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Just My Type: A Book About Fonts
Just My Type: A Book About Fonts
Just My Type: A Book About Fonts
Audiobook7 hours

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts

Written by Simon Garfield

Narrated by Gildart Jackson

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Fonts surround us every day, on street signs and buildings, on movie posters and books, and on just about every product that we buy. But where do they come from, and why do we need so many? Who is responsible for the staid practicality of Times New Roman, the cool anonymity of Arial, or the irritating levity of Comic Sans (and the movement to ban it)?

Typefaces are now 560 years old, but we barely knew their names until about twenty years ago when the pull-down font menus on our first computers made us all the gods of type. Beginning in the early days of Gutenberg and ending with the most adventurous digital fonts, Simon Garfield explores the rich history and subtle powers of type. He goes on to investigate a range of modern mysteries, including how Helvetica took over the world, what inspires the seeming ubiquitous use of Trajan on bad movie posters, and exactly why the all-type cover of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus was so effective. It also examines why the "T" in the Beatles logo is longer than the other letters and how Gotham helped Barack Obama into the White House. A must-have book for the design conscious, Just My Type's cheeky irreverence will also charm everyone who loved Eats, Shoots Leaves and Schott's Original Miscellany.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 30, 2011
ISBN9781452674513
Just My Type: A Book About Fonts
Author

Simon Garfield

Simon Garfield is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen acclaimed books of nonfiction including On the Map and Just My Type. A recipient of the Somerset Maugham Award for nonfiction, he lives in London.

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Reviews for Just My Type

Rating: 3.8685257659362553 out of 5 stars
4/5

502 ratings71 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I had never given fonts much thought before, aside from my hatred of Comic Sans and unwilling love of Calibri. Now I notice typefaces everywhere, especially in advertising and public transit signage. And I have a new appreciation the lower case g.Coincidentally, this makes a nice companion to "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore" -- that novel's typography storyline is more interesting to me now, in hindsight.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    IMO, font is like a background music that plays while a person reads your words. It sets the mood...hopefully, the right mood to make the reader receptive to whatever idea/experience you are hoping to sell. So this topic should be of great interest to anyone who intends to communicate with others via the written word. In other words, all of us.

    You might think that the world could not possibly need the hundreds of fonts that are currently in use. After all, how many moods do human's really need to feel? Well, if you take into account the desire for font designers to make a living from their designs, and the need for products (and even Presidential candidates) to feel new and unique, then the answer is: the more choices, the merrier!

    This book gives a nice history on printing and font development. Lots of nifty tidbits like the origin of the saying, "Mind your p's and q's": Back in the days when printing presses had removable type, you had to be careful when taking apart the stamping page, because the p's and q's looked so much alike that you might accidentally toss them into the wrong bin.

    My only complaint was the sentiment that seemed prevalent among font designers (also the author, I think), that we Average Joe users are abusing/misusing/over-using their precious fonts. Seriously? I wonder how a font designer would feel if a toothbrush designer told the font designer that they are brushing their teeth wrong.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield

    ★ ★ ★ ½

    Once the printing press was invented, nothing would ever be the same. If it wasn't for the printing press, almost none of us would get to read all our precious books. And without font, there would be nothing to read on those pages.

