Type Directory - Launch

Last Wednesday evening, I was privileged to be at the launch of a new book which is set to be required reading for anyone studying design and type.  This new book contains over 1,800 typefaces which are organized by category – Serif, Sans Serif, Display and Script – and subsequently arranged by recognized sub-categories. This allows the reader to make a direct comparison of typefaces with a similar appearance, thus facilitating a deeper understanding of the design and selection process.

The launch was held at the St Brides Foundation, the heritage home for type and surely the most appropriate place to launch a book such as this. The evening began with an introduction by the St Bride Foundation librarian, Sophie Hawkey-Edwards followed by a short speech by author Peter Dawson.

There were over a hundred people at the launch. There were also many typographic objects from the St Bride collection on display, including some original work from Margaret Calvert.

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...and here is the book itself

"Wherever we go and whatever we do, the printed word plays a part in every aspect of our day-to-day lives. Behind all the messages we see, read, and absorb, the design and choice of typeface dictate the tone, context and immediacy of these words. From advertising and news headlines to book jackets or wayfinding at an airport, choosing the most appropriate typeface is not an easy task, nor one based on aesthetic alone. With such a diverse and inspiring range of types now on offer, Type Directory separates and identifies these forms to provide a comprehensive selection of available typefaces."

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The visual celebration of the craft, innovation and beauty of these letterforms is presented throughout, from classic typefaces like Garamond, Bodoni and Times through to the contemporary Bliss, Gotham and Meta. It is the ultimate visual encyclopedia...

The size of the book is 235x225mm, portrait, and is packed with 672pp making the spine a massive 50mm! Hopefully you can see the scale of the size of book from the image below...

This is a major work and I'm sure it is set to be the type bible for the forseeable future. You will be pleased to know that the book is available for sale and that you can get it in time for Christmas! You can buy it here.

https://thamesandhudson.com/type-directory-9780500241547

https://www.gradedesign.com/

Posted by Justin Hobson 10.12.2019