----- Book Review # 1 -----
(while back, I began a series about reviewing design books that I own and read, but never actually typed a single word, so sticking to my promise, here's the first entry and hopefully not the last)
Thinking With Type by Ellen Lupton
A book for many graphic designers, or for any designer, will claim as the bible of typography; the best within its category. And I couldn't agree more. Ellen Lupton is a notable designer/author/critique/professor, and this book reflects her expertise and fluency with type. Written and laid out succinctly, the information is never mundane even for those type savvy-less. I would summarize the books in three sections: 1. History 2. Technical 3. Practical.
It begins with a thorough history of the written word, guiding us into the history of typography and the creation of the art, which opens the door into the technical discussion of the type. The page, "The Anatomy of Typography" is cheekily termed as Lupton demonstrates the terms for every bits and pieces of a letter: serif, counter, ascender, descender, stem, crossbar..etc. Soon after, the section moves on to teaching other elements of text such as leading (spacing between sentences) and tracking (spacing between letters), font-size (useful info: 72 pt is equal to one inch on paper). Lupton throws in a few exercises and samples from her students, allowing a clearer, visualized understanding of the explanation. Nearing the end, the book provides samples of prohibited things to do as a graphic designer or whenever one is to deal with text.
All-in-all, it's worth investing and having this book on your shelf. Comes in handy for those tricky situation and references because learning the technical terms helps and facilitates in collaborative work when these lingo are exchanged frequently. Plus, it's impressive and attractive to listen to people talk about typography.
"I think a 16 pt on a serif font will fit perfectly as the descender falls nicely on the sentence and aligns with the other letters."
Beauty.
No comments:
Post a Comment