Typographic Research
Table of Contents 4 5 6 Week I Week II Week III
9 7 8 Week IV Week V Week VI
Week VII Week VIII Week IX 10 11 12
Week X Week XI Critical Analysis 13 14 15
Futura
Condensed Medium 60pt/37pt; 30pt/37pt
Merriweather
Regular 12pt/38pt; 12pt/19pt
Italic 12pt/19pt
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Part I
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Week I The Crucible by Arthur Miller Published: 1995 Typeface: Perpetua Heath Anthology of German Poetry by August Closs and T. Pugh Williams Published: 1957
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Week II The Nobel Lecture in Literature, 1993 by Toni Morrison Published: 1995 Typeface: Monotype Bell Printed: Lake Book Manufacturing, Melrose Park, Illinois Designers: Peter A. Andersen, Carol Devine Carson, & Archie Ferguson Female Friends by Fay Weldon Published: 1974 Typographic Design: Robert Carola
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Week III British Poetry Since 1945 by Edward Lucie-Smith Published: 1970 Typeface: Monotype Imprint Printed in Great Britain by: Cox & Wyman Ltd Designer: Rolf Brandt The Pelican Book of English Prose, Vol. 2 by Raymond Williams Published: 1969 Typeface: Monotype Bembo Printed by: Great Britain by Hazell Watson & Viney Ltd. Designer: Romek Marber
Week IV Energy Exchange in the Biosphere by David Gates Published: 1965 They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein Published: 2006 Printed by: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. Designer: Jo Anne Metsch The Victim by Saul Bellow Published: 1965 Printed by: The Vanguard Press, Inc.
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Week V What Evolution Is by Ernst Mayr Published: 2001 Printed by: Basic Books
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Week VI Mac Flecknoe by John Dryden Published: 1970 Printed by: Charles E. Merril Publishing Co.
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Week VII Man in the Moon by Francis Godwin Published: 1996 Printed by: Firestone Books
Week VIII Book of Quotations on Death by The Arden Shakespeare Published: 2001 Printed by: Arden Shakespeare A Natural Perspective by Northrop Frye Published: 1995 Printed by: Columbia University Press
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Week IX Yesterday, To-day, and For Ever by Edward Henry Bickersteth Published: 1882 Printed by: Robert Carter and Brothers
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Week X A Fugitive and Gracious Light by G. Thomas Fairclough Published: 1961 Printed by: University at Lincoln
Week XI Arnold’s Poems by Edwin Arnold Published: 1903 Printed by: The Useful Knowledge Publishing Company Jonson by Geo. P. Baker Published: 1903 Printed by: D.C. & Heath Co.
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Part II
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Critical Analysis The objective of this exploration was to introduce the rich history and tradition of typography by spending an hour per week looking through books and publications in Reed library. It didn’t necessarily matter what genre of book it was, as long as it was visually interesting and one could have a response to it. As we began this process, I was simply looking for books that caught my eye. I wasn’t paying attention to anything else other than waiting for my mind to go, “That’s a pretty unique book cover.” As a result, I was surprised to see that books constructed in foreign countries use more type setting than publications made in the United States. I thought this was an interesting discovery, so I began to research why this is so. I found that in European countries, such as Germany, books covers are designed with simple, minimal images and plain type. This is what helps sell books. Moreover, in America or the UK, the book market is more competitive. The cover designs are almost literally begging the consumer to buy them because of the amount of color, illustration and even 3D type.
Week by week, I started paying attention to more of the typographical features designers used. I noticed that many books had simple errors like widows and orphans. I was surprised to see the amount of these and wondered why they didn’t catch and fix them. One theory I have is that since the majority of the books I picked out were from decades ago, maybe widows and orphans weren’t considered bad type. Maybe no one made a big deal about them at the time. I could be wrong, but it is a theory. Some publications paid more attention to typefaces than others. I personally enjoyed looking at the books that had script fonts because I am interested in hand-lettering and work on it in my spare time. Overall, this project has me thinking more about the differences between foreign and American book designers and past and present novel layouts. I’m starting to wonder if there is or will be a pattern in how book design is made. Maybe German books will be all illustrations one day or American books will switch to the simplistic approach. I think this project helped me quite a bit. I was doubtful at first, but I learned valuable points to the art of book design.