Adding a Colophon to a Website
Table of Contents
Last updated August 4, 2025.
A colo-what? I recently added a colophon to this site, a tradition that spans centuries of publishing.
What is a Colophon?
Historically, a colophon is a brief statement containing information about the publication of a book - typically found at the end, detailing the printer, place of publication, date, and sometimes the typefaces used.
The word comes from the Greek kolophōn, meaning "summit" or "finishing touch" - quite literally, the final details that complete a work.
From Print to Digital
In traditional publishing, colophons would give attributions, technical details (like printing methods, typefaces, paper used, etc).
In adapting this tradition in the digital realm my colophon will describe the technology stack, design decisions, development practices, and hosting details.
In short a colophon would describe how a book was made, the digital version describes how this website was made. Just another way to provide transparency and share why and how I am doing this. Hopefully somoene will find it helpful.
I didn't come up with this
Like everything else on this site, I was inspired by others. Here is an article on colophons with lots of examples.
I believe I first heard about it on Cory Doctorow's Pluralistic site
His site promises "No trackers, no ads. Black type, white background. Privacy policy: we don't collect or retain any data at all ever period." - Sounds like my philosophy here.
The Living Document
Unlike physical colophons, website colophons can evolve. I update mine as the site changes, tools improve, or my understanding deepens.
References
- Oxford English Dictionary: Colophon
- Wikipedia: Colophon (publishing)
- Typographica: Colophons - print tradition overview
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