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jmrprice's review against another edition
3.0
Worth the read to understand why some fonts have been around for decades (centuries!) and continue to appeal to folks. Also interesting to learn about some of the more prolific type designers.
stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
3.0
Fonts are something I have always taken for granted and, until I met graphic designer friends in college, never really had cause to think about. Through this book, I learned more than I ever thought possible about them, from design, to history, to piracy, to the sheer obsession people have with them.
Unfortunately, this book is not particularly well-written. It's difficult to wade through, is disjointed, and seems to borrow heavily from the documentary on the Helvetica font, which I watched and overall was a more enjoyable experience. However, I did learn quite a bit from this book, and enjoyed myself in the process, which is always a good thing. I don't think I'll deviate too much from Calibri and Arial, though....
Unfortunately, this book is not particularly well-written. It's difficult to wade through, is disjointed, and seems to borrow heavily from the documentary on the Helvetica font, which I watched and overall was a more enjoyable experience. However, I did learn quite a bit from this book, and enjoyed myself in the process, which is always a good thing. I don't think I'll deviate too much from Calibri and Arial, though....
frostap's review against another edition
5.0
That I love this book was kind of a foregone conclusion, but it was even better than expected. If you cringe when you see Comic Sans, this is for you!
katyab's review against another edition
3.0
Probably 3.5 stars. This was fun and informative, and considering I often struggle getting through non-fiction books, this was a breeze. It’s nice to find something that opens your eyes to a whole new layer of life — most fonts are made to be invisible, but I’ll be damned if I don’t keep noticing them from now on!
roboxa's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like a huge nerd for liking this book as much as I did, but hey, I probably wouldn't be doing this blog if I wasn't one already. Basically, this book breaks down rather nicely the history of some of our most popular fonts and where they come from. Garfield does a great job of making this really interesting, even for those who aren't exactly typeface nerds, which are admittedly a very small group of people. This book was required reading for my Book Design class, and while I am interesting in typefaces and fonts, I wasn't particularly excited about reading a whole book about them. However, this changed when I actually caught myself laughing in the first chapter.
It was fascinating the learn about the history of these fonts that we use in everyday life but never really think about. Who actually wonders about the history of Times New Roman before they start using it for their term paper? Not very many. Now that I know some of these histories and the work and creativity that goes into making these typefaces, I have a much higher appreciation for them.
I also enjoyed the layout of the book itself. He has chapters on a certain subject in typefaces and then at the end of the chapter, gives us a brief history of a more famous typeface that most everyone has heard of in their lifetime, such as Futura and Helvetica. There is also an entire chapter on Comic sans that makes me giggle.
Before this book, I never really thought that typefaces alone could send a message to their readers, and how some typefaces have become so prominent with businesses that it makes people in the know roll their eyes when they see it. How unoriginal to use Helvetica, but damn is it pretty! After reading this book, I now look at type on signs and brochures and wonder which typeface they used and why. What does this typeface say about this company? It's astounding how much time, effort, and money goes into finding just the right typeface, and how important that is for branding since picking the wrong typeface can actually turn people away from a business. No joke! He also makes fun of the 2012 London Olympics font which I found horrendous even before I read this book. That font and logo was just a hot mess.
In the end, if you want to read a book that gives you a highly informative but also engaging look into the world of type, this is the book for you. It is easy to understand, and while he sometimes uses typeface jargon, he makes sure to explain these phrases which was extremely helpful when he would talk about kerning, ascenders, descenders. A great read that has the changed the way I view type and fonts.
It was fascinating the learn about the history of these fonts that we use in everyday life but never really think about. Who actually wonders about the history of Times New Roman before they start using it for their term paper? Not very many. Now that I know some of these histories and the work and creativity that goes into making these typefaces, I have a much higher appreciation for them.
I also enjoyed the layout of the book itself. He has chapters on a certain subject in typefaces and then at the end of the chapter, gives us a brief history of a more famous typeface that most everyone has heard of in their lifetime, such as Futura and Helvetica. There is also an entire chapter on Comic sans that makes me giggle.
Before this book, I never really thought that typefaces alone could send a message to their readers, and how some typefaces have become so prominent with businesses that it makes people in the know roll their eyes when they see it. How unoriginal to use Helvetica, but damn is it pretty! After reading this book, I now look at type on signs and brochures and wonder which typeface they used and why. What does this typeface say about this company? It's astounding how much time, effort, and money goes into finding just the right typeface, and how important that is for branding since picking the wrong typeface can actually turn people away from a business. No joke! He also makes fun of the 2012 London Olympics font which I found horrendous even before I read this book. That font and logo was just a hot mess.
In the end, if you want to read a book that gives you a highly informative but also engaging look into the world of type, this is the book for you. It is easy to understand, and while he sometimes uses typeface jargon, he makes sure to explain these phrases which was extremely helpful when he would talk about kerning, ascenders, descenders. A great read that has the changed the way I view type and fonts.