If you are related to the design field, then, you must have heard of the term ‘typography’ – it is quite an integral part that makes up a design piece, no matter whether it is a logo or any website, and many others.
But what is typography? And how do you decide which is good typography? What are the basics that make a good typeface?
Well, if you are looking for the above answers, then, you simply need to search the internet, and you are going to find courses, tutorials and what not!! Now, while they are great and will do the job, but don’t you sometimes want a book – you know, curl somewhere warm with a good old-fashioned book with nothing to disturb you.
Whether you are a beginner or an expert with years of experience under your belt. There are a few books on typography that you can go through. Trust us, you will learn many things about typography and beyond.
In this article
1. Typography Sketchbook
Authored by L. Talarico and S. Heller, the book ‘Typography Sketchbook’ is perfect for you. If you are in the field of hand-lettering or say if you want to become a hand-letterer.
Getting to know about letterforms while experimenting with spacing and flow. This is a must to create hand-lettering, and that is exactly what this book will show you. You will know how to draw the letters, words and even phrases over and over again to get the look that you want.
And the best part about this book is that it is a visual treat of sketchbooks of more than 100 renowned hand-letterers and type designers. That’s more than enough for you to get inspired for your next design project!!
2. Better Web Typography For A Better Web
If you are a web designer or a web developer, and who have always wanted to woo your clients, then, you need to have this book in your arsenal – you will get to know about complicated topics such as the composition of the page, vertical rhythm, and so on.
That said, for your easy reference, the book has also included numerous live examples of how a website is coded and designed, so that the readers can easily follow along.
For the web developers or designers, who have always wanted to learn about typography, this book is a must.
3. Hand Lettering Ledger
Authored by M.K. McDevitt, this book is one of the best that you are going to find in the world of hand-lettering.
Now, don’t be scared by the size of the book – it may be a bit bulk-looking, but that’s because numerous pages in this book are left blank, and that’s where you can practice your hand-lettering!!
As for the content of the book, it’s full of beautiful examples of hand-lettering from around the world, followed by tips and tricks that hand-letters can take advantage of. That said, this book also offers you numerous tips on how one can digitize their hand-lettering!!
4. Designing Type – (Typography Books)
A typeface – be it casual or hand-lettered – it must be professionally designed, and that means, the type designer needs to know the basics of what goes behind creating a good typeface.
And that is what the book ‘Designing Type’ shows us.
Authored by Karen Chang, the book goes through the principles of typography – right from kerning to spacing to diacritical marks, this book pretty much teaches everything in depth.
And as many had said about this book – this book is worth reading, even if you are not a type designer.
5. Learn FontLab Fast
If you are a type designer and work in font editors such as Fontographer and FontLab, then, you will learn much from this book ‘Learn FontLab Fast’.
Written by L. Cabnarga, this book makes the task of learning the font simple. It’s considered to be one of the best books for the beginners, though seasoned pros can also refer to it.
No matter what question you have, this book probably has the answer. For Example, how to proceed, what to do and where? This book jam-packed with numerous visual details.
6. Lettering & Alphabets – (Typography Books)
If you have always wanted to learn behind what goes into creating scripts such as sans serif, script fonts, etc. Then this book is a must-have on your shelf.
Authored by J.A. Cavanagh, each of the pages of the book lures you into inspiration for hand-lettered alphabet exemplars. Thus making it into a foundation-book for getting to know more about the various types of fonts.
That said, this book also goes into the details about the history of the various types of fonts. It’s a perfect book for type designers who have always wanted to know more about the background of typography.
7. Logo, Font & Lettering Bible – (Typography Books)
Authored by L. Cabarga, the book ‘Logo, Font & Lettering Bible’ is aptly named – if you are a beginner at type design, then, getting this book is a must for it contains pages and pages of information and ideas & inspiration on how to become great at lettering, font creation, and logo design.
As illustrator and type designer R. White has mentioned – she has bought this book while she was a beginner, and even after so many years, now that she is a seasoned pro, she still goes back to the book, and each time, she learns something new.
8. Universal Principles of Design
Written by W. Lidwell, the book ‘Universal Principles of Design’ is a perfect example of ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’.
Want to know how to make a great design and make it work? We say – opt for this book. This book is a treasure trove of various design and marketing principles. That you can learn and can build your foundation.
Jam-packed with rich illustrations and detailed explanations and followed by numerous handy references, this is one book that you can’t afford to miss.
And as photographer I. Ovsyannyknov has remarked – it doesn’t matter whether you are a beginner or an expert. This book is a must for everyone; it’s like a building block that you can build your career on.
And that concludes our list.
If you are a type designer, then, it doesn’t make any sense if you are not willing to go for the above-mentioned books – trust us, you will learn a lot. Plus, these books are available in PDF format – so, no excuses!!
