Typographic Specimens The Great Typefaces

by Meggs, Philip B.; Carter, Rob

• ISBN13: 9780471284291
• ISBN10: 0471284297
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-12-16
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Specimens of 38 of the finest type families in the world are brought together in Typographic Specimens: The Great Typefaces, making it an invaluable reference tool for graphic designers, editors, art directors, production managers, desktop publishers, and students. Each type family is shown in display and text specimens with complete fonts including italic and bold variations; extended families such as Futura and Univers include additional type weights and widths. Each type family's section opens with a full-page experimental design, created by an outstanding graphic designer to demonstrate its potential. The specimens are accompanied by a concise discussion of each type family's origins, charactertistics, and usage. Typographic specimens provide an opportunity to study typefaces, to select and plan typography, and to increase one's knowledge of letterforms. Drawing and tracing specimens remain excellent ways to understand type and create logos and other typographic designs. Study of specimens aids in the selection of fonts to be purchased for the font library. Typographic specimens introduce unfamiliar typefaces in printed form and aid in the development of connoisseurship. Comparative analysis of similar faces in printed form becomes possible. Over one hundred prominent designers and design educators were sent a ballot listing all major typefaces and were asked to vote for the type families that best fulfilled their personal criteria for typographic excellence. The typefaces contained in this book represent the results of this poll, providing a compendium of excellent typefaces that have stood the test of time.

Typographic Specimens: The Great Typefaces will provide information, inspiration, and a keener knowledge of typography.

Akzidenz-Grotesk
American Typewriter
Baskerville
Bembo
Bodoni
Bookman
Caledonia
Caslon
Centaur
Century Schoolbook
Cheltenham
Clarendon
Didot
Folio
Franklin Gothic
Frutiger
Futura
Galliard
Gill Sans
Garamond
Goudy Old Style
Helvetica
Janson
Kabel
News Gothic
Optima
Palatino
Perpetua
Plantin
Sabon
Serifa
Stone Sans
Stone Serif
Stymie
Times New Roman
Trump Mediaeval
Univers
Zapf Book

Author Biography

Philip Meggs is professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, contributing editor of Print magazine, and visiting graduate faculty at Syracuse University. He is the author of Type & Image and A History of Graphic Design, and coauthor of Typographic Design: Form and Communication. His design work has been exhibited widely, including Print Regional Annual, CA Annual, Graphis Posters, Photographis, and The New York Art Director’s Club. Rob Carter teaches typography and graphic design at Virginia Commonwealth University. His design projects have been exhibited by the American Institute of Graphic Arts, New York Art Director’s Club, Society of Typographic Arts, Graphis Annual, Creativity, and the New York Type Director’s Club. He is the author of American Typography Today and coauthor of Typographic Design: Form and Communication. Z

Table of Contents

Design Interpretations
Akzidenz-Grotesk	10	(10)
Wolfgang Weingart
American Typewriter	20	(10)
Philip Meggs
Baskerville	30	(10)
Keith Jones
Bembo	40	(10)
Jeff Price
Bodoni	50	(10)
Rob Carter
Bookman	60	(10)
Rob Carter
Caledonia	70	(10)
Clifford A. Harvey
Caslon	80	(10)
Paul Rand
Centaur	90	(8)
Bruce Rogers
Century Schoolbook	98	(10)
Philip Meggs
Cheltenham	108	(10)
Kit Hinrichs
Clarendon	118	(10)
Bradbury Thompson
Didot	128	(10)
Ned Drew
Folio	138	(12)
Philip Meggs
Franklin Gothic	150	(12)
Malcolm Grear
Frutiger	162	(10)
Julie Sebastianelli
Futura	172	(16)
John Malinoski
Galliard	188	(10)
Matthew Carter
Gill Sans	198	(10)
Larry Clarkson
Garamond	208	(10)
Paula Scher
Ron Louie
Goudy Old Style	218	(10)
Roger E. Baer
Helvetica	228	(16)
Sandra Wheeler
Janson Text	244	(8)
Christopher Ozubko
Kabel	252	(10)
Douglass Scott
News Gothic	262	(10)
Jeff Barnes
Optima	272	(10)
Hermann Zapf
Palatino	282	(10)
Hermann Zapf
Perpetua	292	(10)
Eve Faulkes
Plantin	302	(10)
Banu Berker
Sabon	312	(10)
Stephen Chovanec
Serifa	322	(10)
Katie Salen
Stone Sans	332	(10)
Brian Wu
Stone Serif	342	(10)
Brian Wu
Stymie	352	(10)
Louise Fili
Times New Roman	362	(10)
David Colley
Trump Mediaeval	372	(10)
Richard Woollacott
Univers	382	(18)
John T. Drew
Zapf Book	400
Hermann Zapf