Typography Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Using Type in Graphic Design

by Timothy Samara

New in paperback, The Typography Workbook provides an at-a-glance reference book for designers on all aspects of type. The book is part of Rockport's popular Workbook series of practical and inspirational workbooks that cover all the fundamental areas of the graphic design business. This book presents an abundance of information on type - the cornerstone of graphic design - succinctly and to the point, so that designers can get the information they need quickly and easily. Whereas many other books on type are either very technical or showcase oriented, this book offers ideas and inspiration through hundreds of real-life projects showing successful, well-crafted usage of type. The book also offers a variety of other content, including choosing fonts, sizes, and colors; incorporating text and illustrations; avoiding common mistakes in text usage; and teaching rules by which to live (and work) by.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Art Design, Art, Business, Reference

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is an elegance to letters and words I appreciate. The shape of individual letters and the way they fit together beautifully, when set properly, is noticeably better than slap-dash text thrown down with little care.

This book covers the fundamentals of dealing with type and shows how it is best used in graphic design. It includes detail on the general mechanics of typography, such as the dos and don’ts of typesetting, alignment, kerning, leading, information on optimal line length for legibility, etc. There are numerous examples illustrating the information discussed plus graphic design styles from around the world too.

The Typography Workbook was a good refresher for me, an experienced designer, but it would also prove helpful to those just starting out, as well. I found this book informative and educational but especially loved the fun layout! That, in and of itself, was useful to me. I was surprised by the high volume of graphic design samples. They took up half the book and, though interesting to look at, not all seem to pertain to typography.

A good book well worth a look if you are keen on typography and layout.

[Serge Pierro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for those looking for examples of Typography within the realm of Graphic Design. It provides many interesting examples, as well as an abundance of inspirational ideas. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the Rockport series by Timothy Samara.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good overview of typography in everyday situations, as a how-to and as shown by example. Many of the examples are in a style I don't personally like (I'm a traditionalist by nature and modern typography often borders on the chaotic in my opinion) but as a designer seeing what's being done out there is a necessity. This book is more than just a typographic showcase of current thought and work - it presents sound principles that underscore what's presented.

[Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought typography was just about the typesets but this book focuses more on layout. Good examples and explanations presented in a very organized and helpful way.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME, really helps you understand type in many diff aspects

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy smokes. There is just no way to take in more than a few pages at a time.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't have enough time to look through this dense book as much as I'd like, but I was not too impressed; seemed like a lot of obscure stating of the obvious, then tons of examples.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed, great reference - if you can't take a typography course, this is a great book to read if you are interested in typography/layout (and it does include some history) but a good "workbook."

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timothy Samara is a genius. Great typography book for anyone in the field of graphic design.

[Max Oliveira · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book is somehow educative, while he presents some principles and ways to use type. Then comes the second half with the case studies and a flood of post-modern bs, very few relevant examples and the opinions about the works are written like if they were descriptions elaborated by the Google Translate.

Would recommend to a seasoned designer who wants to challenge his Typography principles though.