Although I am not a graphic designer, I have followed graphic design and computerized fonts since the 1990s. Thus, many of the font-forms referenced in this book are familiar to me. This book narrates how letters have historically been formed by technology. As the title implies, it starts with ancient scripts, continues with Gutenberg’s printing press in the 1400s, and closes with modern fonts digitized in OpenType on computers.
Dodd focuses her energies on how the biggest fonts came to be. The stories behind high-impact fonts (like Times New Roman and Helvetica) are exposited. She also addresses how the best fonts (like Times Old Roman or Gill Sans) came into being. Most importantly, she dissects why these fonts have proved successful and what historical currents shaped their success. By alternating between these two hats, she acts both as a historian and as a graphic designer in authoring this book.
As one would expect, this book is replete with images of fonts and of fonts being used in design. It is colorful and full of visual stimulation. At times, it can degenerate into stretches of technical jargon, but it illustrates just how hard telling stories about fonts really is!
I found the story of transitioning from script to serif fonts (with the small dots at the ends of characters) in the printing-press era especially interesting. I also enjoyed observing the evolution in the modern era from serif fonts to sans-serif fonts (without the small dots). Finally, I enjoyed seeing the transition from sans-serif fonts back to specialized script forms facilitated by technologies like OpenType. This history of type-technology is clearly evident to the observant reader through the book’s images.
Erudite graphic designers and those interested in the history of technology will find this book especially useful. Personally, I will look at fonts more deeply due to time spent in this book. Through knowledge of good writing, history, and graphic design, Dodd crafts a book that will sit on many coffee-tables and begin discussions on an interesting quirk of history.
From Gutenberg to OpenType: An Illustrated History of Type from the Earliest Letterforms to the Latest Digital Fonts
By Robin Dodd
Copyright (c) 2006
Hartley & Marks Publishers
ISBN13 9780881792102
Page Count: 192
Genre: Graphic Design, History of Technology
www.amazon.com