ABC of Typography

by David Rault

For the first time, the history of typography is told in comic strip form
 
Typography confronts us everywhere: in books and newspapers, on road signs, in product packaging, and on political leaflets. It is ubiquitous to the point of mundanity. But while the typeface might be secondary to the message, it remains crucial to the way we respond. Fonts spark emotions; they evoke eras and ideologies. Some, like Edward Johnson’s for the London Underground, have become iconic. Others, like Comic Sans, are loathed. Each one has its own place in history.
 
The ABC of Typography traces 3,500 years of type from Sumerian pictographs through Roman calligraphy to Gutenberg, the Bauhaus, and beyond. Brimming with insight and anecdote, this witty and well-informed graphic guide explores the historical, technological, and cultural shifts that have defined the look of the words we read.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Comics, History, Graphic Novels, Art, Design, Bande Dessinée

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2018

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

From cuneiform to Gutenberg to Comic Sans, this history of typography is delightful. Graphic designer David Rault wrote the whole thing, but each chapter has a different illustrator, so the resulting book is like a taster course in comics styles. As such, I would highly recommend it to those who are fairly new to graphic novels and want to see whose work appeals to them, as well as to anyone who enjoyed Simon Garfield’s book about fonts, Just My Type. I found it fascinating to explore the technical characteristics (serif vs. sans serif, etc.) and aesthetic associations of various fonts. For instance, I didn’t realize that my mainstay – Times New Roman – is now seen as a staid choice: “Highly readable, but overexposed in the early days of the Internet, it took on a reputation for drabness that it hasn’t shed since the ’90s.” Nowadays, some newspapers and brands pay typeface creators to make a font for their exclusive use. Can you name the typeface that is used on German road signs, or in Barack Obama’s campaign materials? (You’ll be able to after you read this.)

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

I’m always drawn to books on this particular subject and this is another worthwhile addition to the ever growing body of work about typography. Starting off 3’500 years go with the Sumerian’s (tablet read) and their first writing systems which were pictographic and these eventually developed over time into cuneiform (wedge shaped).

This also covers the Phoenician’s who developed the first known alphabet, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, Gutenburg’s press, Gill Sans, Futura (apparently beloved by Stanley Kubrick), Frutiger (found in many airports across the world), Bauhaus, Letraset and of course the internet and the typographical explosion which followed.

As there is a few different contributors in here the quality varies, sometimes they really hit the mark, other times they can fall a little flat, but the humour seems to hold up really well throughout. Though I couldn’t help but see the irony with a couple of the chapters, bearing in mind that they relate to the importance of typefaces and their legibility and yet the handwriting style of some of the chapters was pretty shocking in terms of readability, but overall this was an enjoyable read.

[Nicole Brousseau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une histoire de la typographie absolument délirante. Avec des exemples concrets et des anecdotes hilarantes, les auteurs de cette B.D. démontrent l'importance de la typographie à travers l'histoire.

[Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

A swift, engaging survey of the history of typography in the West. Each chapter covers a different time period and each is illustrated by a different artist. It reads like a condensed "Just My Type" (not a bad thing), with a French focus that I found really interesting. I loved seeing the way each artist approached the material - typography is such an integral part of comics that this graphic approach worked really well.

[René Paquin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bd documentaire sur la typographie, art complexe qui possède son histoire et ses codes. L’idée de confier le récit à une multitude de bédéistes permet de varier les approches et... les typographies! 3 1/2 *

[Julia]

i loved it.
educational, fun facts, amazing artists with different styles
i really enjoyed my time today with this graphic novel/comic

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of letters and typography, given a fun, inviting extra dimension through comics!

[Luciano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice graphic novel introduction to the history of typography -- irregular, as each chapter is written by a different author, but enjoyable throughout.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm the person who excitedly reads the end note of a book that explains which font was used. I remember first encountering that in the Harry Potter series and being quietly thrilled by the knowledge. So I was naturally very interested in ABC of Typography.

It's a decent primer on the history of fonts and typography. I learned a fair bit, but for a book about typography, it's not the greatest example. Each chapter is crafted by a new artist and letterer, and the mix of styles is not always coherent. And the script lettering in two chapters is bad. I could barely read it!

ABC of Typography also focuses primarily on hisotry. Other than the glossary, it does not clarify how fonts work. Tell me about kerning! The fun facts about how some fonts came into being were welcome, but I would have appreciated a deeper, more streamlined dive into typography.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divertido y entretenido.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know thing you're looking at right now, all over this page? Did you ever wonder how the little symbols that represent words came to be? Well David Rault takes us through the history of the often overlooked artform of Typography.

