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30th out of 35 books
—
23 voters
Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works
A classic guide to typography -- now updated for the Web!-- More than 200 full-color illustrations and photographs bring the discussion of typography to life
-- Updated to include new material on Web typography and other forms of online text display.
This classic typography book, first published in 1993, is now updated with brand-new typefaces, fonts, and illustrations. Inte...more
-- Updated to include new material on Web typography and other forms of online text display.
This classic typography book, first published in 1993, is now updated with brand-new typefaces, fonts, and illustrations. Inte...more
Paperback, Second Edition, 208 pages
Published
July 15th 2002
by Adobe Press
(first published 1993)
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Feb 26, 2009
Elizabeth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
graphic designers
Recommended to Elizabeth by:
Amazon
If you are interested in typography, but maybe weren't taught much about it in say, art school, then you'll love this book. Every page was a wonderful introduction to something I simply didn't know, but was completely captivated by...rather, many pages were - I do know what a descender is and how to tell a sanserif from a serif. I'm no idiot.
But, I'd recommend this to every graphic designer and type-nut.
I'm definitely putting it on my essential reading list for my Fundamentals of Graphic Design...more
But, I'd recommend this to every graphic designer and type-nut.
I'm definitely putting it on my essential reading list for my Fundamentals of Graphic Design...more
Spiekermann and Ginger have, essentially, nothing to say. Unfortunately, they spend over 150 pages saying it. The worst of it is that there are all kinds of color photos, headings, etc., so the book is printed on heavy, glossy paper. This is bad because (a) glossy paper is hard to read text on (as ANY designer should know) and (b) both heavy/glossy paper and color inks are expensive. Thus, you must pay $20 for a book that could very easily be condensed into a $1.50 pamphlet.
This book is often to...more
This book is often to...more
Rating: 4* of five
The Book Description: A classic guide to typography -- now updated for the Web -- More than 200 full-color illustrations and photographs bring the discussion of typography to life.
-- Updated to include new material on Web typography and other forms of online text display.
This classic typography book, first published in 1993, is now updated with brand-new typefaces, fonts, and illustrations. Internationally renowned graphic designer Erik Spiekermann explains in everyday terms wh...more
The Book Description: A classic guide to typography -- now updated for the Web -- More than 200 full-color illustrations and photographs bring the discussion of typography to life.
-- Updated to include new material on Web typography and other forms of online text display.
This classic typography book, first published in 1993, is now updated with brand-new typefaces, fonts, and illustrations. Internationally renowned graphic designer Erik Spiekermann explains in everyday terms wh...more
14 likes · like · see review
Mar 25, 2012
Amy Brown
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
how-to-self-help
I picked this up at a used book store to add to my reference shelf. It's a very readable overview of the world of typefaces, including discussion of history, different styles of typefaces, how to choose a typeface, and line spacing, tracking and kerning. It's more conversation than the last book on typefaces I read Thinking with Type: A Primer for Deisgners: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students but less loaded with information. That might be good - Thinking with Type...more
Interesting book! For a beginner typographer, it is pretty good. I think the focus of the book is to tell you what typeface goes where, which it has done successfully by illustrating some quite interesting examples. Then again, some pages of the book got too basic I had to skip them, and the bad thing about them is that they appeared at a point in the book where you've already done so much progress. My only problems with the book was the layout of the book itself - I realize that they need to gi...more
I thought this book was going to give me a seizure. There were so many different fonts, images, margins... Did I mention fonts? They were everywhere. I get the point (or pica) - font matters. But did you have to put it everywhere? I can only look at "Handgloves" so many times in so many ways and mixed up in the overall book was just confusing.
Font. Sigh.
And what was up with the information in small, red font in the left margins? I couldn't make up my mind about what to read. Should I read the...more
Font. Sigh.
