Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An updated and expanded edition of a classic book on 20th-century graphic design



Twentieth-Century Type surveysthe 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.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This survey of 20th-century type adds a critical view of the last decade, taking into account the enormous influence of digital technology and the Internet on visual design and communication. With over 200 color illustrations (300 total), the book is beautiful, but the real treat here, as in the previous edition (Twentieth-Century Type Remix, 1999), is Blackwell's engaging prose. His passion for type and its ubiquitous presence and influence in our lives will infect even casual readers. Besides the influence of digital technology, he addresses mass production, the art director, layout grids, and the Macintosh. There is enough new material to make this an essential choice for libraries with a demonstrated interest in the field. It won't soon be surpassed as the definitive treatment, so, for the price, other libraries will want to consider it as well.-Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

20th-Century Type is a new and revised edition, most of the content already existing in former versions ("1st ed.," CH, Mar'93). The strength in this newer work is in the examples. Images are large and in full color, some unseen except in black and white in similar works. Each chapter encapsulates a decade, with the divider pages designed by notables in the field of typography. This quality publication has a nice minimalist design approach to its pages. Although classified as a paperback, the paper itself is of substance, to which interested parties would relate also. The only section of the book that one might question is the type description and classification section in the back of the book. For a book based on a linear order, it seems strange to this reviewer that Blackwell did not carry the structural order through the entire work. However, a worthy addition to any library that collects materials on type. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals; two-year technical program students. J. V. Trieschman Art Institute Online

Author notes provided by Syndetics

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).