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Typefaces

Type: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles, Vol. 1 by Jan Tholenaar, Alston W. Purvis, and Cees De Jong (Taschen)

Type-Vol.2: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles by Alston W Purvis, Cees De Jong, (Taschen) (Second volume not seen) offers a novel overview of typeface design, exploring the most beautiful and remarkable examples of font catalogs from the history of publishing, with a special emphasis on the period from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, when color`catalogs were at their height. Taken from a Dutch collection, this exuberant selection traverses the evolution of the printed letter in all its various incarnations via exquisitely designed catalogs displaying not only type specimens in roman, italic, bold, semi-bold, narrow, and broad, but also characters, borders, ornaments, initial letters and decorations as well as often spectacular examples of the use of the letters. The Victorian fonts, sumptuous and sometimes unbelievably outrageous, are accorded a prominent place in this book. In addition to lead letters, examples from lithography and letters by window-dressers, inscription carvers, and calligraphers are also displayed and described. Featuring works by type designers including: William Caslon, Fritz Helmuth Ehmcke, Peter Behrens, Rudolf Koch, Eric Gill, Jan van Krimpen, Paul Renner, Jan Tschichold, A. M. Cassandre, Aldo Novarese, Adrian Frutiger.

In order to include a vast amount of material, we have divided this text into two volumes. The first volume displays pre 20th Century type specimens, and the second covers the period from 1900 to the middle of the century. In the first volume, editor Cees de Jong and collector Jan Tholenaar write about single specimens and types; in the second, Alston Purvis outlines the history of types.

Excerpt: William Caslon was most successful in England. In 1720, his first year of business, he produced a new typeface for the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge to be used for a Bible in Arabic.

He printed sample pages so that he could sell the new typeface to other printers. On these sheets was his name, William Caslon, in roman letters designed specially for the purpose. This new typeface design was the beginning of the popular style we now know as Caslon Old Style. Following this style, Caslon cut a number of non-roman and exotic styles, including Coptic, Armenian, Etruscan, and Hebrew. Caslon Gothic is his version of Old English, or black letter. He published the first and extensive catalog for his type foundry in 1734, presenting a total of 38 typefaces. William Caslon died in 1766, aged 74.

Collector Jan Tholenaar has assembled one of the greatest private collections of type specimens in the world. With his individual preferences setting the tone, the collection focuses on specimens produced between 1830 and 1930.

Extremely diverse fantasy letters and ornaments, with examples of artistic printing. The two volumes of this publication display some wonderful examples, with dazzling construction and color combinations.

Type specimen in letterpress, not in lithography. Here we see magnificent examples of setting, all made up of letters, lines, or intricate ornaments. Applications were devised for all of this material being offered for sale, set, and printed by hand. This chapter in the history of type specimens is endearing, and the infinite variety is glorious.

Until the beginning of the 20th Century, the names of only a handful of famous type designers, such as Garamond, Bodoni, and Fournier, were known. The thousands of typefaces introduced by foundries in the 19th Century were designed and engraved by anonymous workers. In type catalogs, these are referred to as "im Hause" or "Hausschnitt."

It was Klingspor, in particular, who attracted and credited famous designers in the early 20th Century: Otto Eckmann, Rudolf Koch, Walter Tiemann, Imre Reiner. Bauer engaged the services of Heinrich Wieynk, E H. Ehmcke, Lucian Bernhard, E. R. Weiss, Paul Renner, and E H. Ernst Schneidler.

Berthold employed designers such as Louis Oppenheim, Georg Trump, and Herbert Bayer. Important designers also worked for the Ludwig and Mayer type foundry, including Heinrich Jost, J. Erbar, and J. V. Cissarz. Georg Belwe and Jan Tschichold designed for Schelter & Giesecke, and E W. Kleukens and Hermann Zapf for Stempel. Some designed type for more than one firm.

