Designers provide ways into—and out of—the flood of words by breaking up text into pieces and offering shortcuts and alternate routes through masses of information. (...) Although many books define the purpose of typography as enhancing the readability of the written word, one of design’s most humane functions is, in actuality, to help readers avoid reading.
Interpretation
Designers help organize information to make it easier to navigate and choose what to read.
Ellen Lupton's quote emphasizes the role of design in information communication, suggesting that designers not only enhance readability but also curate content, guiding readers through vast amounts of text. This functionality of design serves a humane purpose by enabling users to avoid unnecessary reading, ultimately streamlining their experience and allowing for more efficient information consumption.
In practice
In a workshop on graphic design, I shared a quote on how typography can guide readers through content.
Design is an art of situations. Designers respond to a need, a problem, a circumstance, that arises in the world. The best work is produced in relation to interesting situations - an open-minded client, a good cause, or great content.
It is sad that so many designers don't know how to make. CAD software can make a bad design look palatable! It is sad that four years can be spent on a 3D design course without making anything! People who are great at designing and making have a great advantage.
It is not how much empty space there is, but rather how it is used. It is not how much information there is, but rather how effectively it is arranged.
Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.
Design should not dominate things, should not dominate people. It should help people. That's its role.
If you remember the shape of your spoon at lunch, it has to be the wrong shape. The spoon and the letter are tools; one to take food from the bowl, the other to take information off the page... When it is a good design, the reader has to feel comfortable because the letter is both banal and beautiful.
Design cannot rescue failed content.
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