INFORMATION
Author(s): Paul McNeil
Print length: 672 pages
Dimensions: 25.72 x 30.48 cm
Format: Hardcover
Price: 2.699.000 VND
Weight: 3.428 g
Publisher: Hachette
Publication year: 2017
INTRODUCTION
"The Visual History of Type: A Visual Survey of 320 Typefaces" is a large-scale, definitive reference for anyone involved in typography, graphic design, or branding. The book chronicles the history of typefaces from the invention of movable type in the mid-fifteenth century up to the present day. Over 320 typefaces are presented via their original type specimens or earliest known prints, arranged in chronological order to show how design trends, technological capabilities, and cultural shifts influenced typographic forms across time.
Each typeface is accompanied by a brief historical note explaining its origin, designer (if known), defining features, and how it has been used. This allows readers to see not just form, but context—how old forms responded to printing constraints, aesthetic movements like Art Nouveau or Modernism, and how digital typography has reinterpreted classical designs. The large format and rich visual layout make the book especially suited as both a scholarly resource and a coffee-table inspiration piece.
The book is invaluable for graphic designers, typographers, students of design, historians of print and media, or anyone fascinated by how letters have evolved. This is a reference book that combines visual richness with rigorous research, offering both inspiration and deep understanding of typography’s development.