    Due to my veracious need to read about the history of everything I can, I looked forward to this book. I am not a huge geek of font or typeface (and in reading this book, I realized that there is quite a following of those that are) but this book was enjoyable. Capable of being read whether a huge fan of font or knowing very little about it. I learned about why the saying “mind your p's and q's” came about and why they are called upper and lower cases among many many other facts. I learned, and was amazed, at how much work goes into making a new font, the people behind those fonts, and just how many there really are out there. The author makes this an interesting and at times humorous read. Well researched but definitely not as dry as I expected it to be.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Had a lot of interesting and sometimes amusing information. Would liked it better if they had always shown the font/character being discussed. Many examples, however. The foreward (by Chip Kidd) was fantastic with many illustrations from pop culture showing the effectiveness of various fonts.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book is okay; it's even quite amusing at times. I prefer the documentary Helvetica, but had I not seen the film first, the book might have been my favorite. If you're at all interested in fonts, take a look at this one. One tip: pick up the hard copy, not the ebook. Many different fonts appear thoughout the book to illustrate what the author is talking about, and you'll miss something if you try to read this as an ebook since that will likely limit the number of fonts you'll see.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is probably not a book for people in the business of typography as I'm guessing it would just be telling them what they already know. I really enjoyed the stories behind the fonts and I loved the chapter on the top worst fonts. It was also just interesting to think about these little letters which we use for consuming information having a value that's all their own. The fact that we might not want to engage with them at all if they look ugly to the eye. Yes, a very enjoyable and indulgent read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This non-fiction delight is for all the nerds, stationery lovers, trivia fiends and those who just love absorbing minutiae.Just as the title declares, Just My Type is a book all about fonts. Author Simon Garfield has successfully made the world of fonts and typefaces quite fascinating and I've begun looking at font in all mediums of print and advertising in an entirely new light; and of course trying to identify the different types.The book briefly explains the printing press, the technology of carving individual letters from different materials and the advances in technology since then. I found it fascinating to read about the creation of particular fonts, and learning some fonts took years to complete was a real eye-opener.Garfield also explains why some fonts are difficult to read, how some fonts rose to fame, which fonts are currently dominating the world of print and why.When Garfield described the differences in the letter 'g' or the humble '&' in different fonts, I was engrossed. There were also plenty of snippets of trivia to maintain interest. If you're the sort of person who enjoyed the 2007 documentary entitled Helvetica, then Just My Type: A Book About Fonts is definitely the book for you!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Beautifully entertaining. Not only a historical tour through font history but a good perspective of the art behind it all. An easy and enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a good companion volume to the documentary film "Helvetica."
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Quite a decent read — short histories of a wide variety of fonts, some amusing industry backstories and interviews. Enjoyed it, but I’m more interested, generally, in medieval or renaissance and this is pretty firmly seated in the modern world. Good overview.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I believe this is what they're calling "an enjoyable romp" these days. It wasn't a thorough history but certainly had some interesting stories.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this book a lot. It's got some really good information and is a great intro to typography for those with no prior knowledge. I've read some other reviews that recommend digging deeper to get more accurate facts about certain type designers and events, but I found this pretty engaging and informative.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fun book if you are of the mind for nerdy stuff. Quite surprised there is no mention of Donald Knuth and his contributions of TeX and Metafont.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Garfield annoyed me early on spelling ‘fount’ as ‘font’. He addresses this on page 39 and apparently this Americanisation (or Americanization) has been going on since the 1920s. He says I’m an elitist snotbag. This is true, but I would like to point out that I was unaware of the change. It’s quite a handy chaunge though as we will now be able to redistribute that letter into other words that need it.Anyway, a very interesting and entertaining book, any chapter of which could be expanded into a book of it’s own. I particularly enjoyed the bit on clones and pirates.Thought provoking too. I have the first edition. It’s a particularly nicely made and designed book. It’d have to be as, because of the subject, I was constantly aware of it. The design, with all it’s fo’nts, is integral to the book. What if reprints don’t replicate this? What about digital versions displaying in an app’s default font? What about any digital communication? I’m writing this in Cardo, but who knows what you’ll see. Will we ever be truly heard? Hello? HELLO?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Enjoyable , informative, even good jokes. Told me a lot about corners of life one tends to ignore, while also reminding me that I do know a bit about fonts: back in the 60s I actually wrote a piece for the Observer about the arrival of Univers.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A really interesting book. But the author has a tendency to wander and repeat himself.

