Reviews (1)

cool type
An inspiring collection of contemporary global graphic design in the new millennium, with samples from Australian designers to European designers... nicely layed out images and a great compilation of websites too... it follows the classic typo 1-3 books... the cover sets the pace for this eclectic collection of cutting edge graphics. It's a good representation of what's going on in the world of graphics today... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Buy this Book Now!
Kenny Schiff, a leading authority in the field of desktop publishing, authored Desktop Publishing Careers with the intention of providing students and professionals with the information needed to make good decisions about their careers.Schiff allows the reader to explore the career of desktop publishing by filling this complete guide with a factual history about the field and testimonials by successful professionals in the printing and business industries.Desktop Publishing Careers discusses topics such as educational requirements, employment outlook, salary opportunities, and career advancement.Besides giving a general overview of the field of desktop publishing, the author provides the reader with methods for finding where to get more information.
Kenny Schiff begins Desktop Publishing Careers with a definition of desktop publishing.The author defines the term as the revolutionary ability for an author, artist, office worker, or small-business owner to create and produce reader ready work without needing the services of outside professionals allowing and unprecedented amount of control over one's own work.Schiff then clarifies and emphasizes the advantage of desktop publishing by explaining the historical progression of communication and (eventually) printing and citing the key events that led to publishing as we know it today.
In the third chapter, the author provides a table listing the many and diverse forms of desktop publishing occupations in order to give the reader an idea of actual applications of desktop publishing in specialized areas of business.This listing uses actual job listings from classified advertisements.The author lists the job title or more generic term, the job description, and further explanation of the job.
After introducing desktop publishing as a concept and illustrating how it is applied in occupations, Kenny Schiff begins to discuss in depth the categories of desktop publishing careers including the business publisher, graphic arts, pre-press, and service bureaus.In each area, the author explains the occupations and gives information and quotations from actual desktop publishing professionals interviewed exclusively for Desktop Publishing Careers.
The author describes the role of desktop publishing abilities in business publishing occupations such as administrative assistants, corporate communications specialists, and technical writers.He then discusses desktop publishing in relation to graphic arts jobs like designers, advertising representatives, and book and magazine publishers.Schiff then explains the quick print shops and transitions in the field of pre-press and service bureaus.
Next, Kenny Schiff gives advice on finding a job in desktop publishing.The author suggests researching the market and targeting a specific company.Then, he discusses the cover letter and resume for applying for a desktop publishing position.Schiff also explains how one can use desktop publishing in starting a business, telecommuting, self-publishing, and independent desktop publishing.Finally, the author concludes by discussing future trends in desktop publishing and printing trades, color, image processing, formats, and multimedia.The back of Desktop Publishing Careers includes appendices with information on hardware, software, professional organizations and associations, magazines, and trade publications. ... Read more

Book Description

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own home-based desktop publishing business? Have you been hesitant to put your plans into action? This comprehensive guide contains all the necessary tools and strategies you will need to successfully launch and grow your business.Author Louise Kursmark, a successful home-based desktop publisher, shares her experiences and down-to-earth advice to help you estimate your start-up costs, manage your cash flow, and stay profitable once you're in business. This updated edition contains all-new information on surfing the Internet to obtain valuable resources, marketing desktop services on the Net, and turning Web design into a profit center.Whether you want to earn your living creating newsletters and brochures, preparing resumes, or designing catalogs, with this guide at your side you can experience the satisfaction of building your own home-based desktop publishing business. (7 1/2 x 9 1/4, 240 pages, training resource list, sample vendor call scripts, start-up cost estimator, sample press release and newsletter, client information/agreement, sample brochure) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent so far!
I have only had time to read about 15 pages of this book, but so far it is fantastic! When I read more pages I will rate again, but like I said, this book is great. From what I have read so far, I would highly recommend this book. The author is very straightforward and her writing style is wonderful - easy to understand and down to earth.

Very effective resource
As a pro DTP & graphic artist, I didn't think there would be much more to learn to eliminate my employer and sell the services I did already directly to customers. In fact, thinking I was an expert of graphic design & all of the software made me mistakenly believe I was ready to pass out biz cards and start selling my services and wondered how this book could possibly be 200 pages for something so simple. I was quite wrong, however, and I'm so glad I read this book and got aware of how much more successful I could be by following the author's plan. There is a lot of lessons learned the hard way the author shared which would save anyone a lot of money and a lot of trouble, not to mention lost business. There is a lot of planning that needs to happen before one passes out there first bizcard and I would not have had a clue were it not for this book.

