Drawing Type: An Introduction to Illustrating Letterforms

by Alex Fowkes

Part inspiration and part workbook, these hand-drawn type of images will inspire and excite any designer to draw and explore type. Drawing Type features real-world projects and sketchbooks of well-known type designers, including interviews about their processes. Playful, hand-drawn type can easily be used in a range of disciplines within design and illustration such as packaging, editorial, posters, advertising, online graphics, and signage; the hand-made aesthetic is more prevalent now than ever. Alex Fowkes will help you to create custom lettering and typographic layouts. Alex encourages you to start drawing all kinds of typography, including serifs, sans serifs, and scripts. He provides ample examples of typefaces to draw inspiration from so you can become confident enough to draw your own.  Drawing Type  is perfect for learning and developing your skills at home or in a classroom--an invaluable resource that you can refer to again and again! 

Genres: Design, Art, Nonfiction, Creative

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Roberto · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not terrible; however, it misleads the reader into believing it’s a serious introduction to hand lettering and also a workbook: “perfect for learning at home or in the classroom and is something that you can refer to again and again!”
It features the work of creative professionals paired with a blurb about their processes and a few shallow interviews sprinkled in between. The pretty pictures are the best part of the book, they are inspiring and definitely exciting to look at! There are four exercises for people who have never held a pencil out of curiosity and recently discovered the beauty of the written language and letterforms, witchcraft! Aside the fact that I did not had to pay $40 for this book, the second best part is the tear-out type specimen sheets that the author invites us to trace in hopes that the experience will educate and inspire us to draw our own typeface!

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The different artists and styles portrayed was nice and gave a ton of reference/inspiration. However saying it is "Part inspiration and part workbook" is a stretch the last 10% is instructional and the rest is about the artists.

[•·.·''·.·•vekay•·.·''·.· · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's just about a bunch of designers and their works and something I'll refer to now and then.

[Abby Epplett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book contains an interesting list of designers and illustrators.

[Kyttee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is mostly an introduction to different artists/designer styles. It has 2 sections: Inspiration & Interviews and Drawing Type: Introduction. The first part (which make almost the whole book) showcase artworks from the portfolio of different person with a short introduction on them. The second section (starting at page 178) encourage some exercises to do and contains as well detachable specimen sheets to be used. It very briefly lists the anatomy, tools and method to be used with letterforms.

[Dalia · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Book with a beautiful cover and a showcase of more and less interesting designers. Didn't actually learn a thing about Drawing type (as suggested in the title of the book). Theory of type is a glossary of a few terms (and I do mean just few), shown without its pictorial description (how is one supposed to learn about which part of the letter is the author referring to?).
Unfortunately, I cannot classify this even as a coffee table book. It's that poor.

[Mish Vra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Už od základnej školy ma fascinovali graffiti a všetko s nimi spojené. Vždy som si na kraj papierov kreslila rôzne heslá rôznymi druhmi písma. Keď ma niekto chválil, ako pekne kreslím, mojou typickou odpoveďou bolo "Ja neviem kresliť, ja viem len celkom pekne písať písmená.". Dnes, uplynulo už veľa rokov od mojich prvých graffitových pokusov a postupom času som sa naučila, že existuje istá časť grafického dizajnu venujúca sa písmu - typografia. Práve z tohto dôvodu som siahla po knižke od britského dizajnéra, v ktorej čitateľovi nie len že predstavuje množstvo kolegov z brandže, ale prostredníctvom predtlačených druhov písma povzbudzuje začínajúcich grafikov. Kniha Drawing Type predstavuje úžasný spôsob, ako dostať "do ruky" rôzne druhy písma a zároveň možnosť sa inšpirovať z množstva uvedených autorov a ich prác. Pre mňa je kniha určite veľkou inšpiráciou a určite ju odporúčam každému, komu učarila krása písma.

[Toni Conn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and seeing the variety of lettering illustrations and work. The artists and designers gave some behind the scenes information as well. The second part of the book is instructions and specimens sheets for you to try hand lettering yourself. I couldn't help but skip there first to see what the instructions were.

[Michael Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books for hand letting inspiration I've come across. A necessary for anyone's book shelf.