tim henderson is a typesetter and designer of books, working with publishing imprints, universities, and independent authors to create classical and contemporary interior formats for fiction, nonfiction, academic, and display books.

tim henderson is a typesetter and designer of books, working with publishing imprints, universities, and independent authors to create classical and contemporary interior formats for fiction, nonfiction, academic, and display books.

worm

by J. C. McCrae

five volumes

casebound with jacket

one color

6 × 9 in.

1.68 million words

published 2021

gestation

640 pages

infestation

752 pages

colony

800 pages

chrysalis

736 pages

extinction

800 pages

about the book

Worm is an epic-length story released as a web serial in twice-weekly installments between 2011 and 2013. Never since edited or published, I created personal copies for myself as a long-time fan. 

The primary challenge was managing the story’s length, with an 800 page-per-volume limit. It consists of 31 arcs, which I divided into five volumes. I used 10-pt Garamond for the body type, due to its space efficiency. Further challenges included proofing the text for typos and inconsistencies, and the organization / distribution of over 125 annotations. 

This adaptation has received significant praise within the fandom, despite never being distributed. 

Retrospective: I learned a great deal while designing these and in the time since. Looking back, I think the formatting of the footnotes could've been handled with more grace, and would like to have tried something more exciting with the chapter headings.

fig. 1

volume one; cover with spine

fig. 2

title spread

fig. 3

part spread; image ref. original web banner

fig. 4

chapter spread; footnote

fig. 5

text spread; section break and diegetic insert 

fig. 6

text spread; footnotes

fig. 7

text spread; handwriting from multiple characters 

ward

by J. C. McCrae

seven volumes

casebound with jacket

one color

6 × 9 in.

1.95 million words

published 2020

gloaming

464 pages

vesper

560 pages

afterglow

800 pages

moonrise

752 pages

dead of night

624 pages

darkest hour

480 pages

aurora

768 pages

about the book

Ward is an epic-length sequel to Worm, released as a web serial in twice-weekly installments between 2017 and 2020. Never since edited or published, I created personal copies for myself as a long-time fan. 

The primary challenge was managing the story’s length, with an 800 page-per-volume limit. It consists of 23 arcs, which I divided into seven volumes. I used 10-pt Garamond for the body type, due to its space efficiency. A further challenge was the need to proof the text for typos and inconsistencies. 

This adaptation has received significant praise within the fandom, despite never being distributed. 

fig. 1

volume one; cover with spine

fig. 2

title spread

fig. 3

part spread

fig. 4

chapter spread; excerpts from an online forum 

fig. 5

text spread; chatroom excerpts

fig. 6

text spread

fig. 7

text spread; section break, code snippets, and more

my immortal

by Tara Gilesbie

paperback

two color

5 × 8 in.

128 pages

22,700 words

published 2024

about the book

My Immortal is a work of parodic fan fiction that was posted to fanfiction.net during the years of 2006 & 2007. One of the most unintentionally hilarious pieces of writing the internet has ever produced, it has never been determined whether or not it is a work of satire, and the author's identity is considered impossible to verify.

The primary challenge came from taking a text formatted for online viewing and littered with inconsistencies, asides, and 'leet speak,' and balance the preservation of its quirks against the needs of a traditional, readable book. It required a light but considered touch and an intimate familiarity with the text.

I designed the text and its interspersed author's notes in two colors, at novella size. To set off the chasm between the story's ambitions and its reality, I dressed the type in a style evoking a gothic Victorian classic, using the sharp-edged Warnock Pro.

fig. 1

cover with spine

fig. 2

title page

fig. 3

dramatis personae

fig. 4

chapter spread; with title

fig. 5

chapter spread; no title

fig. 6

text spread

fig. 7

text spread; special element

astro curriculum

by Room 228 and Claude Jones

paperback

full color

8.5 × 11 in.

72 pages

published 2024

about the book

Astro the Monster is a series of early reader books written by Claude Jones and illustrated by Laura Watson. Room 228 was commissioned to create a curriculum to accompany the series in classrooms, with myself as designer.

This project coalesced in fits and starts over several years. Initially, it was designed as a trio of packets, one for each book, but as the content developed, the author decided to merge everything into The Galactic Educator’s Guide.

The challenge was four-fold: (1) unify the existing packets, (2) expand the content to include front matter, a fourth book, and new lesson plans for the full series, (3) revise the graphics to match the newly created website, and (4) reformat the content as a booklet for Amazon KDP.