A Great Resource!
The author of this book has done an excellent job in providing the 'would-be desktop publisher' with lots of great information on how to get started in this business. The book is very clear and concise, with a sense of humor. It provides information step-by-step so it's very easy to follow.

An absolute "must-have" for anyone opening a DTP business.
As an experienced desktop publisher, yet a fledgling desktop publishing business owner, I found Kursmark's book to be absolutely indespensible to me. Who knows how to start doing business? What do you do first? What next? Kursmark outlines every step of the process with her folksy "been there" writing style. I have read and re-read the book so many times, the cover has gotten frayed. This book hops, skips and jumps over just about everything I have found in the library on the subject. She covers the DTP world from top to bottom without delving into the seemy technical world that would have turned many readers off. The genius of Kursmark's book is that it is based in sound business practices and could theoretically be applied to any business. Who needs Harvard Business School when we've got Kursmark? I have already recommended this book to several professional acquaintances, and I will continue to do so. If this book isn't next to your Pagemaker guide on your bookshelf, you might want to put a phone book there instead -- to call your unemployment office. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An important tool for graphic designers
Brochure Design That Works deserves a very high recommended as an important tool for graphic designers and business executives charged with the responsibility for creating effective, attractive brochures. Nationally and internationally recognized brochures demonstrated here for efficiency range from corporate client work to institutional, educational and arts brochures. Individual chapters probe each completed work for the elements which make it a success, from its initial idea to technical aspects of its production. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

It has limitations as a reference tool for graphic designers
(Note:this review applies equally to all 3 listings of this title in the Amazon catalogue) Be aware that this book is a reprint of the 1974 type specimen book of one particular type supplier (V & M Typographical Inc.).It cannot therefore be satisfactorily used as a comprehensive reference tool by graphic designers as it doesn't include typefaces produced by any other type suppliers.For example, Gill Sans (one of the most important 20th century typefaces) is not included, nor are hundreds of other more exotic faces.The only comprehensive type reference work is Jaspert's [et al.] "Encyclopaedia of Type Faces" of which the latest edition (1990) is listed as being out of print by Amazon, but appears to be available from UK suppliers.Jaspert also includes interesting historical notes. ... Read more

Book Description

Innovative, instructional and inspiring, this guide gives designers unlimited ideas for taking typography to new levels of impact and originality. From corporate commissions to self-promotional material, dozens of type-centered designs are featured including everything from print ads and stationery to screen-based designs.

For easy referencing, this full-color book is divided into three sections. Type Alone comprises designs created purely from typography. Type with Image demonstrates how typography can enhance the effect of imagery and how imagery can strengthen the impact of type. Lastly, Type as Image showcases work that uses type itself to create dynamic image and abstract designs.

To help designers re-create these dazzling effects in their own work, each piece offers extended captions complete with production specs, commentary from the actual designer, and notes detailing special processes.

Roger Walton is the Art Director at Duncan Baird Publishers and the editor of Typographics 1, 2 and 3, Hot Sites, Cool Sites, and Sites for Sound. He lives in London, England. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

There are so many better books on type out there. . . .
This book is the worst: poorly designed, poor selection of work, poor reproductions. And it's not even about "big type". The intro says: "Big Type is not what it might seem. This book is a collection of design work in which the typographic elements assume primary importance." So the editors knew the title was misleading? Then why not change the title? Yuck. ... Read more

Book Description

Treasury of copyright-free fonts with eye-catching appeal includes Carnival Open, Ecclesiastic, Garland, Laurel, Daisy Delight, scores more. All fonts include upper-case alphabets; some contain punctuation marks and lower-case letters. Most have numerals. Graphic artists and illustrators will find these distinctive alphabets ideal for use in display ads, on posters, signs, menus, etc.
... Read more

Book Description

Designing For Newspapers and Magazines examines how newspapers and magazines are produced. It offers guidance on how to produce attractive publications and how to tailor them to their target audience by advising them on the use of color, text placement, typography and images.

Designing for Newspapers and Magazines shows how a well- designed publication can provide a powerful platform for good journalism. Written by an experienced journalist and newspaper designer, the book details the elements of a good design and provides instruction on how to get the most out of computers and computer-aided design. A final section examines a range of different local and national publications and explains the reasoning that underpins their design choices.

Designing for Newspapers and Magazines includes: how to set up a new publication; planning an edition of a newspaper or magazine; typography and working with text; working with images and technical production; designing pages and how to use color; design and journalism ethics, and a glossary of journalistic and design terms. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This book is informative!
Many years ago I borrowed this book from a research library. And in the next few days, I couldn't put it down. I found this book very informative. It opened a door to the art of calligraphy and lettering to me. This book is composed of two parts. The first of it are some articles explaining the evolution of various kinds of calligraphy and lettering crafts. The second part, examples of these artworks. If you love typography, caligraphy or fine arts as a general, you will love this book.