And what was up with the information in small, red font in the left margins? I couldn't make up my mind about what to read. Should I read the...more
A great primer for the typo novice, as far as I can tell, being a novice myself. This book is full of demonstrations of the principles it describes, which are jarring and challenged me to grow new parts of my brain to parse the previously subliminal effect fonts have on me. I tend to point fonts out a lot, and have not learned where the middle ground is where one can do this without annoying people. Anyway, Im happily on the road to nerdom and will never steal sheep again.
Meh. I think this would be good if you didn't know anything about typography. But if you've at least heard of kerning or x-height (even if you don't know/remember what they mean), I would move onto something more complicated. Not a whole lot of concrete information and a lot of touchy-feely conversations about how different typefaces are happy or sad.
Excellent book... As an introduction to type. I had heard good things about this book for years and finally got around to reading it. Was somewhat disappointed, yet happy, to find I knew most of what was presented. Great tidbits of info are contained in the sidebar set in the color red. Would recommend as a short easy go read primer on type.
A very solid first look at the Fundamental rules of typography, geared toward those who are just getting their feet wet. This was the second book on type I was introduced to, in my Intermediate Typography class, and it stuck with me better than the first book on type I ever read.
This is a simple, straight-forward book that models the various ways in which type can strengthen or weaken a design. Keen observations with no fluff – a perfect primer for young designers.
Mar 02, 2010
Conor Muirhead
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
designers, particularly those just starting out
Shelves:
design,
typography
Excellent book for some foundational advice on typography. I enjoyed the practical approach of illustrating everything with lots of asides for explanation. Also some good humour in the book too.
Sometimes I read something that reinforces my feelings that I do NOT wish to be doing this particular something as a career. Typography. Not for me.
Wonderful book on how tuype works and what is best to use when and why. Really got me thinking of type in new ways.
One of my favorite books. It is a strange mix of graphic art and philosophy.
This was a great introduction to type. I highly recommend it.
A good book on typography, if a little basic at times.
A very good description of basic typographic concepts.
This is an excellent introduction to typography.
May 14, 2009
Manuj
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Manuj by:
Seth Godin
Amazing book on typeface-most creative.
Best book on type ever.
Aug 25, 2009
Erik Aagard
added it
amazing typography book
I was expecting a better book from Spiekermann, both as content and form. It's so full of metaphors that it can barely find space to directly discuss type. I learned a few things here and there, but this is mainly a book for design amateurs/students.
The book was first published in 1993 and although this second edition is dated 2003 it still feels quite old, with its own editorial design, the examples in it and all those featured typefaces from the 1990s. I mean, you don't even have Gotham (2000)...more
The book was first published in 1993 and although this second edition is dated 2003 it still feels quite old, with its own editorial design, the examples in it and all those featured typefaces from the 1990s. I mean, you don't even have Gotham (2000)...more
A good super basic guide on type. Not what I was looking for, but perfectly serviceable.
Rich in examples set in terms that anybody can understand without knowing anything at all about graphic design.
Great intro to the effective use of type in everyday life. Funny and insightful. Highly recommended.
Mandatory reading in second year graphic design studies, and rightly so, as it's a relatively basic introduction to the fundamental rules of typography. Or more specifically, the ones you're really, really not supposed to break. Ever.
In that regard, it's a bit more accessible to some; but it's only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the finer points of typography.
In that regard, it's a bit more accessible to some; but it's only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the finer points of typography.
Jul 03, 2007
mLe
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
designers and font fanatics
Shelves:
light_hearted,
worthy_reread
awesome!! part typographical manual, part wit, part graphic illustration, this was a really fun and quite informative read. it would make a splendid resource for the history of type, the different uses, examples, etc. etc. good for all types of designers (no pun intended). learned new things that would've been helpful while working at spec.
A basic primer for those who perhaps haven't worked with type often; not illuminating for those who work with type frequently and want to explore it in-depth. Engagingly written, but with little substance beyond basic design foundations.
Freshman year of art school I thought this book was completely ridiculous (without having even cracked it open). Three years and one incredible instructor later, I was sold. I refer to this book all the time now...
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Nov 03, 2009 08:43am