Typographic Design

A visual guide to the best in contemporary typographic design, this book features examples and usages of modern typography from around the world.

The fourth edition, fully revised enlarged and reset in 2012, further updated in 2017. Version 4.3 of the 4th edition (2019) includes many updates; see title page verso for a list of pages.

This book serves as an introduction to the key elements of good design. Broken into sections covering the fundamental elements of design, key works by acclaimed designers serve to illustrate technical points and encourage readers to try out new ideas. Themes covered include narrative, colour, illusion, ornament, simplicity, and wit and humour. The result is an instantly accessible and easy to understand guide to graphic design using professional techniques.

Playing with Type is a hands-on, playful approach to learning type application and principles. This engaging guide begins with an introduction to the philosophy of learning through the process of play. Along with a series of experimental design projects with an emphasis on type, the author provides designers with a “toolkit” of ideas and skills developed through the process of play. The awareness and sensitivity to type styles, forms, and type choices gained through these visual experiments will increase the designer’s confidence in their personal and professional work. This book can be used in the classroom or independently, and readers can go directly to exercises that appeal to them.

Typographic organization has always been a complex system in that there are so many elements at play, such as hierarchy, order of reading, legibility, and contrast. In Typographic Systems, Kim Elam, author of our bestselling books, Geometry of Design and Grid Systems, explores eight major structural frameworks beyond the gridincluding random, radial, modular, and bilateralsystems. By taking the reader through exercises, student work, and professional examples, Elam offers a broad range of design solutions. Once essential visual organization systems are understood the designer can fluidly organize words or images within a structure, combination of structures, or a variation of a structure. With clarity and substance, each systemfrom the structured axis to the nonhierarchical radial arrayis explained and explored so that the reader comes away with a better understanding of these intricate complex arrangements. Typographic Systems is the seventh title in our bestselling Design Briefs series, which has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide.

The bestselling introduction to designing the written word Typographic Design: Form & Communication is the definitive reference for graphic designers, providing a comprehensive introduction to the visual word. Done well, typopgraphy can communicate so much more than the words themselves. Typographic design determines how you feel about a message, the associations you make, and ultimately, the overall success of the communication. Typographic design extends from the page to the screen, and is a critical element of almost any graphic design project. This book provides essential guidance on everything related to type: from letterforms and negative space, to messaging, processes, and history, aspiring designers will find great utility in mastering these critical concepts. This new seventh edition has been fully updated with new coverage of contemporary typography processes, updated case studies, and new examples from branding, print, web, motion, and more. On-screen typographic design concepts are discussed in greater detail, and the online supplemental materials include new flashcards, terminology and quizzes. Understand design factors as they relate to type Explore communication and typographic messaging Learn how typography has evolved, and where it is headed Adopt established approaches to designing with type The irony of typographic design is that, when done well, it often goes unnoticed—but its impact on a project’s overall success is undeniable. Typography can make or break a page, can enhance or overpower an image, and can obscure a message or bring it into sharp focus. It is one of the most powerful tools in the graphic designer’s arsenal, and Typographic Design is the complete, practical introduction.

This guide offers ideas and inspiration through hundreds of successful real-life projects. It also offers advice on choosing fonts, sizes and colours, incorporating text and illustrations, and avoiding common mistakes in text usage.