If you are interested in the history of typography, this book can also be very helpful to you as it provides you with a firm background of very needed knowledge.

I hope there will be another book like this one that stress the mechanical part of lettering. How different tools, say broad-tip pens, brushes, chisels, counterpunches, affect the shape of letters. ... Read more

Book Description

Devoted exclusively to typography, this volume is the quintessential source in which to find a complete, up-to-date record of the most exemplary typographic work produced worldwide. Winners of the Type Directors Club's most recent competition were selected from thousands of entries of graphic design for books, magazines, logos, annual reports, video graphics, and other categories. The results of a separate contest for typeface design are also included. Full information for each entry lists all names of the creative team and other relevant data. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Bookstore Blockbuster
I just got this book today ... I have been on the edge of buying it for about a year and lo and behold my stinginess on price paid off! I love this book the quality of the work contained within is fantastic, and the jacket outside done by our friends at ATTIK design is just wonderful. A must by especially at the price! ... quick go get it!!!

One of Attik's masterpiece
Typography 21 is a original and creative book. The content inside were very inspirational to me, as a graphic designer. It has a variety of designs, so it should satisfy your eyes.

I thought that the page designs by Attik were much better than the works they reviewed. It was a good book, but not the best.

I am thinking of getting NoiseFour by Attik next.

Worth The Money
I don't buy many design books because many of them tend to blur together and look the same after a while. What I really like about 'Typography 21' is that it is an 'annual' for design across many mediums. There is a nice introduction about the jurors and it showcases some of their work, to give you a sense of their backgrounds and then gets right into the work. It is a great source of reference for many needs.

The book itself it very beautiful and if you think the book-jacket is pretty, wait until you see what's underneath it.

Is it any surprise that Imaginary Forces practically owns the motion-graphics category???

I really like this book.

Inspirational
Check this book out. I'm sure a bunch of designers already have their copy. I initially bought for the fact that ATTIK designed it. Some cool work but the book as a whole is a comprehensive look at contemporary typography. Some really great pieces. One for the collection...

Beautiful...
This book is beautiful. I have just got it 20 minutes ago and went through some of the pages and all I had to say was.. wow. Inspiring. In my opinion the cover is inspiring enough. Never seen anything like this... Next, I will probbably get 72 dpi. ... Read more

Book Description

Styles range from heavy Gothic typefaces such as Lowenbrau, Kaiser, and Hansa to the more dainty modes of Leipzig, Tory, and Hamburg. Most include uppercase and lowercase letters; many numerals. 53 fonts.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great for typographers with such particular interest
This is one straight forward book. It delivers what it says: complete fontfaces from the early gothic period mainly on england, nordic, and celtic cultures. a complete set of characters of a font is spread on single pages, most of them at only one and the same point size. They vary from simple strokes to some of the most ornamented and complex sets ever created. Don't expect information concerning the background of the fonts or any other contextual related content.

bread and butter - no jam
This text is not a coffee table art book. And at first I was disappointed in my purchase but it had what I was looking for as far as bare bones examples of celtic alphabets. For the price I should not have expected a "pretty" book. But it gives many clear and useable examples of illuminated letters for those who are looking for exactly that. For this reason it was worth the money. ... Read more

Book Description

Type can be the most exciting element in graphic design. This extraordinary collection of type encompasses typographic and typeface designs for print and screen. Work has been gathered from all over the world, reflecting the global nature of design influences in contemporary typography as well as the increasing influence Web typography exerts upon print. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Type - No Borders No Boundaries No Limits
If you are designer in any field you are going to love this book. I was extremely impressed with the variety of content - from posters, CD covers, corporate stationary, logos and invitations. This book has it covered in over 180 brilliant full colour pages. The selected designs in this book use some of the traditional type faces we have grown to love aswell as showcasing dozens and dozens of new and inovative type styles created by designers across the globe. Make sure you add this book to your list - you won't regret it - it's a wonderful addition to any designers bookshelf. ... Read more

Book Description

A publishing first, this is the only book on the market to examine the intriguing history, evolution, and application of four specific genres of dynamic letterforms: hand-drawn, vernacular, humorous, and digitally driven.

The book provides a historical context for each genre and explores the anatomy of its type, with a look at the form and function of representative examples. Selected full alphabets and letterforms are presented with text on their origins and analog or digital evolution, and work produced by a wide range of designers shows how these typographic forms are applied. The authors then assess how these forms will continue to evolve. ... Read more

Book Description

Oversized to do justice to its highly pictorial contents. Emigré's ninety-six 11" X 15" pages brimming with ground-breaking Mac-generated typography, illustration, and graphic design culled from the pages of Emigré magazine. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A Must Book for Every Graphic Designer
The Emigre story traces the fascinating development of a magazine that introduced digital typography to the design world.

