Revival of the Fittest: Digital Versions of Classic Typefaces

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Summary: Digital typography book: Revival of the Fittest
Review: Dear Readers,

New technology has dramatically upgraded the appearance and encouraged the proliferation of many contemporary versions of the great classic typefaces. Revival of the Fittest, a new book from the publishers of Print magazine, explores the phenomenon creating a surge of interest in these revivals. Profusely illustrated with digital versions of Bodoni, Caslon, Garamond, Baskerville and others, these faces are contrasted with their mechanical originals in settings for magazines, ads, books, and Web sites. Also included will be interviews with leading typeface revivalists such as Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones, and Matthew Carter who comment on the appeal of their versions of these faces, as well as type designers such as Johnathan Barnbook who have been influenced by the classics in developing exciting original creations. With scores of innovative applications of the featured faces, Revival of the Fittest demonstrates that classic means cutting-edge in the digital age.

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Summary: A Letdown
Review: I regret to say that Revival of the Fittest is a letdown. While it is visually attractive, there are errors (though some are relatively benign), and an incorrect statement that should not have survived the editorial process. Teachers should be warned away from this book, seductive as the graphics and layout may be. This reviewer works in font production at Agfa Monotype, one of the type companies whose fonts are discussed in the book (mostly in a positive manner, so there are no axes to grind), and he is familiar with the material. These are some of the problems: A misspelled name (pg 28) and a wrong date (pg 22) should have been caught by proofreaders/fact checkers. There is a factual error on page 23 about kerning with the Monotype hot metal typecasting machine. On page 52 the statement is made that Monotype PostScript fonts are not hinted. This is wrong information. Oddly, for a book about typefaces, the majority of which were designed for use in books, few examples of contemporary usage in text are shown; most examples are of advertising and posters. Comparisons of different versions of a font can be extensive, but without judging just what difference it makes, or what one version might be better used for versus another. The page layout can be clotted and uneven in color. Finally, I suggest much more mature books for a class on typography are Doyald Young's "Fonts and Logos", from Delphi Press, and Robert Bringhurst's "The Elements of Typographic Style".

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Summary: An Essential Design Book, and A work of art
Review: Internationally renowned historian, designer, author, and educator Philip B. Meggs, teams up with editor Roy McKelvey and a number of design graduate students to create his latest breathtaking work. Meggs is best known for his major work, A History of Graphic Design, which is the original, imperative, summital, unequaled, and ultimate work on design history. This new book, Revival of the Fittest: Digital Versions of Classic Typefaces, evidences Meggs' success as an educator, and reinforces his greatness as a designer, historian, author, editor, and brilliant mind. Roy McKelvey and the graduate students who participated in the making of the book should not be left out. They managed to work together, with Meggs, to produce a consistent and beautiful work drawn from a wide range of typographic influences and design concepts. (Surely Meggs' stellar knowledge of the history of design, and his experience as an author, were essential resources for this team.) The entire group does deserve praise for the work itself. The design of the book is creative, bold, inspiring, and even poetic. The well-written text of the book is highly informative while entertaining. It is a joy to read and view. Revival of the Fittest is a work of art in the world of books, and it is suspected by this reviewer that the mastermind, or the artist, behind this work was Philip Meggs. Regarding his work as an educator, the time and distance to which Meggs' influence will stretch can only be estimated, but undoubtedly the knowledge and enlightenment he has added to the world of art and design will have great repercussions far beyond our current comprehension.

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Summary: Proof that Classic is cutting edge in digital design
Review: Revival is a true celebration of classic typestyles, deeply rooted in the history, yet exercising powerful influence on today's world of visual communications. At the same time, it's a stunning visual milestone of layout and design.

The Revival team presents an exciting look at comtemporary versions of the great, classic typefaces, explaining the surge of interest in these revivals. Within these covers you'll find all the names you've heard, but may not be well acquainted with: Bodoni, Caslon, Garamond, Bembo, Didot, Clarendon, Cheltenham, Galliard, Jenson, and on and on. Each face is thoughtfully annotated with the history of its origins along with superb visual examples of the face in use.

Each spread is truly a visual treat -- you have no idea -- a lesson in good design. The text of the book is a complete course in typography that colleges and universities should adopt it as the text for "Introduction to Typography."

Spend a little time with this book and, like me, you'll be looking around for clients and projects where you can exercise this new shot-in-the-arm of design energy. If you design, or work with type and typography in any form, you should not hesitate even a second before ordering this book. If you read the pages of DT&G, or the Design Center, then you absolutely must have this book. When I refer to Centaur or Egyptian, Humanist or Frutiger, you'll share the understanding and great appreciation for the masters and the type faces they have bestowed upon the world of visual communications. It just doesn't get any better than this.

April 2002 Editor's Choice in The Design & Publishing Center and Design-Bookshelf.com

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Summary: Visual Comparison of the Great Typefaces
Review: The visual analysis of letterforms make the book worth the money. No other book is as broad in comparing the different "cuts" of the classics. I look forward to a book that has the breadth of Meggs and Carter's Typographic Specimens: The Great Typefaces while comparing the various versions of each face and similar faces. If you are bewildered by the vast number of type faces availible, then this book will explain how so many similarly named and similar looking faces came to be and how to discriminate among them. The book will teach you be more selective in your purchasing of typefaces.