Fonts surround us every day, on street signs and buildings, on movie posters and books, and on just about every product that we buy. But where do they come from, and why do we need so many? Who is responsible for the staid practicality of Times New Roman, the cool anonymity of Arial, or the irritating levity of Comic Sans (and the movement to ban it)? Typefaces are now 560 years old, but we barely knew their names until about twenty years ago when the pull-down font menus on our first computers made us all the gods of type. Beginning in the early days of Gutenberg and ending with the most adventurous digital fonts, Simon Garfield explores the rich history and subtle powers of type. He goes on to investigate a range of modern mysteries, including how Helvetica took over the world, what inspires the seeming ubiquitous use of Trajan on bad movie posters, and exactly why the all-type cover of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus was so effective. It also examines why the "T" in the Beatles logo is longer than the other letters and how Gotham helped Barack Obama into the White House. A must-have book for the design conscious, Just My Type's cheeky irreverence will also charm everyone who loved Eats, Shoots & Leaves and Schott's Original Miscellany.
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"I loved this book, and I don't read a lot of nonfiction. I liked learning about typefaces, and it was written in a way that anyone can understand even without a background in design. " — Michelle (5 out of 5 stars)
"I loved this book, and I don't read a lot of nonfiction. I liked learning about typefaces, and it was written in a way that anyone can understand even without a background in design. "
“Highly recommended to all, whether or not you feel predisposed to like this kind of thing! Eye-opening and mind-expanding!”
A lively companion to books such as Robert Bringhurst's essential Elements of Typographic Style (1992) and John Lewis's classic Typography: Design and Practice.
“A lively companion to books such as Robert Bringhurst’s essential Elements of Typographic Style (1992) and John Lewis’ classic Typography: Design and Practice."
“With wit, grace, and intelligence, Simon Garfield tells the fascinating stories behind the letters that we encounter every day on our street corners, our bookstore shelves, and our computer screens.”
" I wish I had the kind of head that would let me retain more than I probably will of this engaging review of typefonts. Still, I did learn a few things. Breezy style balances technical material. "
" Pretty interesting. The beginning and ending chapters were the best - it got a little dry in the middle. "
" A very interesting book although it gets kind of slow and bogged down in historical detail at some points. "
" I just skimmed it, it was interesting to read the background of fonts. "
" Got the book because I edit a newsletter and have no training for it. Just a gut feeling for what looks good and thought this would give me some assistance. It wasn't really geared for that, but was fun to read, nonetheless. "
" Beautifully entertaining. Not only a historical tour through font history but a good perspective of the art behind it all. An easy and enjoyable read. "
Simon Garfield is a feature writer at The Observer (London) and the author of nine works of nonfiction, including Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World, which was a New York Times Notable Book, and The End of Innocence, which won the Somerset Maugham Prize in 1995.
Gildart Jackson’s acting credits span the stage and screen. He is most often recognized for his roles as Gideon on Charmed and Simon Prentiss on General Hospital. He has also starred in numerous television shows, including CSI and Vegas, and he played the lead in the highly acclaimed independent feature film You, directed by his wife, Melora Hardin.
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