Thinking with Type

Graphic design is an important help to any venture. In the age of electronic communication, it has become only more important to capture the public’s attention. Distractions abound, but well-thought visuals stand the chance of garnering a glance. Of course, only deeper substance will sustain interest in a written work, but interest will never be piqued without visual appeal. Lupton’s work seeks to enlighten those who deal with type in some format about the graphical principles required to display those words pleasingly.

Lupton divides her book into three main sections: Letter, Text, and Grid. Letter covers typefaces and fonts; Text covers practices about forming words into sentences; and Grid covers how to lay them out on a page or show more screen. The book primarily examines the medium of print, but communication via computers frequently receives mention. Further, many of the concepts of graphical appeal can be translated to this increasingly common mew medium. (Some readers might also benefit from Lupton’s Type on Screen, but this work is the more important seminal work.) Like any graphical design book, frequent use of example images litter the book throughout. Every caption not only cites a source but also informs the reader of its worth.

As the subtitle suggests, multiple potential audiences exist for this classic. Pure graphic designers provide an obvious one, but writers, editors, students, and even web developers (like myself) can benefit from perusing Lupton’s pages. After reading this, I immediately changed a graphic or two in my software’s code. It’s hard not to get thinking creatively about how type is presented after reading this work, both through well-explicated ideas and copious inspirational examples. Reading it is time well spent. show less

I've read many, many books on typography and I still learned new things from this one.

The section on individual letters is very strong, including information on the parts of a letter and on the history of typefaces, with more information on 20th century typefaces than I've seen in comparable reference works.

Many situations of visual communication in practice involve written language; interaction design is no exception in that regard. Typography is important in all those situations, and the book by Lupton is a really good introduction for teaching and learning. It draws upon the history of typography, presents a broad collection of typographic concepts and well-chosen examples, and shares practical advice, all in a very accessible and enjoyable way.

Not terribly in-depth, but a good introduction to the concepts of page design (whether paper or web) and typography. Most of which I knew but this is nicely condensed with some examples scattered along the way.

I would recommend it to people getting into typography or design, proabably too simple for someone with experience but a good primer.

Really great overview. I've been struggling with the density of "Elements of typographic style". But thanks to this book, I'll go back with a better mental model.
Great examples. Sometimes references to the Web feel a bit dated.

Beautifully written and typeset. I thought reading about type would be boring. Not in this book.

Excellent! Everyone who works with words in some way — designers, editors, writers, and their employers and clients — should read this book. It is smartly organized and dense with insight and advice. The final section, "Grid," and the appendix are particularly noteworthy. Highly recommended.