The more I read of Updike's Essays (The Well-Made Book), the more the guy seems like a character that would just be fun to talk to.

Here he is in an essay on “Ecclesiastical Printing”, talking about decorations on the page of liturgical books (lectionaries, prayer-books, etc.)

When I have said that fancifulness should be avoided, I mean by this, that the trivial sprinkling of crosses and devotional emblems on printing intended for use of the Church is in wretched taste and is the resort only of ignorant incompetence. When a clergyman wants something "churchy and artistic" he usually means this kind of printing. The first page of any devotional book might very properly have a cross upon it or some religious emblem — but nothing else. One colour of ink is generally enough; and it is much better that black ink should be used and good paper, than two colours of ink, and paper of poor quality. For the service of God it is desirable to use the best material and to avoid all display and needless expense. (p. 150)

In my job and due to my own bibliophile-itude, I've seen and paged through a lot of books published into the Christian market. Many are well-made and professionally executed.

However, there have been a few — and I hope I don't sound too elitist here — that were quite horrid. Updike's first sentence made me laugh, but it also made me think of some of the “stupid editorial tricks” I've seen over the years. Stuff like:

• strange and almost incomprehensible methods for representing supposedly “free” verse. Look for this when content was most likely transcribed from audio presentations and minimally edited before being printed. Just because it sounded good doesn't mean it will read well, no matter what you do to the page to try to make it read well. Give up, really edit the content, and have another go at it.
• use of fonts and/or colors that are positively identified with the 1970's. Unfortunately, the Hermeneia commentary series is one of these, from my perspective. Don't get me wrong — the content is informative, well written and quite useful. I've got a volume at home and I'd buy more depending on what I'm studying. But the oddly-shaped orange/yellow hardbacks that don't fit well on any shelf make me cringe when I pick them up. I'm sure they looked modern for awhile, but they look oh-so-dated now. If someone is unfamiliar with the series or the name, and sees a volume in a bookstore or a library, that someone is less likely to pick it up and use it/buy it because it looks like it is dated — in a bad way. You know, like shag carpet and the AMC Gremlin.

There's more stuff deep in this well, but I'm gonna hold back. Updike's quote still makes me smile, though:

 ... the trivial sprinkling of crosses and devotional emblems on printing intended for use of the Church is in wretched taste and is the resort only of ignorant incompetence.

(Random thought: I wonder what Updike would think about the 'Christian' fishes, doves, etc. slapped on the back of cars these days?)

Wow, I just noticed that he worked “wretched” and “ignorant” into the same sentence. Do you have examples of design, editorial practice, or whatnot that you've found  to be indicative of “wretched taste” or “ignorant incompetence”? Or just things that you think look bad? Feel free to drop a comment with your examples. I'm interested to see what you've come across.