Typography Books

‘Why do type designers traditionally think in black and white?’ Are typographers and type designers really black-and-white thinkers? Are they really so conservative as to think that text in books, periodicals, newspapers and other print, including the text on your laptop, tablet or mobile phone, should always be black? There’s plenty of color in the print media, at least in illustrations, and occasionally we come across a color headline. Traditionally, texts in manuscripts were written in b

From the Age of La Peinture en Lettres — A kaleidoscopic survey of letterforms from nineteenth- and twentieth-century France, Lettres Décoratives includes more than 150 plates from grand lithographic albums printed at the height of the sign painter’s craft. Originally made to demonstrate styles and inspire artists to decorate cities with increasingly colorful, adventurous, and refined forms, these portfolios preserve a rich visual history of urban alphabets. An introduction by practitioner Morga

This book aims to shine light on work of women in type. The first part of the book offers research on the gender issue in type design field. It includes statistics, data and an overview of some works that address this issue. Further it contains some biographies of female type designers that worked in the 19th and in the beginning of 20th century. These women contributed to the industry, yet they are rarely mentioned in educational material. The second part is a series of the interviews with 14

Theory of Type Design by type designer Gerard Unger is a comprehensive theory of typeface design. This volume consists of 24 chapters, each describing a different aspect of type design, from the influence of language to today’s digital developments, from how our eyes and brain process letterforms to their power of expression. This book includes more than 200 illustrations and practical examples that illuminate the theoretical material. The terminology is explained in the volume’s extensive gl

Alfabeti Modernisti Type Specimens illustrates twenty-five digital revivals based on wooden and lead typefaces produced in Italy in the 1930s and 1940s, documenting a research and enhancement project that intertwines memory and design and gives new voice to a little-explored chapter of Italian graphic design. Very popular at the time but now forgotten, the typefaces have been recovered by Luca Lattuga over a period of more than ten years. Reissued by the CAST type foundry, available for purchase

In ‘Dutch Type’, Jan Middendorp presents a comprehensive overview of type design and lettering in the Netherlands, tracing its origins through type designers and lettering artists from the 15th to the 20th centuries. Partly based on interviews, the book also offers insight into the motives and methods of the first generations of digital type designers, featuring published and unpublished typefaces as well as sketches, studies, and samples of lettering work. While the quest for quality and innova

In 1929, ten years after the Bauhaus was founded, Berlin’s Martin-Gropius-Bau launched the exhibition “New Typography.” László Moholy-Nagy, who had left Dessau the previous year and had earned a reputation as a designer in Berlin, was invited to exhibit his work together with other artists. He designed a room—entitled “Wohin geht die typografische Entwicklung?” (“Where is typography headed?”)—where he presented 78 wall charts illustrating the development of the “New Typography” since the turn of

Cyrillic is a script used in numerous primarily eastern and southern Slavic languages in Europe and Asia. “Cyrillize it!” is an introductory work for graphic designers who are not native to the Cyrillic script, and cannot read Cyrillic-based languages. The book offers a method of dealing meaningfully and successfully with writing systems other than your own. The approach is based on constantly drawing parallels between Latin and Cyrillic, thus making a foreign script more familiar to non-native

Although Arabic is the third-most widely used script in the world, there is a lack of sound typographic literature. This publication is a multi-disciplinary reference work that combines the latest academic research with applied typography. The focus on elements that pertain specifically to Arabic typography prevents overlapping with the comprehensive literature on Latin script typography, making the book relevant and accessible to the widest possible audience. The first part provides an in-depth

In the early 1970s, the Swiss packaging company Bobst S.A. began to wonder whether it would be ready for the future with only one product type. The Lausanne-based company, already far advanced in terms of packaging manufacturing technology, decided to launch phototypesetting machines. Thanks to the participation of some of the best font designers in the country, e.g. Team 77, different font families were developed for the new technique. The history of Bobst Graphic – a pioneering feat

Combining typefaces is one of the great challenges and, at the same time, a continuing allure for typographers and designers: is it meant to be extravagant or should it only be carried out to a limited degree or, ideally, not at all? Which fonts harmonize with each other, and which don't? Which ones complement each other or even enhance each other? There are few answers to be found in the professional literature. This handbook demonstrates that it is possible to determine criteria for the c

How were the first fonts made? Who invented italics? When did we work out how to print in color? Typographic Firsts charts the formative early history of the printed or typographic book. Many of the standard features of the printed book were designed by pioneering typographers and printers in the latter half of the fifteenth century. Although Johannes Gutenberg is credited with printing the first books with moveable type, at the height of the Renaissance printers and publishers found innova

