20th-Century Type

Twentieth-Century Type surveys the significant issues that have shaped the history and evolution of typography and graphic design, showing how current typographic trends are part of a continuously changing movement that can be plotted through the decades. Generously illustrated with over three hundred examples—more than two hundred of which are in color—the book charts significant topics including the arrival of mass-production; the birth of the art director; the appearance of the grid (and its subsequent rejection); the coming of non-print media; and the launch of the Macintosh computer and its ushering in of a new generation of designers enfranchised by digital technology.

This revised edition of a fundamental work brings the story up to date with new text and images covering type on screen and, in particular, type for the internet. Combining an assessment of the culture of experimentation in contemporary typographic design alongside a clear presentation of the field’s historical context, the book is an informed and accessible source for all students of design and for designers needing an expert overview of typography.

Lewis Blackwell is International Creative Director at Tony Stone Images. Formerly publisher and editor of Creative Review, his books include The End of Print (2000); David Carson, 2nd Sight: Grafik Design After the End of Print (1997), and (with Neville Brody) G1: New Dimensions in Graphic Design (1997).