This month's review is inspired by the recent PDC interview with title designer Dan Perri, who graciously shared some of his favorite books on the subject, and led me to delve deeper into the world of title design.
THE VISUAL HISTORY OF TYPE (by Tom McNeil, 2017)
The Visual History of Type is a comprehensive, detailed survey of the major typefaces produced since the advent of printing with movable type in the mid-fifteenth century to the present day. Arranged chronologically to provide context, more than 320 typefaces are displayed in the form of their original type specimens or earliest printing. Each entry is supported by a brief history and description of defining characteristics of the typeface.
Buy the book here.
SAUL BASS: A Life in Film and Design (by Jennifer Bass and Pat Kirkham, 2011)
Saul Bass is one of the most iconic and influential visual communicators of the 20th century, having broken out of the conformity of the 1950s to shape the aesthetic of generations of designers and animators with his bold and lively film title sequences and graphic design. Yet no definitive monograph of his prolific, monumental work has existed — until now. This book, designed by Bass’s daughter Jennifer and written by renowned design historian Pat Kirkham, is a formidable 428-page volume featuring more than 1,400 of Bass’s illustrations, many never before published, that offer an unprecedented look at his legacy and the creative process behind his most celebrated posters, title sequences, and logo designs.
To buy the book go to Amazon.
EARTHQUAKES, MUDSLIDES, FIRES AND RIOTS: California and Graphic Design, 1936-1986
(Louise Sandhaus, 2014)
This is the first publication to capture the enormous body of distinctive and visually ecstatic graphic design that emanated from California throughout most of the twentieth century. Edited and designed by graphic designer Louise Sandhaus, this is a raucous gathering of smart, offbeat, groundbreaking graphic design from the “Left Coast”. The fruit of more than a decade of research, this substantial 432-page hardcover is arranged in four sections: “Sunbaked Modernism,” “Industry and the Indies,” “60s Alt 60s” and “California Girls.” Included are vibrant color reproductions of books and magazines; posters; title cards or title sequences; motion graphics; architectural supergraphics; print and environmental designs and much, much more.
ART OF THE TITLE (www.artofthetitle.com)
Art of the Title is an online publication for title sequence design, spanning the film, television, conference, and video game industries. Featuring title design from countries around the world, honoring the creators and innovators who contribute to the field, discussing and displaying their work with a desire to explicate, facilitate, and instigate.
UNCREDITED: Graphic Design & Opening Titles in Movies (Index Books, 2008)
This book presents the background to the present, future and inevitable trends of motion graphics. More than 1000 films, more then 300 credits sequences, more than 200 creators - UNCREDITED is the first text to give a general and historic insight into the role which graphic design plays in films, from the dawn of cinema to present day. It presents a critical analysis of the opening title sequences, thus throwing light on the typographic work and composition of anonymous designers or of those rarely credited. An analysis which as well as revisiting the best known artists such as Saul Bass, Pablo Ferro, Maurice Binder and Kyle Cooper, uncovers the incursion of prestigious designers into this specialty such as Tibor Kalman, Milton Glaser, David Hillman, Juan Gatti and Simon Taylor.
To purchase the book visit Abe Books.
The TYPE DIRECTORS CLUB
The Type Directors Club was founded in 1946 by some of the industry’s leading practitioners, and is the leading international organization whose purpose is to support excellence in typography, both in print and on screen.
The TDC holds two yearly type competitions: one for the use of type and the letterform in design and the other, typeface design. The winners are reproduced in our Typography Annual, as well as displayed in seven exhibits that travel worldwide. In addition to celebrating outstanding achievements, the typography competitions and resulting annuals serve as important historical records of typographic trends, and are an invaluable resource for both designers and scholars.
The TDC offers lectures, classes and monthly Type Salons in its Manhattan space, which also features exhibitions of typography throughout the year. The TDC is the home for typography—a physical meeting place and a strong professional affiliation.
To see more visit the TDC website.
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