Just My Type: A Book about Fonts

Never Look at Signs the Same Way Again

"Just My Type: A Book About Fonts" by Simon Garfield is a non­fic­tion book about fonts. After read­ing this book I will never look at signs the same way again.

The book doc­u­ments the his­tory of fonts and type­faces from Guten­berg to mod­ern dig­i­tized ver­sions. Using humor the author tells of the impact of fonts on busi­ness and cul­ture.

"Just My Type" by Simon Garfield is a humor­ous and enter­tain­ing book which will change the way you look at the world. Like me, most peo­ple prob­a­bly don't think much about fonts, unless they're ugly, unfit­ting or dif­fi­cult to read.

As it turned out there are font afi­ciona­dos out there, enough to merit heavy dis­cus­sions on IKEA chang­ing its font and to reli­giously main­tain Inter­net groups. That is not includ­ing those whose liveli­hood depends on fonts (authors, design­ers, adver­tis­ers, etc.).

f you know noth­ing about typog­ra­phy don't worry, the sec­ond chap­ter explains com­mon terms which you'll want to know because the first chap­ter already hooked you in by dis­cussing font related anec­dotes about Comic Sans. Between chap­ters there are "Font Breaks", which praise fonts, tells of font con­tro­ver­sies as well as great sto­ries about dead typog­ra­phers and inter­views with those who are still among the living.

The book is a quick tour around the world, not only by look­ing at road signs, but by includ­ing movies, TV shows, album cov­ers, mag­a­zines, movies, com­put­ers and more. What I found even more fas­ci­nat­ing is the mis­use of fonts in movies, fonts that are used in time-period movies but have actu­ally been cre­ated later in history.

In this lively book you'll dis­cover how fonts are picked for road signs (very impor­tant), how are they tested at high speeds and what do fonts say about prod­ucts and politi­cians. Of course one could make the very legit­i­mate argu­ment that politi­cians are prod­ucts, but that's a dif­fer­ent book.

Among the many tid­bits in the book you'll find some gems such as how the @ sign is called in dif­fer­ent lan­guages (strudel in Hebrew, escar­got in French), the secrets of Rolling Stone's "R" and why the "T" is low­ered on the Bea­t­les' logo. You'll also read sto­ries about the font mak­ers and their curi­ous lives.

No book about fonts will be com­plete with­out the "worst of" sec­tion. Mr. Garfield does well by stay­ing away from home made fonts and cov­er­ing only those made by pro­fes­sion­als; oth­er­wise that sec­tion would prove to be unruly.

Mr. Garfield did a great job writ­ing an intrigu­ing book on, what could have been a very bor­ing sub­ject, the his­tory and analy­sis of fonts. The author com­pleted that feat by writ­ing a cheeky book about the human side and our reac­tion to fonts. An added detail to this won­der­ful book is that most of the font names are printed in that font.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

This Fun Book Should be Everyone's "Type"

Per Janet Maslin's rave in the New York Times, JUST MY TYPE deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Lynne Truss's EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES -- and for the same word-loving audience, not just (excuse the pun) graphic design types. This is a great, fun, and eye-opening book for anyone who loves the written word.
I'm someone who generally pays more attention to what words say than how the letters are formed, and yet I found this to be one of the most enjoyable books I've read in years. Might have something to do with the author being from the UK, where clever writing is clearly emphasized and appreciated. For sheer writing quality, and therefore reading pleasure, it was an actual page-turner. To say nothing of the fun of the many witty visual samples (and captions) interspersed throughout.
As I've previously found with works by Malcolm Gladwell & Atul Gawande, Simon Garfield's book brought both reading pleasure and intellectual gratification in its combination of light-touch prose and behind-the-scenes history. It's not exaggerating to say this book has changed my whole perception of the reading experience from both a tactile and an historical point of view. Indeed it changes my visual appreciation of the world OUTSIDE of books in a way that hasn't happened since my sitting through two semesters of The History of Western Art in college! Immersed while on the crosstown bus, I found myself lifting my eyes to examine every awning I passed, wondering what is that font, how old is it, who chose it for this store or billboard, etc. etc.
Treat yourself to appreciating the world in a new way, spotting details you may have never paid attention to before, and enjoying a few chuckles (and even a gasp or two) along the way.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Kritters Ramblings

I may not be the girl who notices the small details or differences in ads or commercials, but I do love how the subtle differences in font can change the way something reads. As a bona-fide reader, I can definitely feel a difference between a more manly font compared to a more feminine font. From the history of fonts and typography to where a few fonts were specifically created, this book took a humorous and educational approach to teaching the reader what makes a font a font.

At times there was a little too much education for me, but I think even your average reader would love to learn about how the art of typography has evolved, even from the production side. How the computer has completely changed how accessible fonts are? And to the job of a font designer - where is the money?

A book that I am passing onto my sister a graphic designer, craft guru, but also one that I would pass onto my fellow reader. Why is one drawn to a certain font? How does Microsoft dictate what font is default? I think this book answers many questions that the typical reader may have thought from time to time.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I very much enjoyed this book; I now look at signs, menus, books

I very much enjoyed this book; I now look at signs, menus, books in a much different way. It covers so many different themes and topics that you are not learning only about fonts, but about art and social history. If you liked Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything or At Home, I bet you will enjoy this book. It was actually fun and delightful to read while even being educational and I feel it is one of the best books I've read in the past year.

Scattered and Dry

A collection of random thoughts about fonts, loosely tied together and underwhelming

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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