Just My Type: A Book About Fonts
Author: Simon Garfield
Publisher: Profile Books
When I picked this out at random of a box that 60 other books I may have or may not have heard of, I was somewhat disappointed that it wasn't a book I knew nothing about.
Coincidentally, I own the hardback and the paperback edition of this book. This will give me a good idea of what differences they do and don't share which will give me a better understanding of analysing and expressing my own opinions on what this book was made for.
Simon Garfield
Garfield has released many books before, of which include:
- MY DEAR BESSIE
- TO THE LETTER
- ON THE MAP
- JUST MY TYPE
- EXPOSURE
- MINI
- THE ERROR WORLD
- PRIVATE BATTLES
- WE ARE AT WAR
- OUR HIDDEN LIVES
- THE LAST JOURNEY OF WILLIAM HUSKISSON
- MAUVE
- THE NATION'S FAVOURITE
- THE WRESTLING
- THE END OF INNOCENCE
Just My Type reaches out to an audience of the average person wanting to get informed about the world of fonts, without having knowledge of advanced terminology used within Graphic Design.
So, as well as being a reference book, it uses humour to engage the reader to want to continue to read, and I have personally gone through thus book a couple of times already and enjoyed it. This makes me think of it as more than just a reference book.
Purpose and Concept
"Just My Type is not just a font book, but a book of stories.", this is the first line of the info about the book over at Amazon. This actually sums up what I think about the book, it is not a book targeted at specific audiences, it is targeted at everyone. Yet I still have to meet a graphic designer that hasn't read this book, even still, I have come across a handful of people who are not in the discipline that have read it, out of pure curiosity or wanting to inform themselves of the history of type design and it's uses.
You can tell by the cover of Just My Type that it isn't for the purists, the cover design made by Peter Dyer, who works for the publisher of this book, 'Profile', this being said, the paperback version I would be quick to say it reflects the book's humour very well, this meaning I find it hard to take seriously. The medley of fonts which make up the words 'Just My Type' seems to go against the rules of design quite drastically, but for some reason or another, I find it endearing as it represents the book in ways that no other visual representation could possibly do.
The strongest point of this book, is its amazing ability to be so unintimidating. I find that whilst reading it, I can understand word for word what Simon Garfield wants the reader to think, feel and intemperate the given material. He gives valuable yet amusing information that no other book can.
What is the Context?
Covering previous points, collating these findings give me all I really need to narrow down the context of the given text. Simon Garfield uses real life experiences and stories to give the reader the wrongs and rights of using a given typeface within the everyday world. As well as non-fictional history of how type designers went about creating fonts that we see so often today.
Classification
The classification of JMT for the leeds college of art library is (estudio currently down, will update when back up and running)...
Looking further into classifications, the book itself is labelled as Reference/Humour, shops lhave listed it as the following:
WHSmiths - Reference Works
Waterstones - Reference > General Humour
Blackwell - Academic level - 'General'
Purpose and Concept
"Just My Type is not just a font book, but a book of stories.", this is the first line of the info about the book over at Amazon. This actually sums up what I think about the book, it is not a book targeted at specific audiences, it is targeted at everyone. Yet I still have to meet a graphic designer that hasn't read this book, even still, I have come across a handful of people who are not in the discipline that have read it, out of pure curiosity or wanting to inform themselves of the history of type design and it's uses.
You can tell by the cover of Just My Type that it isn't for the purists, the cover design made by Peter Dyer, who works for the publisher of this book, 'Profile', this being said, the paperback version I would be quick to say it reflects the book's humour very well, this meaning I find it hard to take seriously. The medley of fonts which make up the words 'Just My Type' seems to go against the rules of design quite drastically, but for some reason or another, I find it endearing as it represents the book in ways that no other visual representation could possibly do.
The strongest point of this book, is its amazing ability to be so unintimidating. I find that whilst reading it, I can understand word for word what Simon Garfield wants the reader to think, feel and intemperate the given material. He gives valuable yet amusing information that no other book can.
What is the Context?
Covering previous points, collating these findings give me all I really need to narrow down the context of the given text. Simon Garfield uses real life experiences and stories to give the reader the wrongs and rights of using a given typeface within the everyday world. As well as non-fictional history of how type designers went about creating fonts that we see so often today.
Classification
The classification of JMT for the leeds college of art library is (estudio currently down, will update when back up and running)...
Looking further into classifications, the book itself is labelled as Reference/Humour, shops lhave listed it as the following:
WHSmiths - Reference Works
Waterstones - Reference > General Humour
Blackwell - Academic level - 'General'
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