Dogma for Typographers Revision as of Tuesday, 13 January 2026 at 03:35 UTC

Paul Stiff wrote this inspirational list of dos and don’ts for typographers in 1999. It was written in response to an email circulated by Robin Kinross requesting typographic equivalents for the Dogme 95 injunctions of Danish film-makers.

1. Readers come first, second, and third. Designing is not done for peer approval or prizes.
2. Readers are neither ’target audiences’ nor clichés: they bring their own purposes and questions to every encounter with text.
3. ‘Reading’ is not one-dimensional: there are many reading acts.
4. Content matters: design nothing that is not worth reading.
5. Stand by meaning.
6. Embrace the big picture.
7. Attend to details.
8. Looking good is better than looking different.
9. Looking good is worthless without making sense.
10. Designing and making is collective work: many brains and hands are involved. The designer must not be credited unless all other workers are also credited.