Rudy Vanderlans created Emigre in 1984, the year in which the the Macintosh computer changed graphic design and typography forever.

In its early years, the brilliant experimental type/design publication featured fonts designed Zuzana Licko, a pioneer in designing typefaces on the computer for the computer. Her early bitmap fonts, designed to be used on dot matrix printers, created an uproar in a design community that was already reeling from the drastic changes in typesetting and production methods. With the introduction of high res PostScript outline technology, Licko's designs became more sophisticated and designers began to appreciate the ability to design with typography in ways never thought possible.

This book traces the journey of digital type from shocking to mainstream and contains fascinating quotes from influential design professionals. Of special interest are many examples of the best work from the early Emigres, including all of the bold, memorable covers.

A must for every graphic design library.

Strickly for typographers only
I think this book is a wonderfull thing for typofreaks and i recommend it full heartedly for any typographer out there.
As for the rest of us mortals in the design cummunity, i dont believe there anything of interest in this book ( or should i say - large notebook) because it has no 'eye candies' of any sort, printed in two colors (black and ochre), has too much text in it and in general- looks bad.

innovative
The emigre magazine in one book, is cool, a impresive book, with a great size, like a big magazine shows the innovative design of the rudy vanderlas magazine trough the years, is a lovely book, buy it!

buy a bigger bookshelf for this one
Somewhat of a biased reviewer, I recommend this book to any person that loves typography and wants to see the results of tremendous creative forces within the field. Or, if you have wanted to do something for a long time but didn't think you could do it ... also recommended for you.

Essential reading for any graphics/media undergaduate
Ever read that outsize magazine that always seems to have pages missing in your school library? Or maybe you have used one of the many typefaces from the Emigre stable...

This book is essetial reading for anyone with even a passing interest in design. The authors are designers (Vanderlans) and typographers (Zuzana Licko) of the highest order and seem to occupy an unusual middle ground somehwere between traditional print and digital multimedia. This book expounds their theories and shows why they should be regarded as highly by the public as they are by students and other designers. ... Read more

Book Description

As the biggest and best font catalog for electronic publishing, Version 5.0 includes almost every commerically available font in the English-speaking world.Displayed are over 13,000 font samples from over 60 font foundries; from classic to contemporary, traditional to trendy, and simply unusual to absolutely bizzare.Includes full alphabets, history and designer information, and a comprehensive index with page numbers and foundries.This is an essential desktop reference for all typographers, designers, desktop publishers and typophiles. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

No need to pay more than $39.95
You can buy this book brand new at
http://www.precisiontype.com/

An indespensible tool
This is an invaluable tool for the graphic designer, production artist or art director! One of the most challenging aspects of a designer's life is selecting the right typeface to convey the mood and feeling of your message, this book is the most comprehensive volume I've run across. There is a short introductory section explaining the language (and terminology) of type which includes a description of how the book is laid out. Then, the main section contains page upon page of alphabets arranged by font name in alphabetical order. There is a short section with foundry ads. This is followed by an index listing font names alphabetically divided by foundry. If you've ever found yourself trying to match a typeface from a pre-existing design or couldn't find the name of that cool font you saw somewhere and wanted to use this is the book for you. This is one of those books which should be a part of the library of anyone that loves typography. I keep waiting for the next edition to arrive (my v5.0 has a publication date of 2000 on it).

Font Reference Guide a Typesetters must!
I highly recommend!! It is an excellent font reference book for anyone that uses many fonts for production or personal use. Having an extensive "visual" of fonts makes matching up new client fonts so much easier. A must have for typsetters and graphic designers.

Identify A Font
The title sums it up. This is a reference for fonts. The sample print is very fine quality displaying listed fonts at their best. This is a book that has a place on any graphic artist's bookshelf. I thumb through this like a dictionary. So many fonts are listed this book would be huge if not for the fine weight of the paper it is printed on. This makes the book fragile for a frequently handled reference. This is my only regret.

