Design with Type takes the reader through a study of typography that starts with the individual letter and proceeds through the word, the line, and the mass of text. The contrasts possible with type are treated in detail, along with their applications to the typography ofbooks, advertising, magazines, and information data. The various contending schools oftypography are discussed, copiously illustrated with the author's selection of over 150 examples of imaginative typography from many parts ot the world. Design with Type differs from all other books on typography in that it discusses type as a design material as well as a means of communication: the premise is that if type is understood in terms of design, the user of type will be better able to work with it to achieve maximum legibility and effectiveness, as well as aesthetic pleasure. Everyone who uses type, everyone who enjoys the appearance of the printed word, will find Design with Type informative and fascinating. It provides, too, an outstanding example of the effectiveness of imaginative and tasteful typographic design.

The classic Designing with Type has been completely redesigned, with an updated format and full color throughout. New information and new images make this perennial best-seller an even more valuable tool for anyone interested in learning about typography. The fifth edition has been integrated with a convenient website, www.designingwithtype.com, where students and teachers can examine hundreds of design solutions and explore a world of typographic information. First published more than thirty-five years ago, Designing with Type has sold more than 250,000 copies—and this fully updated edition, with its new online resource, will educate and inspire a new generation of designers.

Graphic designers will enrich their understanding of American type design and type designers with this unique and extensive reference. The fascinating history of type in America is chronicled through the typefaces and biographies of sixty-two of the most influential type designers, including Linn Boyd Benton, Morris Fuller Benton, and Darius Wells, and through the description and history of nine American type foundries. Complete with samples of 334 different typefaces, and 700 black-and-white illustrations, this eye-popping reference reveals the expansive contribution America has made to the world of type design.

Playing with Type is a hands-on, playful approach to learning type application and principles. This engagingguide begins with an introduction to the philosophy of learning through the process of play. Along with a series of experimental design projects with an emphasis on type, the author provides designers with a “toolkit� of ideas and skills developed through the process of play. The awareness and sensitivity to type styles, forms, and type choices gained through these visual experiments will increase the designer’s confidence in their personal and professional work. This book can be used in the classroom or independently, and readers can go directly to exercises that appeal to them.

Organized by historical era and country of origin, each section of this dynamic compendium introduces the culture and aesthetics of the period, discusses how individual styles developed, and offers insights into the artistry of key typographers and foundries. 300 full-color illustrations.

Typography Essentials: 100 Design Principles for Working with Type is a practical, hands-on resource that distills and organizes the many complex issues surrounding the effective use of typography. An essential reference for designers since 2009, Typography Essentials is now completely refreshed with updated text, new graphics and photos, and a whole new look. Divided into four sections—The Letter, The Word, The Paragraph, and The Page—the text is concise, compact, and easy to reference. Each of the 100 principles, which cover all practical aspects of designing with type, has an explanation and inspiring visual examples drawn from international books, magazines, posters, and more. Typography Essentials is for designers of every medium in which type plays a major role, and is organized and designed to make the process enjoyable and entertaining, as well as instructional.

The revolution in typesetting - a revolution that over the past two decades has eliminated a five-hundred-year-old system of hot metal production and replaced it with one of photo-generated and computer-driven composition - shows no sign of winding down. This book, more than any other we know, traces the steps that went into that revolution and simultaneously makes the argument that the letter forms themselves are in process of evolution. Tracy argues that, whether they are of the sixteenth or the twentieth century, the forms that comprise our alphabet are subject to the same rules of good taste, proportion, and clarity that have always obtained. But what we face today is vastly different from fifty years ago. For the first time, new technology has made the proliferation (and, as some would maintain, debasement) of letter forms fast and easy (or quick and dirty.) With fifty years of professional experience on both sides of the Atlantic (including thirty years as head of type design for the British Linotype Company), Tracy is in a unique position to make this argument and arrive at his sad conclusion: the design of distinguished, contemporary typefaces is far outnumbered by the mediocre and downright bad. Part of the reason for this deplorable deterioration is a lack of critical analysis of the particular esthetics involved. This step-by-step examination of type-design esthetics is precisely what Tracy provides here, while avoiding both the promoter's hype and the manufacturer's claims. Here are the gut issues of what makes type good or bad, legible or unreadable. Extensively illustrated with both typefaces and line drawings, this book belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in thehistory of letters or in the artistry and peculiar problems that lie behind their production.