Curious Herbal is beautifully illustrated book of plants from MDCCXXXIX (1739). Each page is full of drawings with bright, contrasting colors. At the bottom of each page is a description of the plant and its parts. Each drawing includes a general view of the plant and a dissection of each of its parts. Each page has the same layout and alignment, bringing continuity to the book. Each plant occupies a single page and often times the dissection view is in close proximity to the part being dissected. Each part of the picture is numbered to give the reader a reference for the description at the bottom of the page. The same type of font is used throughout, but the author increases the size of the headings to help separate the pages into a logical manner. The author/illustrator uses the same shades of green throughout, but also uses very bright colors for the flowers to help create contrast to the pages. There is a clear left and right margin on each page and the use of white-space gives the book an airy feel. Overall the book is a great example of the four design principles; Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity.
