Type it up (5/5)

Here is an essential not in the book. The three pages below show ragged right copy. If an image is butted into the copy the lines next to the image should be squared-up.  A much neater solution that I doubt you will ever see in another publication.

The number one hundred is always a fave for publishers: one hundred cooking; DIY; gardening; decorating or typographic tips. Author Saltz has written a worthwhile collection of principles that will benefit a design starter or seasoned professional.

The book is divided into four main sections: Letter; Word; Paragraph; Page and these are broken down into twenty-five or twenty-six sub-sections. each spread has an individual subject and a few words about it. The main focus of the book is design reproductions supporting each spread's subject. These are all captioned with technical detail. Most of the reproductions are printed matter with a smattering of packaging or signs in the environments. Nicely there is some negativity, number twenty-seven is titled Typographic abominations, with three examples.

I was pleased to see that visually all the reproductions are large enough to see what is going on, unlike some books for designers that use far too much white space on each spread. The book is well worth getting and cheap enough if you look around the web.

US

Typography Essentials Revised and Updated: 100 Design Principles for Working with Type: Saltz, Ina: 9781631596476: Amazon.com: Books

UK

Typography Essentials Revised and Updated: 100 Design Principles for Working with Type : Ina Saltz: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Typography Essentials Revised and Updated: 100 Design Principles for Working with Type : Ina Saltz: Amazon.co.uk: Books

In the summer the British play

Published in 1994 so well out of print now but I found a copy in a second-hand bookshop. What caught my eye was the lovely painting on the cover. It was done by illustrator Matthew Cook. The twenty-two British summer events each have a page illustration in this landscape-shaped book, actually, some of the events have additional pictures and lots of small black and white ones.

The British season in the book starts in May with the Chelsea Flower Show and runs on to October and November with the International Rugby at Twickenham (of course, the British summer is well and truly over by then). The events are an interesting mix of established sporting and cultural occasions but also included are what I would call everyday events like tea at Betty's Cafe in Harrogate, the Nottinghill Carnival, or Blackpool illuminations.

Paul Duncan writes about all these seasonal happenings in a pleasant conversational way and provides lots of background detail and nicely gives Insider Tips for many of them. A lovely book about the British at play.

The man who talked type (5/5)

Right The 1985 book is the only other worthwhile look
at Lubalin's work, ISBN 978-0931144288

This sumptuous book, written by Adrian Shaughnessy, covers, in-depth, the work of Herb Lubalin, one of America's greatest mid-century designers.  The first eighty pages have an illustrated essay about Lubalin's professional life. 

The remaining pages, printed on a matt art paper have hundreds of examples of his work,  divided into three sections: Advertising; Typography; Editorial. This last section has the most pages with spreads from Eros, Fact, Avant Garde and especially U&lc. With U&lc his visual genius was allowed to flower because the publication was aimed at other designers. Issue after issue sparkled with his unique take on typography and page design.

The book is a celebration of Lubalin's work who, over forty years, created some remarkable visual ideas that still look fresh and exciting today.