layout – imagery – charts
In the book “Vniversae Architecvrae Civilis Elementa” the author Christian Rieger tries to create a clear doctrine for the orders, which orientates itself according to modern architecture. Rieger attempts to create an up to date theory on the orders, which he believes to be more appropriate for the modern times in comparison to Vitruv’s theory for example. He explains how his book however should not be seen as the absolute truth, instead it should be used as a reference point due to the wide variety of literature which state a lot of different rules for the orders, leading to a confusing base. “Vniversae Architecvrae Civilis Elementa” should counterbalance the lack of clarity as a clear point of reference for the theory of the orders.
The majority of the book is completely made up of text, however Rieger implements charts in which he sets guide values for the different orders. The use of charts creates a clear reference point for the users of the doctrine. Due to the reserved use of the charts they stand out for the reader of the book, capturing their attention, adding to the clarity of the doctrine.
The rest of the book is made up of text which is written within a simple layout. The text is always aligned to the right and left, with exception to the footnotes which are separated by a separating, horizontal line and a slight indent on the left side of the text. The text blocks are mirrored in the centre vertically, whilst leaving generous space for the margin of the page. The page header indicates to the reader where they are located within the book, creating a sense of overview and clarity.
The book barely contains imagery except of the images at the beginning and end of a chapter and a small collection of informative illustrations at the end of the book. The images within the text can be perceived as a marking, giving the reader a sense of orientation within the book. The images have a similar width as the text block and are aligned to the text, creating a clean page layout. They do not serve as informative graphics but rather a visual marking which differentiates itself from the text. The small collection of images at the very end of the book are made up of clear, geometric drawings visualising the orders and their proportions.