Tam Benim Tipim: Bir Font Kitabı (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Just my type is an exploration of the art, science, history, people and business behind typefaces, fonts and other typography. The book is exploratory - with relatively independent chapters on different topics in a not-particularly important order. Even the chapters are more meandering than structured. Every so often there is also a fontbreak: deep discussion of one specific typeface.The writing style is clear, passionate, lively and engaging. The book is pretty shallow, covering lots of topics at a little depth, and seldom delving very deep. As someone with light knowledge of fonts, I learnt a bit more than I knew, but was also left wanting for more detail. This makes for an easy, but not especially satisfying read.The book uses quite a lot of illustrations, and frequently demonstrates the typefaces it is discussing, which is appealing. On the few occasions when type is discussed without a visual example, it's quite hard to relate to. The best part of the book is the way the author's communicates his (and the designers') enthusiasm for the subject. And how he manages to make the subtle style differences interesting. The worst element is that many references or anecdotes seem incomplete or lacking as much depth as I'd have liked.Recommended for any general reader - an enjoyable read. You would think a book on fonts and typeface would be as interesting as a novel on watching grass grow, or a treatise on the qualities of paint drying. This book shows that with the right approach and in the right hands, any topic can be made interesting. It probably helps that with my job, where I do a lot of page layout and graphic design, coupled with having a mother who is a longtime calligrapher, that I would find this topic of interest. Still, I think anyone who has ever used a computer and wondered at all the fonts may find the history behind the font's creators interesting. In addition, the book goes over what fonts seem to work best and where, why some fonts work better for some types of signs, and the controversy surrounding Comic Sans. It's fascinating to me how intent and passionate type designers can get over various typefaces. There are several fascinating, and even a couple sordid, tales regarding a few of the fonts we use and the people behind them, such as Eric Gill (of Gill Sans fame). This is a good book for those who work in design or just like odd, random history.
What do You think about Tam Benim Tipim: Bir Font Kitabı (2012)?
I found this book entertaining, informative, and visually enjoyable. It wasn't written as a dry textbook-like tome, but rather as a narrative-driven, real world-connected, conversational history. I found it similar to "Seven Days In the Art World" in that the author traveled to many destinations to meet with leaders in the typeface industry/"world" and get immersed in projects and workshop atmospheres. I couldn't put the book down with the witty flourish of many case-studies and histories. And--as should happen with all great writing--I have learned to observe the world around me with a whole new perspective: before, I fleetingly noticed fonts and typefaces and was briefly intrigued by their appearances and characteristics; but now, I better understand the embodiments those fonts and typesets possess, why they are used, and the sheer effort and intelligence devoted to creating the multitude of our alphabet's appearances. Typesetting truly may be the least acknowledged, yet most impactful and extensive, artform in the world...
—mariela
The fonts you know. The fonts you love. The fonts you hate. The fonts so good you don't notice them.Touching on sociology, history, psychology, metallurgy, etymology, and - yes - typology, Garfield explores the idea that font and typography are the "tone of voice" of the printed word. He adeptly postulates that the "how" of words is as important of the "what" of words, and that our fonts evolve under the same forces as other aspects of culture. From art to utility to commercialization, this book offers a detailed and fascinating view of a subculture that shapes our daily lives. Concise and on-point, not a word - or font - is wasted.
—Chants
Type as design is what Paul Rand would say!
—Bramble1234
