Dissertation reading list help (Hand Lettering)

[Member nan…]

hi,

i would recommend also looking at traditional engraving styles, initially these were all hand cut, just copied. later this process was mediated by a machine (pantograph, as it is still today) and then digital. but the styles were developed over time through the act of engraving.

look at bergling's books still available through gem city press. i've always wondered where the originals for this wacky, huge body of work came from. all i could ever find out was that, according to his obit, he migrated to chicago at the turn of the last century then out to CA for a bit but, supposedly, returned for the white fair, worlds expo in the windy city. but i am not sure this is accurate.

anyway, the books are fun and cheap.

also, there's an illustrator's blog with loads of lettering people on it. if i can find it i will let you know.

[Member Fee…]

@terminaldesign: I'm curious to know why you think "The Stroke" and "The Elements of Typographic Style" are useless. I suppose if I put these on a continuum with something like "The Logo, Font & Lettering Bible," one end would be the extreme of theory, and the other end the extreme of practicality. But I think for a research project, just looking at examples of 20th century American type isn't going to lead to any meaningful idea unless there's a lens to view it through.

[Member J.M…]

I've discussed by opinion of "Elements" at length on Typophile, that thread is probably around somewhere. My opinion of the Stroke is that it is an over-intellectualized analysis. As someone who has learned by doing, at a time when there was no internet and very few resources on type design, I had to come to my own conclusions about things. I just don't find the book useful to me, that's all. Perhaps you find it enlightening.

[Member Dun…]

I found The Stroke quite useful, but I had to learn about type design on my own in a city where nobody else was doing it. I can see how it isn’t much use to someone with years of experience, but for a designer working on his first font it’s great to have someone explain exactly why all those intuitive aspects of drawing with a pen can be used to develop, examine, and critique a type design. But James is right—it’s not relevant to this research, at least not enough to justify reading it over something else. A BA thesis just doesn’t offer enough time to read everything—trust me, I went way overboard on the research and everything else I did suffered.