The Visual History of Type is a comprehensive, detailed survey of the major typefaces produced since the advent of printing with movable type in the mid-fifteenth century to the present day. Arranged chronologically to provide context, more than 320 typefaces are displayed in the form of their original type specimens or earliest printing. Each entry is supported by a brief history and description of key characteristics of the typeface. This book will be the definitive publication in its field, a

Design School: Type is an instructive guide for students, recent graduates, and self-taught designers. You'll get a comprehensive introduction to typography, a crucially important skill that underpins practically every aspect of graphic design. These guided lessons offer in-depth analysis of all the major areas of theory and practice used by experienced professional designers. Each section is interspersed with tests designed to help you retain the information they've covered, and a selection of

Fifty Type Specimens is a collection of postcards with typographic images, for inspiration, correspondence, or display. Cards feature classic letterforms, pages from specimen books, and crops of letters presented in a box with the feel of an old specimen book. Historic typefaces, selected by renowned designer Tobias Frere-Jones, are organized into four geographic categories by thumb tabs: Germany, France, United States, and the United Kingdom.

A reference guide of typographic terms and classification with definitions of form and usage for Latin based writing systems. The TDR is an encyclopedia, listing countless entries on the typographic arts. http://typedeskref.com/

This study of America’s leading type foundry of the nineteenth century, MacKellar, Smiths & Jordan, emphasizes the design of the hundreds of typefaces that were produced by the foundry, from its inception in the 1860s until its merger with most other American foundries at the end of the century. The author describes how changing business conditions and technical improvements in type founding interacted with changes in public taste over the decades to modify the appearance of American typefac

Type Specimens introduces readers to the history of typography and printing through a chronological visual tour of the books, posters, and ephemera designed to sell fonts to printers, publishers, and eventually graphic designers. This richly illustrated book guides design educators, advanced design students, design practitioners, and type aficionados through four centuries of visual and trade history, equipping them to contextualize the aesthetics and production of type in a way that is pra

Letraset: The DIY Typography Revolution is the first comprehensive history of Letraset, the rubdown lettering system that revolutionised typographic expression. The book tells the Letraset story from its early days as a difficult-to-use wet system, to its glory years as the first truly democratic alternative to professional typesetting. The book also looks at Letraset’s present-day revival amongst a new set of admirers who recognise the typographic excellence of the system’s typefaces.

Typography is what comes between the author and the reader. This is as true on the web as it is in any other medium. If a text has anything at all significant to say, it needs a typographer’s care, which will in turn be repaid by the reader’s attention. If you design websites or use CSS then you are a typographer whether you know it or not. This book is a practical guide and companion reference to all aspects of typography on the web. It deftly combines implement­ation details with typograp

Learn FontLab Fast; A Simplified Guide to Creating Fonts with FontLab, TypeTool, ScanFont and AsiaFont Studio covers versions 4.6 and 5.0 of FontLab. It has been written to enable users to dramatically cut down the learning curve required to master FontLab and its sister programs, TypeTool and AsiaFont Studio. Author and designer Leslie Cabarga (who also wrote The Logo Font & Lettering Bible) packed Learn FontLab Fast with illustrations, diagrams and screenshots, and cut the text to a minimu

Explore 100 key concepts, theories, and guidelines that are critical for choosing and using type. We communicate with text every single day, but what does it mean to really understandtype—to use it with clear intent and purpose? The art and science of typography combines subtle tweaks to line lengths with harmonious combinations of weights and styles; considered typeface pairings with a robust set of alternate characters; exciting technological advances with the realities of font licensing.

With easy-to-follow instructions, many examples and professional tips, the book teaches you how to design unique typefaces tailor-made for your own projects or customer orders.  Designing Fonts has two parts. Part 1 explains the theoretical, creative and technical basics of type design and font production. Six chapters then cover everything from alphabet to font, showing you how to find and develop typeface ideas, design matching letters, produce fonts and expand them with special functions

Type Directory shows 1,500 typefaces are organized by category – Serif, Sans Serif, Display, Script and Symbols & Dingbats – and subsequently arranged by recognized sub-categories. This allows the reader to make a direct comparison of typefaces with a similar appearance, thus facilitating a deeper understanding of the design and selection process. A visual celebration of the craft, innovation and beauty of these letterforms is presented throughout, from classic typefaces like Garamond, Bodon

A wide-ranging survey of revival typefaces focusing on digital fonts with roots in the past Examples in 'Revival Type' include direct revivals of metal and wood typefaces, while others are looser interpretations of older typefaces. Among the fonts are interpretations of classic designs by Nicolas Jenson, Claude Garamont, Robert Granjon, William Caslon, John Baskerville, Giambattista Bodoni, Firmin Didot and other iconic names. Alongside them are typefaces rooted in the work of important, th