    It felt more like a collection of columns put side by side than a unified whole. But very good if you just want to dip into it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A surefooted, lighthearted ramble through the history, utility, and personalities of type. It's not a book on how to design type, or a history of typesetting, or a review of the modern field, but it's a bit of all of those. I enjoyed it. If you're one of those people who likes words and letters not only as communications but for their innate properties, you'll enjoy it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Best for: Those who enjoy a bit of trivia about common things; those interested in graphic design.In a nutshell: A history of fonts, with a focus on some of the better-known ones.Worth quoting: “If all letters were exactly the same height they wouldn’t appear so: round and pointed letters would appear shorter.”“They established that it is a lot easier to read lower-case letters than capitals when travelling at speed.”Why I chose it: I love this kind of shit.Review:There’s not a ton I can say about this book that isn’t just be sharing interesting trivia I learned. Like, as referenced above, researchers have determined that it’s better to put location names on roadsigns with upper case starts followed by lower case letters. It’s because one looks for the shape of the word, not the individual letters. And so can spot the shape they’re looking for before they can read the word.Do you find that nugget of information interesting? Then this book is for you. Author Garfield takes us on a trip that isn’t so much chronological as focused on subject areas. He shares the history of some well-known fonts (starting with Comic Sans!) and why they come to be. He also looks at issues like: do fonts have a gender? A nationality? Do they evoke a time period to you?He also shares some of the more technical things about fonts. For example, what makes a font easier to read online makes it more difficult to read on paper and vice versa. Which is super annoying for me in my work, as I produce many documents that need to be readable in both formats.This is a fairly niche book but it’s also accessible. If you’re looking for a gift for someone who you think might enjoy this type of thing, they probably will like this one.Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:Donate it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Pop commentary on fonts. Cute but wish it went deeper.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is an introduction to the world of typography that manages to be both entertaining and informative. The book is divided into 22 'proper' chapters interspersed frequently by little 'font breaks' where a specific type is discussed e.g. Gill Sans, Futura, Optima. In these font breaks the history of the type is given, designers are profiled etc. The rest of the book is mainly a kind of history lesson that takes in various changes in technology and how type design continues to progress despite there being many thousands of fonts readily available. Particularly interesting was the chapter on the font for British road signs designed by Kinneir and Calvert. Only when you see how clear and simple it is compared with an alternative design by Kindersley that you appreciate it. But this is what these people are generally trying to achieve. A font that is so good it can be read without being noticed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a wonderfully entertaining and informative book. I wish I could retain all the information it contains. I enjoy learning about fonts but do not seem to have the discernment in everyday life to distinguish among many of them. The author of this book covers a lot of ground, including the history of type and printing, mini biographies of some of the most influential type designers, descriptions of the histories of selected fonts, and some cultural/psychological information about the use of fonts. Lots of fun.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Schriften begegnen uns jeden Tag in allen erdenklichen Formen. Sei es auf Straßenschildern, Werbeplakaten, unserer Müsliverpackung oder ganz klassisch: in Büchern und Zeitschriften. Wie schon der amerikanische Typograph Cyrus Highsmith in einem Selbstexperiment feststellen musste: Wenn man auf eine bestimmte Schriftart (in seinem Fall „Helvetica“) verzichten will, muss man sein Leben ganz schön einschränken.Simon Garfield schafft mit JUST MY TYPE einen perfekten Umriss der Typographiegeschichte. Er beleuchtet nicht nur einzelne Schriftarten, sondern auch deren Erschaffer. Garfield erzählt in der einen oder anderen Geschichte herrlich eingängig und unterhaltsam, wie Schriften das Leben von Menschen und ganze Kampagnen (YES WE CAN) beeinflusste. Zur Visualisierung sind die meisten Schriften in Bildern oder Fotos dargestellt. So kann der Leser den Beschreibungen verschiedener Schriftarten folgen und einzelne Besonderheiten nachvollziehen.Typographie ist ein eigener Berufszweig und für viele der Anhänger mehr als nur eine schlichte Aufgabe. Jede Schriftart sagt etwas aus – stellt etwas dar. Manchmal sorgt es sogar für Massenaufstände, wie beim Wechsel der Schriftart für die Letter IKEA von Futura auf Verdana. Ottonormalverbraucher macht sich eher weniger Gedanken darum, was einzelne Schriftarten aussagen. Beim Arbeiten mit WORD oder anderen Anwendungen wird entweder die voreingestellte Schriftart gewählt oder die, mit der man am meisten vertraut ist (Times New Roman). Oder es wird einfach nach optischen Elementen ausgewählt. Oder wussten Sie, dass für Präsentationen eher eine serifenlose Schrift angeraten ist und für gedruckte Texte eher eine Serifenschrift – und was sind überhaupt Serifen?JUST MY TYPE macht dem Leser seine Umwelt erst wirklich bewusst. Wo man auch hinsieht, macht man sich plötzlich Gedanken über Art und Sinn der verwendeten Schriftart. Es führt nicht nur durch einzelne Schriftarten, sondern macht die gesamte Thematik interessant auf seine einfühlsame und teils auch witzige Art und Weise.Mit diesem Buch werden Sie zwar nicht zum professionellen Typographen, aber Sie entwickeln ein Bewusstsein für Schrift und ihre Wirkung.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A book by someone who loves his subject. You'll never look at text quite the same way ever again.