Colophon

The animal on the cover of Designing Interfaces is a Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata), one of the most beautiful of the duck species. Originating in China, these colorful birds can be found in southeast Russia, northern China, Japan, southern England, and Siberia. The males have diverse and colorful plumage, characterized by an iridescent crown, chestnut-colored cheeks, and a white eye stripe that extends from their red bills to the back of their heads. Females are less flamboyant in appearance and tend to be gray, white, brown, and greenish-brown, with a white throat and foreneck.

These birds live in woodland areas near streams and lakes. Being omnivorous, they tend to have a seasonal diet, eating acorns and grains in autumn; insects, land snails, and aquatic plants in spring; and dew worms, grasshoppers, frogs, fish, and mollusks during the summer months.

The mating ritual of Mandarin ducks begins with an elaborate and complex courtship dance that involves shaking movements, mimed drinking gestures, and preening. Males fight each other to win a female, but it is ultimately the female who decides her mate. Mandarin ducklings instinctively follow their notoriously protective mothers, who will feign injury to distract predators such as otters, raccoon dogs, mink, polecats, eagle owls, and grass snakes.

Mandarin ducks are not an endangered species, but they are considered to be threatened. Loggers continuously encroach upon their habitats, and hunters and poachers prize the males for their plumage. Their meat is considered unpalatable by humans, and they are generally not hunted for food.

The cover image is from Johnson’s Natural History. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Adobe Minion Pro, and the heading and note font is Adobe Myriad Pro Condensed.