Today, I would like to introduce “Designing Type,” written by Karen Cheng, edited by Yoshihisa Shirai, and translated by Keiko Ihara.
This is a Japanese translation of the book published as “Designing Type” in 2006.
The history of Latin typeface and basic knowledge of typeface creation are summarized. In designing Latin typeface, character groups in different categories, such as upper case, lower case, numbers, symbols, etc., are incorporated into one typeface, and many approaches are taken to create an easy-to-read typeface. Although the creation method varies depending on the typeface design and application, the basic rules required for creating Latin typeface are explained using many illustrations and examples of actual typefaces in this book, so even a beginner can understand the process easily. This book is filled with information useful for not only those who are interested in creating Latin typefaces, but also for those who use Latin typefaces.
Among my friends abroad with whom I studied typeface design, many of them read this book during their school days. There are only few books related to Latin typeface that are published in Japanese, so I think this book is valuable. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to design Latin typeface but does not know where to start.
Also, in the Japanese edition, Type Project’s TP Mincho and TP Sky are used as the fonts for texts, and TP Sky Condensed is used for captions (Quadraat and Quadraat Sans are used for the Latin parts).
By using TP Sky Condensed for captions in contexts where many illustrations are used, compact coherence of text is provided, and information of illustrations and captions are organized for ease of viewing.
Book information:
Japanese Translation Edition
“Designing Type”
Author: Karen Cheng
Editor: Yoshihisa Shirai
Translator: Keiko Ihara
Publisher: Graphic-sha Publishing Co., Ltd.
English Edition
“Designing Type”
Author: Karen Cheng
Publisher: Yale University Press
Purchase information:
Japanese Translation Edition
Graphic-sha Publishing Co., Ltd.
http://www.graphicsha.co.jp/detail.html?p=44225
English Edition
Yale University Press
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300249927/designing-type
(XYZ)
Series archive Recommended Book / Book of the Month
- Book of the Month (2024 April): “Mincho Type: Its Origin and Formation”
- Book of the Month (February 2024): “Stroll with Typography: Observation of Characters on the Road”
- Book of the Month (September 2023): “Shintaro Ajioka’s Typeface Course”
- Book of the Month (July 2023): “Men Who are Possessed by the Type”
- Book of the Month (February 2023) : “The Visual History of Type”
- Book of the Month (December 2022) : “Reading Letters”
- Book of the Month (October 2022): “SANS SERIF”
- Book of the Month (June 2022): “’Typeface’ is Created”
- Book of the Month (March 2022): “Size-specific adjustments to type designs”
- Book of the Month (December 2021): “The Field Guide to Typography: Typefaces in the Urban Landscape”
- Book of the Month (November 2021): “Designing Type”
- Book of the Month (October 2021): “Writing Vertically Creates the Scenery of Words – Why Do We Need Two Japanese Writings in Vertical and Horizontal?”
- Book of the Month (September 2021): “Kanji, Katakana, and Hiragana – History of Japanese Notation”
- Book of the Month (August 2021): “Scripts: Elegant Lettering from Design’s Golden Age”