Book Description
This book is a hands-on guide to the entire process of making logos and fonts and even icons, all of which, essentially, start with the ability to draw letterforms. The intent of the book, in fact, is to enable the user to end reliance on "OPF" (other people's fonts) and learn to draw your own custom logos, fonts and lettering! There are many books on the market that simply display collections of logos and fonts, and that give the history of logos and fonts. But Logo, Font & Lettering Bible is unique in that it teaches you how to create logos and fonts from scratch using traditional tools as well as the computer programs Adobe Illustrator and Fontographer (plus a bit about FontLab). The book provides all the traditional rules and tips about letter formation relating to proportion, shaping, balance, spacing, composition and actually teaches five different methods of drawing letters on computer using bezier curves. There has never been a book like this one that goes into so much detail about drawing letters and takes such a fun and irreverent approach while doing so. The book is also full of inspiration and analysis of tons of great examples of vintage and current lettering from old manuscripts to graffiti. Logo, Font & Lettering Bible also shows you how to create fancy drop shadows and other type effects. And finally, the last section provides straight talk on the business of being a logo and font designer, from advertising your work and pricing to dealing with difficult clients (aren't they all?).
This book has been almost unanimously acclaimed by professional letterers, logo designers and font creators, both young and old. It is currently in use as a text in many typography programs and several Design college educators have stated it is one of the few texts that "students are actually happy about having to purchase."
Customer Reviews:
My secret weapon!.......2007-08-17
Not only is it a terrific and easy-to-understand how-to book, but a fabulous idea-starter and it doubles as a coffee table book because it's beautiful to just thumb through.
An Excellent Book for a Typophile!.......2007-06-18
As a design instructor, I found this book an excellent resource for ideas and examples. It has a thorough explanation of Bezier curves, which is invaluable in understanding how vector based applications like Adobe Illustrator, work. Fine examples of type design are included as well.
Candy store for creative minds (recommended).......2007-04-01
Yummy! With humor, clear illustrations, and useful suggestions, Cabarga provides a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to be a letterer, illustrator, font or logo designer. But this hardbound book is not just for "wanabes." I found it includes comprehensive coverage of most everything learned throughout 30 years in the same disciplines along with new valuable timesaving tips. If I had the patience and tenacity to attempt such a compilation, it could be no more complete and not nearly as well presented as LOGO FONT & LETTERING BIBLE. My essay can now be reduced to three words: "What he says."
Leslie Cabarga, a talented illustrator and designer in his own right, does not limit examples to his own. World-renowned artists such as Gerard Huerta, Michael Doret, Tim Nikosey, Tony DiSpigna, and Seymour Chwast -- four dozen in all -- contribute to the wealth of inspiration. In the 1980's I had the privilege of working with uncles for one of these typography leaders -- producing over 200 hand-lettered packaging logos. It was there that I first saw an original triple outline inking of flourished letters by Gerard Huerta and was privileged to study a fraction of the techniques used.
Cabarga urges readers to become critics of their own work. This also reminds me of employment at the Huertas. A bulge could occur when joining curves using technical pens. After working on it for a while and thinking to myself "It's good enough," this infinitesimal area would be the first thing the creative director would point out. After admitting that I saw it too, he remarked, "If you saw it, why show it to me?" I quickly learned to be obsessively concerned about adjoining curves. Ink bulges may not be a problem today with digital lettering but there are other telltale signs of an amateur. Cabarga shows what to look for.
Your eyes are in for a tasty treat. Beautiful examples of calligraphy, and their influence on Roman font characters, are well demonstrated and discussed. But the book is by no means limited to calligraphy. Cabarga patiently differentiates cartooning, illustration, logo design, icon artwork, trademarks, and font design. LOGO FONT & LETTERING BIBLE compares digital tools such as the now defunct Macromedia FreeHand (my past favorite), Adobe Illustrator (which has supplanted the former), the seemingly forgotten Mac OS 9 version of Macromedia Fontographer (which in 2005 was integrated into the FontLab line of digital typography tools and updated to Mac OS X -- hooray!), and the preeminent FontLab.