The Evolution of Type takes the reader on a journey through the development of type design and typographic style from the mid-15th century to the present day, by way of 100 typefaces. Chosen to represent the key elements of style and form used by the punch cutters, calligraphers and designers of their day, and presented in chronological order according to release date, each typeface is discussed in terms of its origins and its impact on the design and print industry, and latterly the additional

Arcade Game Typography presents readers with a fascinating new world of typography: the pixel typeface. Video game designers of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s faced color and resolution limitations that stimulated incredible creativity. With each letter having to exist in a small pixel grid, artists began to use clever techniques to create elegant character sets within a tiny canvas. This book presents typefaces on a dynamic and decorative grid, taking reference from high-end type specimens while addi

Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, & Other Typographical Marks (USA), or Shady Characters: Ampersands, Interrobangs and Other Typographical Curiosities (UK), is an illustrated companion book of the website Shady Characters: The secret life of punctuation. “Shady Characters weaves a fascinating trail across the parallel histories of language and typography. Whether investigating the asterisk (*) and dagger (†)—which alternately illuminated and skewered heretical v

Second book of Keith Houston after „Shady Characters”. „The Book” is about the paper, ink, thread, glue and board from which a book is made. It’s an amazing travel through history of this 2,000 year-old medium: from tablets and papyrus scrolls to hard covers and paperbacks we have today. It’s a must-have for anyone interested in history of book making, but also for editorial designers and printers.

“One of the most essential tools of graphic design, typography influences the appearance of visual print materials perhaps more than any other component. This essential book explains the processes behind creating and designing type. Author Karen Cheng discusses issues of structure, optical compensation, and legibility, with special emphasis given to the often overlooked relationships between letters and shapes in font design. The book is illustrated with numerous diagrams that demonstrate visual

The book is a collection of invited chapters by renowned experts and is part of a series on Language Processing, Pattern Recognition, and Intelligent Systems. The content is wide-ranging, encompassing perspectives from computer science to social science to design and reflecting the considerable experience of researchers, teachers and practitioners. This diversity offers rigorous approaches to the topic of Digital fonts and reading, organised in four sections: vision and reading; scientific appro

Sofie Beier from Denmark holds a PhD from the Royal College of Art in London. Her research focuses on typeface legibility, aiming at a better understanding of how different typefaces and letter shapes can influence the reading process. Her book “Reading Letters—designing for legibility” tries to bridge the gap between scientific research and applied graphic and type design. The purpose of the book is to support type designers in creating legible typefaces and help graphic designers to deter

Shaping Text takes a practical and broad approach to typography. It is aimed at design students and graphic designers, and also at those who are concerned with content: writers, editors, and publishers. Showing a wide range of examples from first-rate designers across the world, the book examines why and how typographic designs work well in a given context. Particular attention is given to the team play between the text itself—written language—and the design—the shaping of the text—to form a new

For at least a dozen years, Luca Lattuga has been collecting and cataloguing metal and wooden movable type produced in Italy between the 1920s and 1940s. During his research, he rediscovered a recurring and consistent style, hitherto little considered, that characterized that period. Although widespread at the time, this style, which originated in the printing workshops, remained in the shadows for decades. These lesser-known typefaces coexisted alongside the famous types from historic foundries

How are typefaces designed? What is the process? Which characters are essential? What is the difference between roman, italic and cursive? What is OpenType? In How to create typefaces Cristóbal Henestrosa, Laura Meseguer and José Scaglione answer these and many other questions in a straightforward and direct way. This publication, aimed at new and novice type designers as well as those trained in the field, unravels the fascinating task of creating a font, from sketch to screen.  Content

Typo 9010 unites an encyclopaedic collection of Czech digitized typefaces starting from 1990, a time when computers were starting to replace phototypesetting and copying letters by hand, and ending with 2010, when almost a dozen small type foundries were operating in the country.  The book captures the most important moments at the oldest Czech type design studio (at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague) and recapitulates the most important milestones in the industry. 

Erik Spiekermann is the epitome of a typographer. With his typefaces, commercial projects, and enterprises, he has shaped the world of graphic design like no other. This comprehensive book is the first to showcase his body of work and tell the story of his life.  Hello, I am Erik is the first-ever visual biography of Erik Spiekermann s work. The book documents his projects, traces milestones in his life, and offers his personal perspectives on design. Essays by notable designers and authors

Although, or perhaps because, most of us write less and less by hand, our fascination for handwritten letterforms is growing. Typeface designers who specialize in traditional, charming, or spectacular lettering with a handmade look have become role models for today's young typographers and graphic design students. Script fonts--digital type families based on handwriting--are among the most sought on the typography market today. Scripts from the past, be it 18th-century formal calligraphy or adve

