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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Amazing book... Has funny Typographic jokes! It gives you two sides of every story and helps you understand the history and importance of certain typefaces and type designers
Delightful read on typography. I wanted to know more about using fonts in design...at least generally more than I already did. This was a great jumping off point. Easy to read.
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Simon Garfield covers the history of typography, detailing major designers and major fonts, both good and bad. When a font is discussed, its name is usually printed in the font and/or examples of its use are provided. The visuals increase the entertainment factor for readers who may not be completely enthralled with the historical details. The author employs humor where he can and uses recognizable examples, revealing interesting tidbits about the effect of typography on our daily lives. The book contains tons of information about when and why a variety of fonts were designed but very little about how. An audience already familiar with the process of typography may appreciate the focus but I wanted a bit more on how one goes about designing a new font.
I read this one for a college graphic design course. I loved it. Highly recommend. Review to come. 5/5 stars.
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what i liked
*This was a book I had to read for my typography class, and I ended up really enjoying it! I loved that it made me pay attention to parts of type that I hadn't before. Now, when I'm out and about, I notice the smallest things about type.
*It's a quirky read! I also loved learning about the Ikea fiasco. I was a kid when the type change happened, but I didn't know people got so torn up about the font change for the logo!
*I liked that there were mini chapters throughout that focused on certain type artists. Some of them were pretty wild!
*I like that I was learning in a very fun way. The stories are so easily read, and I think that even if you know nothing about type before picking this book up, you'll thoroughly enjoy it.
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what i liked
*This was a book I had to read for my typography class, and I ended up really enjoying it! I loved that it made me pay attention to parts of type that I hadn't before. Now, when I'm out and about, I notice the smallest things about type.
*It's a quirky read! I also loved learning about the Ikea fiasco. I was a kid when the type change happened, but I didn't know people got so torn up about the font change for the logo!
*I liked that there were mini chapters throughout that focused on certain type artists. Some of them were pretty wild!
*I like that I was learning in a very fun way. The stories are so easily read, and I think that even if you know nothing about type before picking this book up, you'll thoroughly enjoy it.
This book was a well written and interesting story of fonts, typesetting, design and the printed word. It was a quick and fun read that I think anyone interested in design would love.
Fun read - interesting history on fonts and how they came about and affect our culture
A fun and informative look at fonts - their anatomy, history, creators' biographies, and usage trends over time. As someone with novice knowledge of fonts and design I found this book helping me to look at the fonts around me in different and more nuanced ways. I still wouldn't consider myself an expert - Garfield's book makes it clear what it means to be a real font nerd - but next time I pick a font for a project it won't just be because I know "Comic Sans is bad" or "bold is more readable."
Birthday books for the win! This one's been on my to-read list for a while, not just because it's about fonts, but because it's gotten slammed pretty hard by the design community. (I gather the excellent "Stop Stealing Sheep" by Eric Zimmerman is the recommended alternative.) Now I get to find out for myself what all the beef is about.
Worth the read if only for the awesomely graphic foreword by Chip Kidd.
This isn’t a textbook or a definitive history of type, but it does show a very human side to the fonts that were born after Guttenberg’s printing press.
Pretty funny and informative in a “fun facts” kind of way, I found it to be an enjoyable read on a topic that tends to be handled in a very dry manner.
My one peeve is that a lot of the beautiful fonts mentioned only get displayed in their name or for a tiny paragraph at best. I would have liked to get a bit more of a taste of at least the main ones, maybe a graph showing the main letters and symbols to fully display the uniqueness of each one.
This isn’t a textbook or a definitive history of type, but it does show a very human side to the fonts that were born after Guttenberg’s printing press.
Pretty funny and informative in a “fun facts” kind of way, I found it to be an enjoyable read on a topic that tends to be handled in a very dry manner.
My one peeve is that a lot of the beautiful fonts mentioned only get displayed in their name or for a tiny paragraph at best. I would have liked to get a bit more of a taste of at least the main ones, maybe a graph showing the main letters and symbols to fully display the uniqueness of each one.