The Geometry of Type

The Anatomy of 100 Essential Typefaces

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The ultimate guide to the intricacies of typeface design – a highly practical work of reference for font spotters, designers and users

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The Geometry of Type explores 100 traditional and modern typefaces in detail, with a full spread devoted to each entry. Characters from each typeface are enlarged and annotated to reveal key features, anatomical details, and the finer, often-overlooked elements of type design, which shows how these attributes affect mood and readability. Sidebar information lists the designer and foundry, the year of release and the different weights and styles available, while feature boxes explain the origins and best uses for each typeface, such as whether it is suitable for running text or as a display font for headlines. To help the reader spot each typeface in the wider world, the full character set is shown, and the best letters for identification are highlighted.
Extent: 256 pp
Format: Paperback
Publication date: 2016-07-14
Size: 24.6 x 19.0 cm
ISBN: 9780500292457
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Press Reviews

If you know the difference between a font and a typeface, you need this book; if you don’t, you need it even more
Erik Spiekermann

Takes an appreciation of letterforms to another level
Creative Review



About the Author

Stephen Coles is a writer and typographer. After six years as creative director at FontShop in San Francisco, he now edits the websites Typographica, Fonts In Use and The Mid-Century Modernist. Stephen is a regular contributor to The Print and The Codex magazines, a Type Camp instructor and a member of the FontFont TypeBoard. He also contributed editorial content to the most recent edition of FontBook: Digital Typeface Compendium.

Erik Spiekermann founded MetaDesign, Germany’s largest design firm, in 1979 and FontShop in 1988; he now runs the design agency Edenspiekermann.

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