Know your type: A visual history of fonts and graphic styles: 1628–1938 This book offers a connoisseur’s overview of typeface design, exploring the most elegant fonts from the history of publishing. Taken from a distinguished Dutch collection, this exuberant two-volume edition traces the evolution of the printed letter via exquisitely designed catalogs, showing type specimens in roman, italic, bold, semi-bold, narrow, and broad fonts. Borders, ornaments, initial letters, and decorations are

The Swiss type designer Adrian Frutiger decisively influenced the international creation of typefaces after 1950. His Univers typeface and the machine-readable font OCR-B are milestones, as is his type for the Paris airports, which evolved into the Frutiger typeface. All set new standards for signage types. In all, he created some fifty types, including Ondine, Méridien, Avenir, and Vectora. Based on conversations with Frutiger himself and on extensive research, this publication provides a

Typography is your design's voice and the most powerful tool you have to communicate with your readers. Learn how to wield type with care and wit: how to evaluate typefaces, consider technical constraints, create flexible typographic systems, and put together your own collection of favorite faces. Jason Santa Maria wants you to see type beyond code or flourishes. You'll discover how typography shapes the way we read and how you can adapt the craft's practices for the screen. So go ahead. Choose,

This special hardback edition is limited to 300 copies. It includes a 24-page Monotype letterpress keepsake booklet, Going with Goudy to Philadelphia, composed, printed in several colors, and signed by Richard Hopkins. Tolbert Lanston and the Monotype is printed in full color, with more than three hundred photos and illustrations, 232 pages, plus several appendices and index. Tolbert Lanston, at the end of the nineteenth century, was a man obsessed with the idea of creating a machine which wo

Thinking with Type is the definitive guide to using typography in visual communication, from the printed page to the computer screen. This revised edition includes forty-eight pages of new content, including the latest information on style sheets for print and the web, the use of ornaments and captions, lining and non-lining numerals, the use of small caps and enlarged capitals, as well as information on captions, font licensing, mixing typefaces, and hand lettering. Throughout the book, visual

This is the first English-language biography of the relentlessly ambitious and incomparably talented printer Giambattista Bodoni (1740–1813). Born to a printing family in the small foothill town of Saluzzo, he left his comfortable life to travel to Rome in 1758 where he served as an apprentice of Cardinal Spinelli at the Propaganda Fide press. There, under the sponsorship of Ruggieri, his close friend, mentor, and protector, he learned all aspects of the printing craft. Even then, his real talen

THE REVOLUTION in typesetting - a revolution that over the past two decades has eliminated a five-hundred-year-old system of hot metal production and replaced it with one of photo-generated and computer-driven composition - shows no sign of winding down. This book, more than any other we know, traces the steps that went into that revolution and simultaneously makes the argument that the letter forms themselves are in process of evolution. Tracy argues that, whether they are of the sixteenth or t

Responsive web design helps your site maintain its design integrity on a variety of screen sizes, but how does it affect your typography? With this practical book, graphic designers, web designers, and front-end developers alike will learn the nuts and bolts of implementing web fonts well, especially how to get the best appearance from type without sacrificing performance on any device. After examining typography fundamentals and the evolution of type on the Web, author Jason Pamental provi

This show-all romp through design-world darling Jessica Hische’s sketchbook reveals the creative and technical process behind making award-winning hand lettering. See everything, from Hische’s rough sketches to her polished finals for major clients such as Wes Anderson, NPR, and Starbucks. The result is a well of inspiration and brass tacks information for designers who want to sketch distinctive letterforms and hone their skills. With more than 250 images and metallic silver ink printed th

“Chinese typography is not easy to tackle, but we believe that, by more self-initiated and open research, we are able to address our challenges under a global perspective and invite more discussions and breakthroughs to the field. So here is a three-volume collection of our on-going research and dialogues about typography and design in China, including its history and development, conventions and contemporary practice, and working in transcultural contexts.” Shanghai Type: a slice of

This book is a 752-page compilation celebrating the art of the type specimen. It features reprints of Emigre's most remarkable specimen designs covering a period of 30 years. Besides displaying the virtues of the fonts and revealing the processes used to design them, these specimens go beyond their primary function as sales tools and can be enjoyed as much for the typefaces as for their esoteric content. If your collection of Emigre's popular type specimens is incomplete, or if you've missed out

“We are surrounded by emoji. They appear in politics, movies, drug deals, our sex lives, and more. But emoji’s impact has never been explored in full. In this rollicking tech and pop culture history, Keith Houston follows emoji from its birth in 1990s Japan, traces its Western explosion in the 2000s, and considers emoji’s ever-expanding lexicon. Named for the world’s most popular pictogram, Face with Tears of Joy tells the whole story of emoji for the first time.” https://wwnorton.com/books/9781