42 Typographic Resources for Designers

I’m constantly receiving requests for the title of the book that will make sense of typography. However, there’s not just one. Here are a selected few:

The book that I most frequently suggest for beginners is the aforementioned Ellen Lupton’s “Thinking with Type.” Since its first printing, I’ve used it for all of my beginning level typography classes. It also works well for non-designers wanting to understand more about the subject. This inexpensive paperback has wonderful illustrations and is written to be understandable, and the “type crimes” section alone is worth the price.

“The Elements of Typographic Style” by Robert Bringhurst is perhaps the loveliest book on typography, in both typographic design and writing style. Some beginners might find the writing difficult to comprehend, but those further along in the profession should be able to appreciate the poetic tone and context. Bringhurst’s points on multilingual aspects of typography and page proportion are especially notable. This is required reading for anyone in the discipline.

Horst Moser’s editorial design book “Surprise Me” is one of my favorite suggestions for people looking to pursue publication design. It’s lively and comprehensive and an excellent book for professionals, students and teachers.

While not specifically a typography book, I find “Universal Principles of Design,” edited by William Lidwell, Kristina Holden and Jill Butler, equally helpful when discussing typographic issues. It’s intended for human factors and usability design students, yet I find it an excellent starting point for designing functional typographic solutions to complex problems.

When you feel burned out or tired of the computer, publications on historical typography such as Nicolete Gray’s “Lettering as Drawing” can be a powerful remedy, as typography is as much about the past as it is about the present. Although the book is 40 years old and features black-and-white plates, it’s still packed with dynamic examples of the blurred line between letters and their illustration.

Although the design is (inexcusably) horrific and the typography utterly dreadful, “Texts on Type: Critical Writings on Typography,” edited by Steven Heller and Phillip Meggs, is a respectable collection of diverse typographic essays from historic times to modern day.

I believe all typophiles should own the recently published “Type: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles,” edited by Cees W. de Jong, Alston W. Purvis and Jan Tholenaar. There are two spectacular volumes, 1628–1900 and 1901–1938, (and I am fervently hoping for a third volume). I mention these stunning, large-format, beautifully produced books and their accompanying CD because it can be difficult to obtain visuals for inspiration or slide images for the classroom. I’ve only owned these books for two months and I can’t imagine teaching typography without them.

If you’re looking for a more scholarly approach to typography, there are several publications, all originating from people associated with the U.K.-based University of Reading’s Typography and Graphic Communication Department. The journal “TypographyPapers” features specialists writing about ideas and theories, both historical and present-day. Each issue is packed with information and even more resources for further investigation.

Another book from the Reading typographic community is the very useful “Printing 1770–1970″ by the gifted Michael Twyman, retired head of the program. It charts the connection between printing and typography and explains how progressing technologies influenced the typographic results. I find myself referring to this book often in graphic design history discussions.

Robin Kinross’ “Modern Typography” is another scholarly look at typography, but more focused on the 20th century. This fascinating and brilliant book is for those who wish to explore the relationship between history and theory and for anyone wishing to classify themselves a typographer.

The typography book that most influenced me, before I even knew that I was destined to be a typographer, is “Typography Now: The Next Wave,” edited by Rick Poynor and Edward Booth-Clibborn. When it was released in 1991, I was in my second year of design school and had never seen anything like it. It opened my eyes to what was possible, which was crucial for a design student in her early days. And while it strongly speaks for the post-modernist era in which it was produced, its vibrant illustrations still inspire me as a professional typographer 20 years later.