The Germans were trendsetters in this area. But in other countries, too, there were excellent designers working for type foundries. Georges Auriol and E. Grasset worked for Peignot, for example; A. M. Cassandre and Adrian Frutiger for Deberny Peignot; Roger Excoffon for Olive; Aldo Novarese for Nebiolo; Warren Chappell and Morris F. Benton for American Type Founders; Rudolph Ruzicka, W. A. Dwiggins, and Walter Tracy for Linotype; and E W Goody, Bruce Rogers, Berthold Wolpe, and Eric Gill for Monotype. S. H. de Roos and Dick Dooijes were employed by Lettergieterij Amsterdam, and J. van Krimpen and S. L. Hartz worked for Enschede.

German foundries often had a branch either in Moscow or St. Petersburg to serve the Russian market. Also from Berthold is a Hebrew specimen from 1924 with various faces and wonderful color illustrations. In 1925, a similar specimen was published in Eastern languages, including Arabic, Turkish, and Hindi.

For 500 years, the same methods were used for printing—and, suddenly, it was over, owing to new developments. Type foundries that made only lead type have disappeared. Some changed with the times and are still part of the creative process of artistic presentation of messages in the global digital world.

Typeface: Classic Typography for Contemporary Design by Tamye Riggs, James Grieshaber (Princeton Architectural Press) If there is one experience that any graphic designer can relate to, it's the quest for the perfect typeface. The right typeface communicates the visual essence of the content while enhancing the impact of the overall design. The dozens of type samplers available are often more confusing than helpful, offering hundreds of choices but little guidance. Typeface: Classic Typography for Contemporary Design is a unique sourcebook featuring sixty classic typefaces that continue to resonate with today's most influential graphic designers. The book is organized using typographic classifications such as sans serif, serif, display, script, and dingbats. Each typeface is presented in detail, including its origin, main characteristics, and uses. The main character set of each type specimen is accompanied by typesheet style examples including technical specifications and non-Latin characters.

In addition, Typeface includes a unique feature certain to delight designers: a choice of similar typefaces is given for each font, so that alternatives can be easily compared, taking the stress out of tracking down typefaces. Characteristics such as vertically stressed oblique serifs or abrupt contrasts are highlighted and easily cross-referenced, allowing designers to make educated type choices without having to trawl through the seemingly endless pages of type vendor libraries. Accompanying the main character sets and typesheets are examples of the typefaces in use. Leading practitioners such as Pentagram, karlssonwilker inc., and Why Not Associates provide a working context for each typeface, making Typeface both a fully functional sourcebook and an inspirational showcase of international typographic design.  

Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design by Armin Vit, Bryony Gomez Palacio (Rockport) is a visual and informational guide to the most commonly referenced terms, historical moments, landmark projects, and influential practitioners in the field of graphic design. With more than 2,000 design projects illustrating more than 400 entries, it provides an intense overview of the varied elements that make up the graphic design profession through a unique set of chapters: “principles" defines the very basic foundation of what constitutes graphic design to establish the language, terms, and concepts that govern what we do and how we do it, covering layout, typography, and printing terms; “knowledge" explores the most influential sources through which we learn about graphic design from the educational institutions we attend to the magazines and books we read; “representatives" gathers the designers who over the years have proven the most prominent or have steered the course of graphic design in one way or another; and “practice" highlights some of the most iconic work produced that not only serve as examples of best practices, but also illustrate its potential lasting legacy. Graphic Design, Referenced serves as a comprehensive source of information and inspiration by documenting and chronicling the scope of contemporary graphic design, stemming from the middle of the twentieth century to today.

Typography Essentials: 100 Design Principles for Working with Type by Ina Saltz (Rockport) outlines and demonstrates basic type guidelines and rules through 100 entries, including choosing the typeface for the project, striving for rhythm and balance with type, combining typefaces, using special characters, and kerning and legibility.  These essentials of type design are critical to the success of any job.

 

 

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