When you’re writing a paper, you usually have to refer to a great deal of literature to create a masterpiece. Once you’ve finished deciding on what information you’re going to use, you then have to find even more information on how to structure the paper. If you have a selection of the best typography books, you’ll be much better equipped to move quickly through whatever papers you are assigned. Here are some of the best books on typography for your perusal.
1. Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton
Whether you’re new to the idea of design or a seasoned professional, you’ll love reading Ellen Lupton’s work. If you are working with words and layouts as a student, you’ll appreciate how Thinking with Type helps you cope with the space and the typographic elements you’ve been given. The revised edition has almost 50 pages of the content helping the students effectively mix typefaces, and understand font licensing. Lupton will help you understand what the rules are, so that you can break them when invention calls for it.
2. American Typeplay by Steven Heller
This book covers more than 150 different typefaces by a diversity of designers, all brought about by the advent of the computers. More than 400 images give you an amazing visual representation of the way that type is used in media, whether it is printed on a CD case, an invitation, or a book jacket. Thinking about the way type is used and the messages that it communicates can really help you as a student to understand what you are saying when you pick a specific typeface.
3. Just My Type: A Book about Fonts by Simon Garfield
This is a great selection when you’re interested in learning about type; it’s perhaps even the best selection for gaining greater self-awareness. What does your favorite font say about you? What does your professor’s favorite font say about them? Historical, technical, and stylistic details are covered in the book as well, but the book’s introspective and clever questions are what students will really enjoy the most. It is subtle, it is smart, and it is going to become one of your favorites.
4. Stop Stealing Sheep and Find out How Type Works by Erik Spiekermann
Erik Spiekermann’s bestselling book on designing with type has been fully updated with some new information on mobile and web typography. You will be able to express yourself more effectively in your writing as you consider what you are saying when you choose certain fonts. It is a fun, fast read, and you will be able to learn something that you didn’t pick up on before, every time when you open its pages.
5. Type Matters! by Jim Williams
Think that you don’t really need to understand anything about type since you’re not a designer by trade? You might be surprised where and when you’ll need to understand what the particular type is all about. Since everyone today has access to hundreds of fonts and is constantly writing letters, emails, papers, reports, and many other documents, none of us is exempt from the need to learn more about typography. Type Matters! will help you solve all of your typography problems within a beautifully clear layout that you’ll enjoy looking at, every time you read it.
It’s quite important to express the information in your paper correctly, both by using valuable sources as well as by using the proper type. Therefore, get these books at your desk, and use them when it is needed to create perfect papers.
