Books: All About Types. Part 3

We all have our favorite fonts, types and books. Because the list of favourite books continually grows, today we’ll share the third part of our series of posts on books about typography. Type takes centre stage this time, as it becomes the star and the main focus. And we’re not talking only about titles. If thinking with type is just your type, this new list of books will come in handy. Let’s browse:

Thinking with Type, Second Revised and Expanded Edition: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students

This revised edition of Thinking with Type 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. The visual examples show how to be inventive within systems of typographic form. No worry, they’ll tell you what the rules are, but also how to break them. All in all, this is a great guide to using typography in visual communication, from print to screen. A book for everyone.

A Type Primer

Are you looking for a book to analyse the basic principles and applications of type? Because this practical introduction to typography and top fonts could be the answer. From measuring type and classifying typefaces to organising text on a page and understanding grid systems, this book covers everything that the beginning student of graphic design needs to know. But there’s more. Like that brief history of typography, numerous examples to illustrate the points raised and a series of useful exercises to help readers put basic principles into practice.

Type Matters

This is a book of tips for everyday use, for all users of typography, from students and professionals to anyone who does any layout design on a computer. All that confusing terminology about letter spacing and visual centring, but also the rules for good typography, are discussed. There are three chapters, and within each chapter there are sections devoted to particular principles or problems, such as selecting the right typeface, leading, and the treatment of numbers. Full of examples, authoritatively written and designed by a practitioner and teacher of typography. By the way, the beautifully clear layout reinforces the principles discussed throughout.

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts

Just My Type is not just about fonts, this is a proper book of stories. A Sunday Times review mentioned that it is ‘a kind of Eats, Shoots and Leaves for letters, revealing the extent to which fonts are not only shaped by but also define the world in which we live.’ You’l find out how Helvetica and Comic Sans took over the world, why Barack Obama opted for Gotham, while Amy Winehouse found her soul in 30s Art Deco. It tells stories about the great originators of type, from Baskerville to Zapf, or people like Neville Brody who threw out the rulebook, or Margaret Calvert, who invented the motorway signs that are used from Watford Gap to Abu Dhabi. But enough with the spoilers, these are stories any typography lover will enjoy. Exciting and inspiring.