Revival Type: Digital Typefaces Inspired by the Past

by Paul Shaw, Hoefler Jonathan (Foreword), Abby Goldstein (Contributor)

An illuminating account of the design inspirations and technical transformations that have shaped the digital typefaces of the 21st century

This fascinating tour through typographic history provides a visually rich exploration of digital type revival. Many typefaces from the pre-digital past have been reinvented for use on computers and mobile devices, while other new font designs are revivals of letterforms, drawn from inscriptions, calligraphic manuals, posters, and book jackets. Revival Type deftly introduces these fonts, many of which are widely used, and engagingly tells their stories.

Examples include translations of letterforms not previously used as type, direct revivals of metal and wood typefaces, and looser interpretations of older fonts. Among these are variations on classic designs by John Baskerville, Giambattista Bodoni, William Caslon, Firmin Didot, Claude Garamont, Robert Granjon, and Nicolas Jenson, as well as typefaces inspired by less familiar designers, including Richard Austin, Philippe Grandjean, and Eudald Pradell. Updates and revisions of 20th-century classics such as Palatino, Meridien, DIN, Metro, and Neue Haas Grotesk (Helvetica) are also discussed. Handsomely illustrated with annotated examples, archival material depicting classic designs, and full character sets of modern typefaces, Revival Type is an essential introduction for designers and design enthusiasts into the process of reinterpreting historical type.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 16, 2017

Reviews

[Jeimy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather scholarly work which talks about the original typography and shows how it was translated into digital formats. Do not let this intimidate you, it is a fascinating read. Along the way we meet the calligraphers and other people responsible for the fonts. The book is set in chronological order based on the original designs and is accompanied by plenty of images. My favorites were the ones in the illustrated glossary of typographical terms.

A great book for graphic designers, calligraphers, artists or typography enthusiasts.

[Nostalgia Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely look at "revival" typefaces that have been directly inspired and/or revamped from original pre-digital types.I love fonts, but whenever books focus on basic, serif fonts and their specifics I completely tune out--yes, all serif fonts look different, but they still all look the same to me. This book, however, discusses a wide variety of fonts--basic serifs are included, but also sans serifs, scripts, and, my favorites, the Victorian era fonts ("Fat Faces" through "Late Victorian" [Moser and Mackintosh are my most favorite, eye-meltingly amazing fonts] were my favorites).

Each font gets a brief bit discussing where the typeface originated, and how designers over the years have digitized it and/or updated it for more modern uses. There's also a full character set, a picture of an original work using the original typeface (architecture, posters, typeface catalogs), and a few highlighted characters, showcasing differences between the digital font and the original type, or differences in sub-styles of the fonts.

I essentially took this as an art history lesson, via fonts. Many styles through time have had their own set of fonts to go with them, and the inclusion of pictures of many of these fonts in their original, natural habitat really allows the reader to get an idea of the time and place a certain typeface comes from.

This is laid out beautifully, and would make a lovely coffee table book. Reading this as an ebook, it makes it difficult to flip back and forth quickly between similar fonts, and I didn't get the two-page spread, so I would highly recommend getting this as a physical copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!

(Cross posted on my blog.)

[Leyla Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that is so satisfying in so many levels, it gives a little background and a little history on many examples of type, but the most interest are the reproduction of the type. I really did not realise there was so many different and beautiful ways of replicated the alphabet. Some revive an era in my mind, others seem so modern that they could have been digitally produced.
As a printmaker, I love the type, I collect it wherever I can find it, but with everything it is hard to source or date. This book is an absolute joy to read.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a font masters dream. While it is beautiful like a coffee table book, i think of it as more of a scholarly tomb full of examples of variations on each font.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the format and design of this book as well as the descriptions.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very lovely object, with many interesting typefaces. Shaw is obviously an expert in the field, and writes in a surprisingly scholarly tone for what looks like a coffee table book.

[Mills College Library]

686.224 S5355 2017