The authors of the following books work with type for a living, and although they weren’t all responsible for their book designs, I was intrigued to know what typeface combinations were chosen to represent their words.
The comparative images that follow show the mid-weight members of the respective type families, but it should be noted that some of the books use other weights, too. And a few of the books use just one type family throughout.
The Elements of Typographic Style (fourth edition, 2013), by Robert Bringhurst
— Minion (Robert Slimbach) and FF Scala Sans (Martin Majoor)
Elements of Typographic Style, photo via Stefan Imhoff
The Geometry of Type (2013), by Stephen Coles, foreword by Erik Spiekermann
— Baskerville Original (Storm) and Benton Sans (Cyrus Highsmith, Tobias Frere-Jones)
The Geometry of Type, photo via Ralph Herrmann
The Complete Manual of Typography (2011), by Jim Felici
— Perpetua (Eric Gill) and Syntax (H E Meier)
The Complete Manual of Typography
Type and Typography (second edition, 2011), by Phil Baines and Andrew Haslam
— FF Meta (Erik Spiekermann) and Swift (Gerard Unger)
Type and Typography
Type on Screen (2014), by Ellen Lupton
— Akzidenz-Grotesk (Berthold), Klavika (Eric Olson), and Fedra Mono (Peter Bil’ak)
Type on Screen, photo via Michael Surtees
Thinking with Type (second edition, 2010), by Ellen Lupton
— FF Scala Pro (Martin Majoor) and Thesis (Lucas de Groot)
Thinking with Type, photo via Lisa Whitaker
New Graphic Design (2014), by Charlotte and Peter Fiell, foreword by Steven Heller
— Akzidenz-Grotesk (Berthold), used in various weights throughout
New Graphic Design, photo via Rudd Studio
Designing Brand Identity (fourth edition, 2012), by Alina Wheeler
— Akzidenz-Grotesk (Berthold) and Univers (Adrian Frutiger)
Designing Brand Identity, photo via Andy Sernovitz
Graphic Icons (2013), by John Clifford
— Univers (Adrian Frutiger) and FF Scala (Martin Majoor)
Graphic Icons
How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul (second edition, 2010), by Adrian Shaughnessy
— Akzidenz-Grotesk (Berthold)
How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul, photo via Bibliothèque
100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design (2012), by Steven Heller and Véronique Vienne
— Swift (Gerard Unger) and Gotham (Hoefler & Co.)
100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design, photo via The Salt Lab
Thoughts on Design (reissue edition, 2014), by Paul Rand, foreword by Michael Bierut
— Bodoni Book (Giambattista Bodoni, Morris Fuller Benton)
(I’ve not seen the original 1947 edition, but I think it was set using a different typeface. Do you know?)
Thoughts on Design, photo via Khoi Vinh
Popular Lies About Graphic Design (2013), by Craig Ward
— Garamond Pro (Adobe) and Futura Medium (Linotype)
Popular Lies About Graphic Design, photo via Anna
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Elsewhere, the Fonts In Use site is a nice resource, and the typeface combinations from the Explorations in Typography book are interesting.
“The possibilities for combining two typefaces are endless, however, a basic guideline to start with is to select 1) a serif and a sans that 2) have similar shapes. To find typefaces with similar shapes, look for ones designed by the same designer or created during the same era.”
Tim Brown wrote a short book called Combining Typefaces. And pairing typefaces in book design is a relevant read from the archives.
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