Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The Evolution of Type takes you on a journey through the development of type design and typographic style from the mid-15th century to the present day, by way of 100 typefaces.

Chosen to represent the key elements of style and form used by the punch cutters, calligraphers and designers of their day, and presented in chronological order according to release date, each typeface is discussed in terms of its origins and its impact on the design and print industry, and latterly the additional considerations for screen use.

Versions released in metal type for hand-setting, as hot-metal type for the monotype and linotype machines, as phototype, and as digital revivals or originals, are covered in detail alongside information about the people responsible for the design and development of each adaptation of the typeface.

Key glyphs from each face are annotated to indicate the specific features that mark out how typeface design has evolved over the last 500 or so years, and visual comparisons illustrate how typefaces created years ago have influenced contemporary releases.

For the general reader, this book gives a fascinating insight into the history of the typefaces we have been reading for decades; for typographers and designers this book is a valuable resource that will help to inform their choice of the most appropriate typeface for any project.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Foreword Type is a fundamental part of written language in the modern world, and yet it is commonly treated as a static thing. Once cast into metal, it is fixed in time. But type is alive! Each typeface has an individual history. It is often born out of specific necessity, influenced by the artistic world in which its creator lives or designed to solve a particular problem. Some typefaces die soon after they fulfill this initial purpose, but others can live on far beyond their designers' intentions. They can travel through design movements, traverse formats and substrates both analog and digital, and evolve into the typographic offspring that we refer to as revivals and reinterpretations. If a typeface survives these journeys it can continue to live on as a tool in the hands of future generations, producing work its creator never imagined. And just as music has its archetypical artists or composers who represent a given genre (be it classical, blues, folk or rock), so does type. Certain typefaces define their classification or style; they set a standard, becoming the forebears by which all their followers are judged and compared. We know many of these classics well, whether its from the pages of our design-school textbooks (Bodoni, Garamond, Caslon, Futura) or the default font menus on our computers (Gill Sans, Times, Palatino, Helvetica). But how much do we really know about them? What was the context of the design world in which they were drawn? Were they in competition with other typefaces of the time? What life did they live after they were released? How did they survive the transition from metal to film to digital? Did they survive at all? Which typefaces followed in their shadow? In this book, Tony Seddon makes a daring and worthwhile attempt to answer these questions. The Evolution of Type is a biography of these living things we call typefaces. It tells their individual stories, and while at it, tells the story of typography as a whole. Stephen Coles Excerpted from The Evolution of Type: A Graphic Guide to 100 Landmark Typefaces by Tony Seddon All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This amazing book provides the background of 100 famous, chronologically listed typefaces. It is beautifully illustrated, well written, and authoritative; any student of letterforms will be delighted with the details presented here. Seddon, a freelance graphic designer, provides his personal choices of which versions of these typefaces to purchase, helpful guidance that is, of course, open to debate. Fine books such as this have appeared during each generational change in typographic technology, and this one is suitable for the age of pixels. The choice of which important typefaces of the last 20 years to include will be susceptible to major revision in another 20 years, but no harm is done by taking a stab at it, which the author does skillfully in bringing the work right up to the present. Font designers (such as this reviewer) will learn a great deal. If there is a slight quibble, it would be that some diagrams and arrows are a bit difficult to interpret; however, the clear text more than makes up for any editorial shortcomings. This is a very important work for anyone wishing to learn about the history of fonts, whether one is a student of graphic design or a professional who chooses typefaces. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All libraries/levels. --Steven Skaggs, University of Louisville

Booklist Review

Graphic designer and type historian Seddon presents the history of typography in 100 typefaces, moving chronologically from movable type to digital. Brief biographies of each typeface include descriptions of its origins and influence and annotated depictions with distinguishing features and side-by-side comparisons of subfamilies (e.g., roman versus italic) and versions. Each of the book's four main sections begins with an overview of the time period in printing and biographical sketches of a few of its notable type designers, from Aldus Manutius to Tobias Frere-Jones. For the novice, the book also includes a description of the type classifications and a type anatomy that illustrates the differences between a serif and a spur, a loop and a tail. Though marketed for the general reader as well as the practitioner, The Evolution of Type is likely to be of interest to a select few laypeople who are fans of the documentary Helvetica and eschew the use of Comic Sans.--Harmon, Lindsay Copyright 2016 Booklist