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the most interesting book I have read about type. Fonts are all around us and I often find myself looking at a particular font or a set of fonts in close proximity, like those used on three or four adjoining shops, and wondering led to those choices. I wish I had Garfield's ability to recognize fonts by name. I have marked this book for a second reading when I get the time.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is an excellent introduction to typography for the uninitiated. If you want to get an overview of the history of typography and grasp just what an impact choosing a font has on a message without delving too deep into subject, this is the book to read.Humourous, concise and entertaining, "Just my type" is consistently to the point. I have to admit that at certain points I found it hard to put the book down. Perhaps it's just the inner geek in me who is interested in relatively obscure things, but I found this history of typography utterly fascinating. Every other chapter focuses on a particular font which the author has deemed significant in some way - this gives an insight into how fonts are born, adopted and how they influence what is yet to come.As is expected of a book on typography, all the mentioned fonts are set in the corresponding type, giving the reader a "live" instant impression of the font.Although "Just my type" offers no complete recipes for choosing the right font for a particular situation, it makes for a solid starting point for understanding what constitutes great typography.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I feel like a huge nerd for liking this book as much as I did, but hey, I probably wouldn't be doing this blog if I wasn't one already. Basically, this book breaks down rather nicely the history of some of our most popular fonts and where they come from. Garfield does a great job of making this really interesting, even for those who aren't exactly typeface nerds, which are admittedly a very small group of people. This book was required reading for my Book Design class, and while I am interesting in typefaces and fonts, I wasn't particularly excited about reading a whole book about them. However, this changed when I actually caught myself laughing in the first chapter.It was fascinating the learn about the history of these fonts that we use in everyday life but never really think about. Who actually wonders about the history of Times New Roman before they start using it for their term paper? Not very many. Now that I know some of these histories and the work and creativity that goes into making these typefaces, I have a much higher appreciation for them.I also enjoyed the layout of the book itself. He has chapters on a certain subject in typefaces and then at the end of the chapter, gives us a brief history of a more famous typeface that most everyone has heard of in their lifetime, such as Futura and Helvetica. There is also an entire chapter on Comic sans that makes me giggle.Before this book, I never really thought that typefaces alone could send a message to their readers, and how some typefaces have become so prominent with businesses that it makes people in the know roll their eyes when they see it. How unoriginal to use Helvetica, but damn is it pretty! After reading this book, I now look at type on signs and brochures and wonder which typeface they used and why. What does this typeface say about this company? It's astounding how much time, effort, and money goes into finding just the right typeface, and how important that is for branding since picking the wrong typeface can actually turn people away from a business. No joke! He also makes fun of the 2012 London Olympics font which I found horrendous even before I read this book. That font and logo was just a hot mess.In the end, if you want to read a book that gives you a highly informative but also engaging look into the world of type, this is the book for you. It is easy to understand, and while he sometimes uses typeface jargon, he makes sure to explain these phrases which was extremely helpful when he would talk about kerning, ascenders, descenders. A great read that has the changed the way I view type and fonts.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Designing a typeface is a tricky project, as Simon Garfield demonstrates in his informative, engaging book Just My Type. A typeface should, of course, be beautiful. It should be both readable and legible (Garfield shows readers the difference using the Cooper Black font on the cover of the classic Beach Boys' album Pet Sounds as an example). And above all, it should be "banal". Huh? It's a paradox, but as Adrian Frutiger, creator of the "perfect" (in Garfield's estimation) typeface that bears his last name, has said, "If you remember the shape of your spoon at lunch, it has to be the wrong shape...When it is a good design, the reader has to feel comfortable because the letter is both banal and beautiful." (p. 140).Garfield takes readers through the 560 history of movable type, beginning with Gutenberg's first Bible and ending with Calibri, the ubiquitous font that has served as Microsoft's default since 2007. Along the way, he highlights particular typefaces, interviews designers, and discusses typographic trends.. It's an entertaining journey, and one that's highly recommended for those who are fascinated by fonts.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Picking this up as a lark, expecting to just skim through it, I was please and surprised to discover that this was a fun little read, in a nerdy sort of way. However, there are times when the author takes fonts just a little too seriously, especially when we was talking about the Obama and McCain campaigns. He sounded like the thought they build their whole campaign arount their font choices. To be honest, even though I have a better appreciation for fonts, they still tend to look the same.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If you're like me, you always want to choose the perfect font for whatever you're working on, be it an email to a friend or an invitation to a party. Just My Type examines not only the history origin of certain fonts, but it also explores their function and why we are drawn to particular types for certain projects. Oh, and the chapter on Comic Sans is not to be missed!!!!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A little boggy in some of the details but overall an interesting read about the history of type and fonts. I have no formal or informal training in this field and I found it pretty easy to follow.