Typography is mainly used to depict the context of textual content visually, through style and art. Many factors come into play in typography, like the arrangement of letters, font, and total outlook. Most importantly, typography makes your text speak to its reader, even before comprehending what the text actually means. In today’s age, typography is a vital element of graphic design and is crucial for designers. To ensure a smooth user experience and make websites a treat to the eye, typography must be given the utmost importance. We have a curated list of the 5 best typography books to help you venture into this field with ease.
The 5 Best Typography Books:
Below, we have listed 5 selected books, each an amazing resource on typography. Read on to enlighten yourself further.
1. Thinking with Type, 2nd revised and expanded edition: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students By Ellen Lupton
This book is a breakthrough in typography; it caters to students, writers, editors, designers, and basically anyone who uses words to work. Upon reading the book, you will find all the basics of typography demonstrated with numerous illustrations and exercises. From learning about type families and typefaces to kerning, tracking, and the use of the grid, this book covers all the nitty-gritty of typography tirelessly. Further, you get to learn about:
- Using small caps
- Using enlarged capitals
- Stylesheets
- Captions and ornaments
- Font formats
The above-mentioned points are just a selected few. In order to learn from one of the most highly reviewed books on typography, do give this book a shot.
2. Designing with Type, 5th Edition: The Essential Guide to Typography By James Craig, Irene Korol Scala
The release of the original edition of this book dates back by 35 years. Hence, you not only learn the modern aspects of typography but also the designs that have been popular over the years. Also, it comes in an updated, full-color format. An easily operable website with a vast amount of design solutions and typography information is included with the newest edition. All-in-all, this best-seller is still a very valuable resource for anyone who is into typography.
3. Typography Sketchbooks By Steven Heller, Talarico Lita
There is always room for improvement in typography, and different designs arise in different minds. Diversity is the beauty of typography. The author, Steven Heller, took it in his stride to come up with a collection of ideas from talented designers. And that is exactly how this book came to be. Typography can be described as an art form that makes words lively. And by default, we think that typography is only effective on-screen. However, the truth goes beyond that. In fact, typography has been around since the 11th century and is used by hand for the most part. This book not only delves into the digital world of typography, but also guides those who use it manually. A curated book consisting of an excellent survey, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in typography.
4. The Elements of Typographic Style By Robert Bringhurst
This book is a part of the standard university curriculum. The author of this book is a typographer and a poet. Hence, his advice on typography automatically has an artsy side. Furthermore, this book is used by many designers all over the world as a basic resource for typography. This book mixes the modernism of typography with its history and theory to explain the heart of the art of typography.
5. The Typography Idea Book: Inspiration from 50 Masters (Type, Fonts, Graphic Design) By Steven Heller, Gail Anderson
If you are contemplating on exploring typography and delving into it, this book can be your first step. It brings about 50 different approaches used by skilled masters of typography. In order to explore typography from different perspectives and actually grasp the topic as a whole, this book makes practice the main focus. To master typography, one must practice again and again and again. And this book helps you with just that. By learning and practicing different approaches in the book to make your text more lively, you definitely can master the art of typography.
Conclusion:
In today’s fast-paced world, grabbing the attention of your audience is quite cumbersome. Typography not only catches the viewer’s attention but also hooks them to read on. To incorporate art into your text and engage viewers, consider the 5 best typography books mentioned above.
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Rana Yesmeen is a Computer Science Graduate who is an avid reader in her spare time. She is passionate about bringing the old essence of books back into today's technology-driven society. Through Ebook pundit, she intends to help people on their quest to find the right book.