Typeforms: A History

Synopsis

This book is the long-awaited successor to the classic "An Atlas of Typeforms", the great visually-led history of type which Alan Bartram and James Sutton produced in 1968.Much has changed in the last 40 years, not least the teaching of typography and the means by which it is created. Nearly 75 different types are shown in their original metal forms, just as they were in the "Atlas of Typeforms". But an entirely new feature is the author's attempt to place the types in their historical background. By including photographs of architectural and vernacular forms of lettering Alan Bartram explores the correlation (or lack thereof) between the printed letterform and its parallel form in sculpture, engraving and other public spaces.Today, with the individualistic free-for all of electronic type design and desk top publishing, the range of new type forms has exploaded and fragmented. It is true that the opportunities offered for graphic and type designers in the digital age are greater than ever before. But it is important that everyone who is excited by type today has some knowledge of its fascinating historical background.