Great Reference guide
I think this book is an excellent reference for designers who constantly need typographic inspiration. The dingbat collections are excellent to use as graphics. The book does not actually contain the fonts, so don't buy it thinking you're going o get thousands of fonts. ... Read more

Book Description

The alphabet is at once familiar and mysterious. Its letters have been the object of speculation since their invention almost four thousand years ago; the symbols represent sounds, yet they exist in their own right, often invested with quasi-magical power. Johanna Drucker, who teaches art history at Yale University, examines the imaginative and idiosyncratic ways in which the letters of the alphabet have been assigned value in political, spiritual, or religious belief systems over two millennia. The first book to explore fully this colorful, poetic, and frequently eccentric realm, The Alphabetic Labyrinth is richly complemented by images that have rarely or never before been reproduced. Drawing on a wide variety of little-known sources, both literary and artistic, the author adds a new and exciting chapter to the history of ideas which will prove fascinating to cultural historians, art historians, and anyone interested in the history of writing. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Chapter VIII
In Chapter VIII, Johanna Drucker focuses closely on how Renaissance humanism and the invention of printing rationalized the alphabet. Further attention is given to theories of divine origin and mystical significance. These theories still proliferated and continued into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, becoming involved with nationalism and revolutionary political theory. Johanna Drucker, art history teacher at Yale University, writes with great command of facts about the letters of the alphebet. Chapter VIII, The Social Contract, Primitivism and Nationalism: the Alphabet in the 18th Century, is well-written, full of fascinating theories, and displays more than 35 significant illustrations that will interest the reader. The Alphabetic Labyrinth will prove intriguing to cultural historians, art historians, and anyone interested in the history of typograph

Review of Chapter Two: Origins and Historians
In Chapter Two, Drucker takes the reader on a trip back in time as she traces the evolution of writing systems. The trip begins with Egyptian hieroglyphics (~3500 BC), continues through Semitic inscriptions and Phoenician letters in the Mediterranean, to modern European alphabets. While a single, direct line tracing the alphabet back to one source does not emerge, the reader is beguiled by the mysteries of alphabetic history: the adaptability to other languages of the alphabet developed by Semitic speakers, the simultaneous development of ancient writing systems, and the search for connections among different writing systems. The reader is introduced to major historians in the field of epigraphy and their search for origins of the alphabet by painstakingly comparing scripts of different writing systems, looking for relationships among them. Drucker emphasizes the importance of archaeological evidence on the study of ancient writings. The progress (and accuracy!) of alphabetic analysis was greatly aided by the confirmation of archaeological discoveries. This chapter includes many illustrations of ancient writing systems and an excellent chart depicting the basic lines of alphabet development over the past 5,000 years. Drucker demonstrates vast knowledge about the alphabet and conveys this information in a very scholarly manner. Her book is intended for an informed, educated audience. Additionally, Drucker has great respect for her subject matter, so that the reader comes away with a sense of awe and admiration towards this ingenious human accomplishment.

Poetic, mystical, and literary associations of the alphabet
This book on the history of the alphabet is focused on Western and Semitic scripts; it pays little heed to the alphabetic scripts of South Asia. This book seems more concerned with mystical and artistic elaborations of the alphabetic symbols than with its actual use as a writing system. It focuses on things like the Kabbalah, calligraphic styles, and the changes wrought on attitudes to the alphabet wrought by the invention of printing. Parts of it seem a history of concepts used by other scholars attempting to determine the history and origin of the alphabet, rather than a new contribution to the alphabet's history.

Those who wish a more sober account of the alphabet's history, and tracing the family tree of the various alphabetic scripts, will get more mileage out of David Diringer's -The Alphabet: A Key to the History of Mankind-. The information presented in this book, however, is interesting, if only for the fanciful ideas various people have devised around the alphabet.

My copy seems to have a number of typographical errors and other mistakes in it. A long passage discusses the thought of "Marcos the Gnostic." From the context I am reasonably certain that Marcion, not "Marcos," was intended. The people of Mount Seir in the Bible are identified in the book with Kenites and Midianites; if my memory serves me, the inhabitants of Mount Seir were Edomites and Horites. These mistakes tend to make me less inclined to trust the many passages that present data that is entirely new to me.

Incredible information
This book presents so much information, but does it in such a way, that I could not put this book down, with the exception to absorb what I had just read.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in not only the genesis of the alphabet and it's morphology, but of other symbols as well, including alchemy symbols.

Missing the Point
A reader reviewed this book by Joanna Drucker as not being enough informative on the alphabet history in itself. It's unfair and not informate to review the book like this. Its manifesto is all in the evocative title: The Alphabetic Labyrinth: The Letters in History and Imagination. Joanna Drucker traced an history of the alphabet from the very beginning talking about the interesting and often left apart complex variety of meanings of the letterform, embodied by mystery, symbolic, alchemic, religious, esotheric and many other values, offering an unique showcase of the history of writing. Saying the book is unsatisfying equals to say you have not even read the title, which explains quite well its content! ... Read more