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‘Typeface: Classic Typography for Contemporary Design‘ is a book that showcases 46 classic fonts, outlining background information on each, along with examples of contemporary designs that utilise each face. It’s my new favourite typographic inspiration book.
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Apart from the stellar information & examples used inside, what I found made the book such a success (in my eyes) were the fonts chosen to create the book. I wish I had a list such as this when I was back in school.
I think all designers should be aware of these 46 fonts:
- Akzidenz-Grotesk
- Avant Garde
- Avenir
- Baskerville
- Bauhaus
- Bembo
- Blackoak
- Bodoni
- Bookman
- Broadway
- Caslon
- Centaur
- Century
- Cezanne
- Clarendon
- Cooper Black
- Copperplate
- Courier
- Din
- Edwardian Script
- Eurostile
- Tette Fraktur
- Folio
- Franklin Gothic
- Frutiger
- Futura
- Garamond
- Gill Sans
- Goudy
- Grotesque
- Helvetica
- Meta
- OCR-A
- OCR-B
- Officina Sans
- Officina Serif
- Optima
- Perpetua
- Rockwell
- Rosewood
- Sabon
- Times
- Trade Gothic
- Trajan
- Univers
- Walbaum
Further Typographic Resources
- The Top 100 Best Fonts Of All Time
- 27 Classic & Elegant Fonts
- Illustrator & Type Tips Worth Knowing
- 30 Fonts That All Designers Must Know
- Top 7 Fonts Used By Professionals In Design
- 20 Typefaces To Start A Designer’s Career
- FREE 27 Page Type Classification eBook
- 10 Commerical Fonts Every Print Designer Should Own
- Designer’s Favourite Fonts & Why
- How To Choose A Font
Do you agree? What other fonts do you think should be on this list?
Great list. I have and appreciate most of these type faces. Not much I would add. Palatino perhaps?
I bought this book last week! Definitely a good source when struggling to create something text-intensive.
I definitely need to invest in a typeface book such as this. Thanks J.
Sorry for the multiple comments, but what was the book you bought a few weeks back? Maybe a month or so ago. It was something about design. I wrote it down but lost it 🙂
A great collection, good to get “Back to the Futura!” HA!
Got this book a month ago or so. Great resource.
Daryl,
Palatino is certainly worthy of the list.
Nathan,
Yeah I’ve only just recently bought it myself, quite an inspirational book heh?
Mark,
I wonder when we can call Gotham a classic font? It’s certainly on it’s way!
Kevin,
Yeah just recently bought it, I mentioned it in a previous blog post and on Twitter.
My next book purchase. How about Gotham and Georgia?
That is a GREAT idea for a book – wish I’d though of it! I’m going to have to nab that!
All but 2 of the fonts from my similar list of classics are listed here (Warnock and Myriad because they are newer Adobe fonts):
http://bonfx.com/19-top-fonts-in-19-top-combinations/
Almost every font listed there are in the “Font Combos” app too (see link). Someone else loves the classics as much as I do.
Hmmm. I wonder if Gotham can slide in as a classic? It’s like 20 years old now right? Slide Myriad and Warnock in for good measure 🙂
How’d you find this one among all the zillion typography books? I’m going to order it tonight…killer!
Great post…
I know, but what was the book called?
This is a great book – I received it as a gift and have it out constantly as I’m working. My only criticism is that Edwardian Script is the only script-y font included.
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Jacob
Great Book.Thanks for sharing.
Best Regards
Rupam
I just got my copy in the mail today. It’s simply my favorite type inspiration book of all time. I’m picky (aren’t we all) but this book nails it. I will no doubt study every example in the book with glee.
I think it’s accessible in such a great way because it’s attainable. It’s like like giving Picasso your art tools collection and saying “see what you can do with this.” It reminds me, enthusiastically, that you really can do a lot with a little.
Yes, it’s my favorite design book, in general, in my collection. Great choice and thanks for the tip!!
Douglas,
You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed it too!
This is a great collection of fonts! This should be perfect for a design I’m working on. Thanks!
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I have to totally agree with you this book is one of the best I’ve had in hand so far. And to be frank I’ve been thinking a lot about that ‘wish I had this at school’ thing myself ! My advice is to complement it with ‘Just My Type’ by Simon Garfield and ‘The Fundamentals of Typography’ by Ambrose & Harris.
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Apart from the stellar information & examples used inside, what I found made the book such a success (in my eyes) were the fonts chosen to create the book. I wish I had a list such as this when I was back in school.
[…] is the rule! A good eye for image placements, spacing and proportion becomes crucial here. Smart typeface choice and minimal text can do wonders when placed in white space. Use a grid to place the photographs and […]
[…] is the rule! A good eye for image placements, spacing and proportion becomes crucial here. Smart typeface choice and minimal text can do wonders when placed in white space. Use a grid to place the photographs and […]