition is discontinued. I have thought of turning the second edition into a coffee table–worthy book, but the cost for printing is too expensive. Furthermore, I was not satisfied with self-publishing platforms such as Blurb and Lulu. As a result, I just focus on the website.
For editing, I did not enlist any help this time because of budget constraints. For the first edition, I asked a few close friends to help out and they were generous with their time. I would love to hire an editor, but I did not get enough financial support. If you find any errors, please contact me.