I really enjoyed this because it is, at heart, a history lesson. We start at the very beginning of the written word, which are not abstract symbols, but drawings. Hieroglyphic symbols that represent animals, things, and people were the first written word etched in stone. From there we see how drawings turned to shapes, shapes turned into symbols, and symbols turned into letters, and the artistic revolution that occurred to those letters afterwards.

The art is handled by a variety of artists, and while not all of them were my personal preference, there is enough of a difference that everyone will surely find some they like.

This was interesting and thought provoking. I would recommend it to people who every wondered about fonts and words in general.

[Vanya Prodanova · Rating 3 out of 5]

История на типографията, разказана в мини комикси, създадени от различни комикс артисти. Добре структурирана и компактна е информацията, така че да не се чудиш кое какво е. Наистина е приятно, но...

Защо в книга, посветена на типографията, е взето решението да се използват шрифтове, които са НЕВЪЗМОЖНИ за четене, акълът ми не го побира. Убива поне 50% от удоволствието тази мъка с разчитането на текста. На места не си правих труда да чета внимателно, защото избраните шрифтове бяха като средновековно мъчение. Каква е тази лоша шега в книжка, посветена на шрифтовете, да ползваш НЕЧЕТИМИ шрифтове, не знам, абсурдно е... :/

[Jess Literaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante recorrido por los sucesos más importantes de la historia de la tipografía. Si bien esperaba un acercamiento de este arte a las personas de a pie, no hay que dejar de olvidar que se trata de un cómic.
Hacia el final, se vuelve más técnico, pero son unas pocas pinceladas de conocimiento enfrentadas a la enorme cantidad de información que existe.

En España se publicará el 25 de septiembre, por Norma Editorial.

[Jean-Sylvain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cet ouvrage décrit l'évolution de la typographie à travers le temps, grâce au regard de onze dessinateurs. La facture est parfois décousue, ce qui fait que nous pouvons à l'occasion perdre intérêt. Mais c'est néanmoins un document fort instructif et complet.

[Cristina Alonso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro que te hace un repaso completo por la tipografia, des de los primeros textos escritos hasta la actualidad. Te lo cuenta de una manera senzilla y muy clara. Totalmente recomendado si se quiere empezar a entender el porque del uso de las distinatas tipografias.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was some good art and good info about the fonts. There were too many names, and a typo "HTLM" (should be "HTML"). The cursive parts were a bit unreadable and it felt like we were jumping around a lot. A little inconsistent, but overall a fun book.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fascinating insight into the history of typography; something I know exists but have never examined closely enough. A must for literary enthusiasts, graphic designers, and even movie buffs!

[Malapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un ameno recorrido por la historia de la tipografía en formato cómic. Ideal para neófitos con curiosidad acerca el tema.

[Pablo RM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una manera simpática de acercarte a la tipografía y descubrir su historia.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little book - a collection of comic artists telling the history of typography, the foundries, designers and publishers that create the world of words that we use everyday.

[pip pipoca · Rating 3 out of 5]

informative and interesting!

[A. Hadessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richtig schön aufbereitet. Wirkt an manchen Stellen etwas voll geklatscht, aber war eine super Wiederholung für mich 😁🥂😍

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

très beaux graphismes et contenu très intéressant pour découvrir l'univers peu connu de la typographie.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un peu informatif mais pas très intéressant. Gros problème de clichés historiques faux.

[Pati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eigentlich super spannend, aber in der zweiten Hälfte zu viele Informationen in einem Panel und zu wenige Erklärungen – außerdem einige Übersetzungsfehler. Ich mochte aber, das jedes Kapitel von einer*m anderen Künstler*in gestaltet wurde.

[Pauline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sympa mais sans plus, je crois que je m’y connaissais déjà peut-être un peu « trop » pour apprendre beaucoup de cette BD. Le côté anthologie d’illustrateur-ices est sympa mais du coup, moi qui suis un peu picky, je n’ai pas accroché à beaucoup de styles. Et puis alors tout bêtement, je n’avais pas lu le résumé avant de lire et je pensais que ce serait vraiment un « ABCD » (abécédaire) et pas une histoire de la typographie donc j’ai été déçue. (Ma faute) En somme, contente de l’avoir emprunté et non acheté comme je l’avais prévu.

[G-E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il s’agit d’un sujet vraiment intéressant qui n’avait jamais été traité en BD. C’est le médium parfait, car les illustrations appuient à merveilles les informations. Les différents styles graphiques se prêtent bien aux diverses époques.