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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
This is a really clever book for really geeky fans of typefaces - of which I am one.
As I kid, I used rub-off Letraset letters for school projects, and ended up getting a poster and a catalog to pore over, studying and remembering the wacky names, like Hobo and Cooper Black. And yes, I made my own font once.
In this book, the development of movable type begins the journey through the creation of typefaces, or fonts, with various purposes. Some are to be noticed, some are to fade into the background so as to not let their message be overpowered.
All your favorite fonts - if you have one - are here, along with their designers, the stories about their use, and the surprising controversies that have ensued.
Worth it if you're a typeface or printing or even book geek, and maybe even if you're not.
As I kid, I used rub-off Letraset letters for school projects, and ended up getting a poster and a catalog to pore over, studying and remembering the wacky names, like Hobo and Cooper Black. And yes, I made my own font once.
In this book, the development of movable type begins the journey through the creation of typefaces, or fonts, with various purposes. Some are to be noticed, some are to fade into the background so as to not let their message be overpowered.
All your favorite fonts - if you have one - are here, along with their designers, the stories about their use, and the surprising controversies that have ensued.
Worth it if you're a typeface or printing or even book geek, and maybe even if you're not.
Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2012/01/just-my-type-book-about-fonts.html
Just My Type - A Book About Fonts - is a book exploring the history of of type and their impact on our world. Rather than being a historical tome, it is a collection of interesting tales of different individuals and companies and how a font came to be or how it impacted our lives. Admittedly, it is not a topic many people think about. However, if you enjoy language and history, you will find this a fascinating read.
Driving around, reading, watching TV, reading product labels, opening packages - have you ever noticed that we are constantly surrounded by the printed word? Do you think about how those letters and words come across? What happens if words we are used to seeing a certain way suddenly appear differently? Did you know that behind each typeface and font is an individual or a set of individuals - designers and artists - who determine how every letter looks, how much space it takes up, and how much space goes in between each letter? This book addresses these questions and many more through specific stories.
You can read this book cover to cover, or you can flip through the different chapters. Some of the different stories about fonts can stand alone. The bulk of this book is typeset in Sabon Lt Std 11/15 pt. The story of this font itself is found within the book. In addition, examples of different fonts and what they look like abound throughout the book making it fun to browse through even without reading it.
If you are a "typophile" or a studier of modern culture and design or if you have wondered why words look the way they do, this book will provide interesting reading.
Just My Type - A Book About Fonts - is a book exploring the history of of type and their impact on our world. Rather than being a historical tome, it is a collection of interesting tales of different individuals and companies and how a font came to be or how it impacted our lives. Admittedly, it is not a topic many people think about. However, if you enjoy language and history, you will find this a fascinating read.
Driving around, reading, watching TV, reading product labels, opening packages - have you ever noticed that we are constantly surrounded by the printed word? Do you think about how those letters and words come across? What happens if words we are used to seeing a certain way suddenly appear differently? Did you know that behind each typeface and font is an individual or a set of individuals - designers and artists - who determine how every letter looks, how much space it takes up, and how much space goes in between each letter? This book addresses these questions and many more through specific stories.
You can read this book cover to cover, or you can flip through the different chapters. Some of the different stories about fonts can stand alone. The bulk of this book is typeset in Sabon Lt Std 11/15 pt. The story of this font itself is found within the book. In addition, examples of different fonts and what they look like abound throughout the book making it fun to browse through even without reading it.
If you are a "typophile" or a studier of modern culture and design or if you have wondered why words look the way they do, this book will provide interesting reading.
I was hoping for a bit more on why and how fonts provoke certain reactions or call to mind certain styles and eras. This was mostly history of various fonts and their designers, but it was still enormously interesting. The use of fonts throughout the book was very well done.
This was a delight to read. Part social history, part history of advertising, part history of typography, and all parts fun. I learned a lot and enjoyed the process. Fonts are such a pervasive part of our world, but not something that you consciously think about or are even really aware of. However, after reading this, I am much more aware of the font types of everything --I especially loved the story of the man who tried to live a day without Helvetica. It truly makes you see the world through different eyes.
Una bella lettura per chi ha la passione dei font e della storia dei catatteri più utilizzati. Lettura scorrevole.
informative
slow-paced
A bit slow and dry but I learned a lot and have continued to think about plenty from this book. If you’re a graphic designer or interested in fonts I would highly recommend!
Enjoyable read for someone with only a passing interest in fonts. It was, for the most part, engaging and interesting, though I confess I skimmed over parts. 3.5 stars
Interesting but definitely geared for a true graphic designer. I skimmed the detailed info on minuscule measurements of difference between type styles.
Once in a while, a book comes along and makes you look at the world around you more closely, differently. Jane Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities made me pay closer attention to the features of the urban landscape and its impact on communities. Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation made me more thoughtful about the food I put in my mouth. And having read Simon Garfield's Just My Type, I can't stop looking at typefaces around me - on posters, shopfronts, newspapers, street signs. Everywhere, really. Pondering why a particular typeface is chosen over another. Is it legible, does it convey a certain kind of feeling - authoritativeness perhaps? A sense of fun? Authenticity? - that another typeface would not, could not? Do I have an opinion on typefaces?
Garfield's book is a fun read with a little something for everyone. A little about the history of printing and the history/uses of some of the more popular typefaces like Frutiger (used in airports), Road Akzidenz (on British motorways), Verdana (which IKEA switched to from Futura), Gotham (in Obama's campaign) and Helvetica (seen just about everywhere, just watch the documentary). Little factoids such as the origin of the ampersand (it is a conflation of 'et, per se and" and is actually two letters combined - an 'e' and a 't'). How font can be a dead giveaway at times, when films supposedly set in certain eras use font that was designed at a much later period, or how a trained eye can tell if posters purporting to hail from a certain period are fakes because again, their typefaces originated much later. The personalities behind some of the more popular fonts - like Eric Gill (Gill Sans), Matthew Carter (Verdana), and Vincent Connare (Comic Sans).
I wish I could say that after reading this book, I'd be able to spot Helvetica a mile away (even watching an entire documentary dedicated to the typeface did't help). But I can't. Most of these clean, modern sans serif fonts look pretty much alike to me. But it does make you take a second glance at the words we are bombarded with on a daily basis and think a bit about the impact, subconscious or no, they have on us.
Garfield's book is a fun read with a little something for everyone. A little about the history of printing and the history/uses of some of the more popular typefaces like Frutiger (used in airports), Road Akzidenz (on British motorways), Verdana (which IKEA switched to from Futura), Gotham (in Obama's campaign) and Helvetica (seen just about everywhere, just watch the documentary). Little factoids such as the origin of the ampersand (it is a conflation of 'et, per se and" and is actually two letters combined - an 'e' and a 't'). How font can be a dead giveaway at times, when films supposedly set in certain eras use font that was designed at a much later period, or how a trained eye can tell if posters purporting to hail from a certain period are fakes because again, their typefaces originated much later. The personalities behind some of the more popular fonts - like Eric Gill (Gill Sans), Matthew Carter (Verdana), and Vincent Connare (Comic Sans).
I wish I could say that after reading this book, I'd be able to spot Helvetica a mile away (even watching an entire documentary dedicated to the typeface did't help). But I can't. Most of these clean, modern sans serif fonts look pretty much alike to me. But it does make you take a second glance at the words we are bombarded with on a daily basis and think a bit about the impact, subconscious or no, they have on us.