Upon the projects's completion, Claude said that “Working with Tim has been exceptional. He brought unparalleled design expertise and a collaborative spirit that elevated the entire creative process. Tim seamlessly translated my vision into a stunning and user-friendly guide, and I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone seeking technical brilliance and a client-focused approach on every project.”

fig. 1

cover spread

fig. 2

table of contents

fig. 3

introduction and educational pillars

fig. 4

lesson planning by day

fig. 5

activities and diagrams for book two

fig. 6

activities and rubric for book three

fig. 7

additional activities

xchange 2019

by the JMU College of Engineering

perfect-bound paperback; spot gloss

full color

11 × 8.5 in.

100 pages

published 2019

about the book

The James Madison University xChange program is an annual event showcasing the capstone projects of the engineering students. It’s visual identity is unique each year; in 2019, the college president requested it be inspired by the The Beatles ‘White Album.’

The book consists of 34 projects spread across five sections, plus front matter and a gallery. To prevent monotony in the design while employing such a spare aesthetic, a modular layout was introduced to the project pages for the first time (contrary to the one-size-fits-all approach of previous years). This also allowed optimized layouts for individual projects, which could vary heavily in their content.

Retrospective: While a significant improvement over the previous year's effort, my typesetting skills were still developing. The text would have benefitted from increased H&J attention, tighter leading, and indentations.

fig. 1

cover with spine

fig. 2

program pillars

fig. 3

table of contents

fig. 4

section divider

fig. 5

project spread 1

fig. 6

project spread 2

fig. 7

project spread 3

xchange 2018

by the JMU College of Engineering

perfect-bound paperback

full color

11 × 8.5 in.

116 pages

published 2018

about the book

The James Madison University xChange program is an annual event showcasing the capstone projects of the engineering students. It’s visual identity is unique each year; in 2018, it was designed with an abstract geometry inspired by constructivist style, emphasizing the industrial and urban development focus of the engineering projects.

The book consists of 34 projects spread across five sections, plus front matter and a gallery. Each spread featured a clipped-out image of the student project alongside additional photos and information on templatized layouts inspired by the cover.

Retrospective: One of my earliest efforts in book design, this represented a significant accomplishment. Nonetheless, it is very evidently a student's work. It's gratifying to see how far I've come.

fig. 1

cover with spine

fig. 2

program pillars

fig. 3

table of contents

fig. 4

section divider 1

fig. 5

section divider 2

fig. 6

project spread 1

fig. 7

project spread 2

specimen sheets

by Tim Henderson

two color

17 × 11 in.

7 pages

2024

about the study

In order to grow my understanding of the typesetting tools available to me and speed my decision-making, I decided to create printed specimen sheets for some notable book faces.

I explored 26 robust and well-regarded families, categorized them loosely by style and era, and wrote a short description for each, including their available weights, optical sizes, and OpenType features. I displayed text at title, body, and caption sizes, and featured samples of italics and small caps. The body text was a selection from Don Quixote set at 12/16. Ornament sets were also featured for quick reference.

I learned a great deal from this process, and now have an excellent tool I can use to quickly identify the typeface that is the best fit for a given book, ensuring it has all necessary features to support the content. I also intend to re-set these specimens with 10pt body type.

In an ideal world, I would replace the weaker faces with other notables I do not currently own, such as Centaur, Galliard, Van Dijck, Fleischmann, Monticello, and Walbaum.

fig. 1

15th-century venetian style faces

[ view all specimen sheets . . . ]

[ view all specimen sheets . . . ]

[ view all specimen sheets . . . ]

incomplete works, 2024

Initial spreads from two works-in-progress. Text and art sourced from Project Gutenberg and The Met's open access library.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is formatted at 5.5 × 8.5 inches. Often, Baskerville may be used for 19th-century British texts like Alice. In a playful twist, I chose to set my version with the typeface Mrs. Eaves, connecting its origin as a distorted, 'through the looking glass' counterpart to Baskerville with the content and themes of the story.

Don Quixote is formatted at 6 × 9 inches. In order to complement the story's content, themes, and age (it is often considered to be the first modern novel), I set the type using Brioso, a whimsical face of calligraphic origins that brought a wonderful motion and energy to the page while retaining an antiquarian sensibility.

fig. 1

cover; alice's adventures in wonderland

fig. 2

chapter spread; alice's adventures in wonderland

fig. 3

text spread; alice's adventures in wonderland

fig. 4

chapter spread; don quixote

fig. 5

text spread; don quixote