Designer, author, educator Timothy Samara is a world authority on type and graphic design. His 2004 Rockport book, Typography Workbook has become an essential reference text for design classrooms and industry professionals.
Now, in Letter Forms: The Design of Type, Past to Future he takes readers even deeper, expertly guiding them through the aesthetics as well as the technical considerations of his subject. He begins with an overview spanning the invention of movable type to today's digital typography, and ends with a showcase of contemporary fonts.
Samara's true focus in this book is conveying the essentials of type design to practitioners, and thoughtfully and thoroughly explaining and illustrating the development of form and style. He walks you through letter form anatomy, stroke formation and rhythm, tool methodologies, structure and proportion, tool methodologies, and tons more.
This all makes for one excellent, timely reference work that designers can return to in designing logos, wordmarks, signage, titling accents, and all of their graphic design work.
| Preface |
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6 | (5) |
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11 | (36) |
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A Very Long [ Yet Somewhat Abridged] Introduction to the History of Letterform Design |
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47 | (36) |
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Nomenclature and Current Aesthetic Design Conventions |
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83 | (42) |
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Fundamentals of Character Structure and Optics |
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125 | (40) |
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Strategies and Processes to Help Guide the Budding Type Designer |
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165 | (34) |
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Envisioning Structure and Style in New Ways for Narrative and Conceptual Expression |
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199 | (35) |
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A Showcase Of Contemporary Directions in Typeface Design |
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| Index |
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234 | (4) |
| Picture Index: Historical Photographs |
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238 | (2) |
| Directory of Contributors |
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240 | |
| About the Author |
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| Acknowledgments |
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Timothy Samara is a graphic designer based in New York City, where he divides his time between teaching, writing, lecturing, and consulting through STIM Visual Communication. His 18-year career in branding and information design has explored projects in print, packaging, environments, user interface design, and animation. He has been a senior art director at Ruder Finn, New Yorks largest public relations firm, and senior art director at Pettistudio, a small multidisciplinary design firm. Before relocating to Manhattan, he was principal of Physiologic in Syracuse, located in upstate New York. In 1990, he graduated a Trustee Scholar from the Graphic Design program at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. Mr. Samara is a faculty member at New Yorks School of Visual Arts, New York University, Purchase College/SUNY, and The New School, and has published six books on design and typography, all through Rockport Publishers: Making and Breaking the Grid; Typography Workbook; Publication Design Workbook; Type Style Finder; Design Elements, Design Evolution, and Letterforms. Mr. Samara and his partner live in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.
