Book number five

I'm doing quite well with my 2014 reading list. I read five books in January and am working on three at once for February. So many books, so little time!

Today I want to review that fifth book I read: 

I'm a big design nerd and reading this book pushed me right over the edge as far as typography is concerned. It an incredibly fascinating read as Simon Garfield takes us from the early days of hand scribed type to the revolutionary presses of Guttenberg and finally into the modern age where it seems like everyone in their dog has designed a typeface - or at least has one lurking in their imagination.

As a writer and artist I find type absolutely wonderful as it's not just what you communicate but also how you 'dress up' that communication. I felt like a sponge whilst reading this book as I soaked up interesting tie bits about the type that we all see every day. I already knew about the pervasiveness of Helvetica but I didn't really that one of my favourite fonts, Trebuchet, was one designed by the very same who introduced the much reviled Comic Sans to the world. I knew that Times New Roman (What my blog normally publishes in) was created for the Times but I had no idea Futura (Sorry, Blogger doesn't have this one) is nearly 90 years old!

It really was a fun romp to read and I was almost sad to reach the end. If anything it's sparked my curiosity even more and I'll be seeking out similar historical accounts of design.