Reflections

Make directories functional
Recently, Bombay Telephones had invited designs for the cover of the new telephone
directory. I am not too good at graphic design, so I have not sent in an entry, but I do
venture to make a few suggestions.
I can think of three functions which the cover of a book or directory serves. One, it
keeps the inside pages together; two, it tells the interested, at a glance what the inside
pages are all about and three, it attempts to wean the interested away from the other
competing titles.
If one looks at the cover of the present telephone directory, one would notice that it
holds the inside pages together well. Directories are used very roughly and I have yet
to see a copy which was falling apart. It also conveys well that it is a telephone
directory, if anything, a bit too loudly. The chance that it can be confused for anything
else is remote. But the illustration on the cover showing a folded map of Bombay held
together by a telephone is totally unnecessary and wholly avoidable.
A cover is a handy space and therefore valuable, which should be used to provide
useful information. If I were to design the telephone directory, I would reduce the size
of the typeface which proclaims 'Bombay Telephone Directory 1988'. The message
can be conveyed in a more modest manner. I would make the size of the typeface of
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