Typefaces

9 Essential Typography Books for Designers

Here’s our list of the best typography books that you can buy. These books showcase the best in contemporary and swiss design.

01. Typographie: A Manual of Design

This book is the legacy of Emil Ruder, one of the originator of Swiss Style, famous throughout the world for the use of asymmetric layouts, use of a grid, sans-serif typefaces and flush left, ragged right text. His holistic approach is still recognized as fundamental for graphic designers and typographers all over the world.

02. The Anatomy of Type

The Anatomy of Type explores one hundred traditional and modern typefaces in loving detail, with a full spread devoted to each entry. Containing in-depth information on everything from the designer and foundry, the year of release, and the different weights and styles available, The Anatomy of Type is more than a reference guide to the intricacies of typeface design. It is a visual send-up of some of the world’s most beloved typefaces, beautifully displayed in vibrant color.

03. Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles

This comprehensive collection offers a thorough overview of typeface design from 1628 to the mid-20th century. Derived from a distinguished Dutch collection, a series of exquisitely designed catalogues traces the evolution of the printed letter via specimens in roman, italic, bold, semibold, narrow, and broad fonts. Borders, ornaments, initial letters, and decorations are also included, along with lithographic examples, letters by sign writers, inscription carvers, and calligraphers.

04. The Designer’s Dictionary of Type

From classic fonts like Garamond and Helvetica, to modern-day digital fonts like OCR-A and Keedy Sans, author and designer Sean Adams demystifies 48 major typefaces, describing their history, stylistic traits, and common application. Adams once again provides eye-catching illustrated examples, this time showcasing the beauty and expressiveness of typography, as employed by the world’s greatest designers. Organized by serif, sans-serif, script, display, and digital typefaces, this book will be a vital guide for designers, teachers, or students looking to gain a foundational understanding of the art, practice, and history of typography.

05. Type Matters!

From classic fonts like Garamond and Helvetica, to modern-day digital fonts like OCR-A and Keedy Sans, author and designer Sean Adams demystifies 48 major typefaces, describing their history, stylistic traits, and common application. Adams once again provides eye-catching illustrated examples, this time showcasing the beauty and expressiveness of typography, as employed by the world’s greatest designers. Organized by serif, sans-serif, script, display, and digital typefaces, this book will be a vital guide for designers, teachers, or students looking to gain a foundational understanding of the art, practice, and history of typography.

06. The Elements of Typographic Style

Renowned typographer and poet Robert Bringhurst brings clarity to the art of typography with this masterful style guide. Combining the practical, theoretical, and historical, this edition is completely updated, with a thorough revision and updating of the longest chapter, “Prowling the Specimen Books,” and many other small but important updates based on things that are continually changing in the field.

07. The Visual History of Type

The Visual History of Type is a comprehensive, detailed survey of the major typefaces produced since the advent of printing with movable type in the mid–fifteenth century to the present day. Arranged chronologically to provide context, more than 320 typefaces are displayed in the form of their original type specimens or earliest printing. Each entry is supported by a brief history and description of key characteristics of the typeface.

08. Type for Type

The business world today is ever-evolving and filled with challenges more complex than they used to be. For a brand to take off or thrive in this digital age, it must find meaningful ways to stand out and resonate when it comes to communicating its core messages or content across multiple platforms. To this end, custom typefaces have become an increasingly common means for forward-thinking brands to establish and further strengthen their visual identities. By expressing its unique personality or supporting a campaign effectively, these typefaces go beyond aesthetics and achieving marketing objectives to build value for the brand over the long term.

09. Why Fonts Matter

Fonts have different personalities that can create trust or mistrust, give you confidence, make things seem easier to do or make a product taste better. Understand the science behind how fonts influence what you read. They’re hidden in plain sight, they trigger memories, associations and multi-sensory experiences in your imagination. You may not believe it, but fonts can change the meanings of words right before your very eyes, alter the taste of your food, evoke emotional responses and reveal their users’ personalities.

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