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Good book about type mixing!?
Posted by stw in
6 Mar 2006 — 6:04am
6 Mar 2006 — 6:04am
Hello everybody.
I am searching for a good book about mixing type!? Are there any standard books which anyone should read!?
Greeting: Steven
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6 Mar 2006 — 6:16am
Have you read any of the standards already, like The Elements of Typographic Style?
6 Mar 2006 — 7:52am
I'm interested in this topic too and I was going to ask for advice in this forum. I'm not looking for a list of type combinations but rather for guidelines. On what base do you choose typefaces to mix? Thanks in advance
6 Mar 2006 — 9:59am
How about Type Style Mixer by Wiebke Höljes? ;)
Not much of a read though!
Ragnar Freyr
www.onrushdesign.com
6 Mar 2006 — 12:30pm
Manlio,
il libro - Novarese, Aldo. 1998, "Il Segno Alfabetico"; Progresso Grafico, Torino -
potrebbe esserle utile, c'è una tabella dove spiega come i caratteri possono essere accostati a seconda della forma delle grazie; la classificazione Novarese, infatti, si basa sulle grazie. In generale, le linee guida che cerca, sono tracciate nell'anatomia delle lettere
http://www.bilkent.edu.tr/~segalini/td-anatomy.pdf
6 Mar 2006 — 1:15pm
Thank you for your hint Paul. Might be my next investment.
I don't really know which books you call standard. I am a bit knew into typography and haven't read so much yet. The list of books that I want to buy is growing every day but i actually didn't have the money to buy them.
I have read a few books that might be standard but I don't really know. Maybe the people who recommended them to me didn't know better books!?!?
For example some of the english books which I liked was:
• The logo font and lettering bible by Leslie Cabarga
• The Stroke. The Theory of Writing by Gerrit Noordzij (still reading)
Most of the books I have read were german books and I didn't find the english names of it.
Some books from Frutiger, Tschichold, Spiekerman, Willberg, Friedl etc.
Which books could you also suggest me?
Thanks for your help.
Greetings: Steven
6 Mar 2006 — 1:51pm
Steven, all of those books you just mentioned are great. Read them and then read them again. Don't forget to question them, or at least notice when they start to question each other (Willberg vs. Otl Aicher, for instance, in Typolemik/Typophil).
We have a collection of three "must reads" here that we call the Triumvirate. All of them are good, and Paul just mentioned one (The Elements of Typographic Style). The Triumvirate is more a recommendation for how to make type and/or use it well, not necessarily on how to mix it.
A good basic primer on type styles and how to mix them is a book by Erik Spiekermann, which you can read either in English (Stop Stealing Sheep and find out how type works) or in German (ÜberSchrift).
6 Mar 2006 — 1:57pm
Coincidentally, Stop Stealing Sheep was the first type book I ever bought, quickly followed by Elements, Friedl's Typography tome (which technically was a gift, not a purchase), and Tschichold's Die Neue Typographie, in the English translation, though.
The last book on typography that I have purchased to date was Arabic Typography, by Huda AbiFares. But I've received several books as gifts since. I have no idea what the next book I buy will be, but I'm already looking forward to it, whatever it is ;-)
6 Mar 2006 — 3:22pm
Tiff, if you're listening, do you know when the Library section will be back?
6 Mar 2006 — 4:59pm
Joe, if you're listening can you answer that question?
7 Mar 2006 — 7:25am
Joe? Where are you!?!?
The Books by Alexander Lawson and Walter Tracy were even on my list. But now I know which books I want to buy next. Thank you all for your tips.
7 Mar 2006 — 8:32am
Alessandro,
grazie per il link e per la segnalazione del libro di Novarese. Cercherò di procurarmelo anche se non credo sia facilmente reperibile
7 Mar 2006 — 4:55pm
Quick Solutions for Great Type Combinations (Paperback)
by Carol Buchanan
ISBN: 0891345183
I found this on Amazon. I haven't read it so I can't attest to quality, but at $3.57 (used) it might be worth a try :)
From the reviews, those who did read it seemed to have good things to say.
Tim
8 Mar 2006 — 9:05am
The more I think about this question -- not that it occupies every waking moment -- I have to suggest you do something else. Instead of relying on one author's suggestions for good type combinations you could (should?) explore the books all around the bookstore. What strikes you as working? Find books that you perceive to have good type combinations. Using you own instinct, even if at first you rely upon what you think others are doing well, will give you much more interesting results than what you will find in one or two books which will probably only show a small percentage of the type which is actually available for use.
8 Mar 2006 — 10:16am
here's a magazine called RE:UP based here in san diego. they have some pretty interesting type combinations.
apparently, the designer (his name escapes me, sorry!), starts off each issue with a unique type pallette. he likes to mix and match obscure typefaces that wouldn't normally be used together. the result, in combination with awesome graphic design, is very fresh.
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nc
8 Mar 2006 — 12:35pm
Type mixing, like cooking or music, will never be an exhausted topic (I mean to say -- though you may get exhausted or bored to death, the subject itself will never run out).
There are fundamental principals, stylistic preferences, "safe approaches" and dangerous but exciting breaks from the norm.
Again, like learning to cook or playing music, the fundamentals will allow you to explore safely until you can build enough confidence to try something new with type.
The major difference over the last ten years or so, is that exploring different type combinations is easier especially if the fonts are already part of your library. Switching types is now a simple menu option on Macs/PCs and not an expensive experiment like buying type output from the old typeshops of yore.
If you do not have the typeface you are interested in using, try to find a pdf sample of text from one of the type vendor sites. Print it out and literally cut & paste the (1200 dpi+) output next to other blocks of faces you are considering. Like cooking... add an ingredient or spice sparingly at first... sample it, then season to taste.
A good meal is a good meal -- but creating a great meal is something we all would love experiencing. (Gee, I've been on Weight-Watchers for two months now... I wonder if it has affected my thinking?)
BTW -- Type mixing could be one of several topics to explore during TypeCon's Type Education sessions.