Lookbook #6: Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles

Nubby Twiglet | Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles

Nubby Twiglet | Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles

Nubby Twiglet | Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles

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I own a handful of books on typography and while they’re educational and inspiring, the overall design isn’t all that beautiful. They say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but for a designer, that’s easier said than done.

While the titles on my bookshelf covered the history of typography, there weren’t many images. I wanted to see more visuals of type specimens and the effects history and design trends had on typography as a whole. I knew that there had to be some meatier books out there that covered what I was looking for.

Nubby Twiglet | Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles

Nubby Twiglet | Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles

Then, I discovered Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles (try saying that 10 times fast!) and it was perfect. Comprised of two volumes, this book is a visual masterpiece. The first book covers pre-20th century type specimens while the second covers 1900 through the mid 20th century.

Nubby Twiglet | Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles

Weighing in at 720 pages, this book expertly traces the history of the printed letterform and has snippets from signs, books, catalogs and more. In my opinion, it’s a total must-have.

Nubby Twiglet | Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles

Featured title: Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles
Photos and scans: Shauna Haider

6 Responses to Lookbook #6: Type. A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles

    • Shauna says:

      lau: The book is so beautiful and I had to stop myself from scanning 500 more pages. These books are a perfect intersection between being informative and total eye candy. I hope you get them!

      Reply
  2. Ariel says:

    This looks fantastic! I can’t stand strictly reading about visual things. Paragraphs are for stories, emotions, knowledge… pictures are for visuals! This is a great reference guide. Definitely going on my Pinterest “want” board!

    Reply
  3. Melinda says:

    I love this, I’m having one of those “Must. Need. Want.” moments with this book.

    But, I do have a question: do you have any book reccomendations as to how to pair fonts together? I tend to get font happy with a project with horrendous results. I also have some past projects I’d like to clean and straighten up. Just wondering if you had suggestions on it! :)

    THanks!

    Melinda

    Reply
    • Shauna says:

      Melinda: I can’t think of any books about pairing fonts. If you search Pinterest though, there are a ton of tutorials on what works best together so that may be your best bet.

      Reply

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