LOGO FONT & LETTERING BIBLE covers the history of typography and encourages users to build a library of signage photos and magazine scraps for inspiration. Each subject I thought might be overlooked was eventually covered. Even esoteric techniques such as what I refer to as character ink reservoirs (called clog reduction on page 115) are here. Skeleton Strokes on page 152 demonstrates wonderful timesaving suggestions for digital lettering. Optical character spacing and stroke widths are discussed in detail beginning on page 112. Do you want to learn how to clean up the best scans for converting drawings to vector art? Jump over to page 158. Everything you want to know about Bezier (pronounced "Bez-zee-ay," thank you) curves but were afraid to ask is, well, practically everywhere but particularly in the section Bezier Curves for Cowards that begins on page 140.
Mississippi readers will approve. Just as I was thinking, the author needs to demonstrate how to arch text on a path (FreeHand did a better job than Illustrator), I turned to page 191 and, bam! There it is. The comparison on page 226 of residual shape differences in Illustrator and Fontographer after Bezier points are removed from a path is insightful. Not to leave you hanging, the book concludes with suggestions for getting work, building a portfolio, and negotiating fees. Additional resources and a helpful index rounds out 240 pages, which, like all trips to a candy store, seem to end too soon.
Great resource!.......2007-03-09
I found the book to be a great resource in logo creation. The mock logos section quickly steers one in the direction to go in your own projects. The typography part of the book is also a very interesting read. With examples and the background for the fonts in use today.
You can of course find all of this information on your own and in fact most of the issues in this book are familiar to a seasoned designer. But still I found it tremedously interesting to refresh the knowledge of the letters and their different forms.
One minus for me was in part a very cluttrered layout. Though not unreadable it was in places quite colourful and abundant - to a point where the main issue sometimes took a second seat. All in all a great book. Highly recommended!
Fun, witty and informative.......2007-03-05
A designer colleague loaned me this book and it has been a very enlightening and hilarious read. Leslie Cabarga is a very effective communicator; he combines humor, graphics, and verbal communication to tremendous effect, and beginner types like myself come out much richer for the experience. There's really a lot in this book, whether you're looking for hard and fast rules or maybe just a more robust visual sensibility, and it's got plenty of wit to spare.
Highly recommended.
Book Description
"A fun and varied collection of recent posters, books, ads, and other designed pieces that all employ type that is scrawled, scratched, stitched, or otherwise noodled."—Communication Arts
Hand-drawn graphics mark a return to the creator's immediacy and craft. Increasingly, advertising campaigns, CD covers, and branding are adopting the rough-hewn style of manually created typography. This is the first publication to offer a complete overview of handwritten typographics, drawing on an extensive array of letterforms from around the world.
At the heart of the book are hundreds of examples, presented in creative themes: "Scrawl" (letterforms that are raw, splotchy, untidy); "Scratch" (scraped, cut, and gouged fonts); "Script" (type that is sinuous and ornate); "Simulate" (faces that have been redrawn or copied); "Shadow" (dimensional, voluminous, and monumental letterforms); "Suggestive" (forms that imply the metaphorical, surreal, and symbolic); and "Sarcastic" (the ironic, comic, and satiric in lettering).
In an age of digital typography, Handwritten returns to the values of craft. This outstanding collection of unusual, meticulously wrought, and often breathtaking pieces is a must for students and practitioners of design. 500+ illustrations, most in color.
Customer Reviews:
From a teaching pt of view.......2007-07-21
Nice range of examples categorized by how they look. An example is "ornate, curlique, sinuous". More a look book reference than a topic/subject reference. Examples include books, posters, ads, CD/DVD, web designs...all using art with a human touch.
Inspiring and informative.......2006-09-21
Handwritten is a history lesson and an inspiration piece, breaking into a series of successive styles from polished to grunge. The exploration is seemingly complete, and as the above commentor wrote, will inspire you to pick up a pencil and sketchbook, and have at it.
a diverse and complete collection of graphic design that merges the handwritten with the computer.......2006-05-05
Heller and Ilic's book is a collection of (in my opinion, and theirs), exemplary work in the world of graphic design in which the "handwritten" has been implemented in the artists' works.
Examples range from magazine covers, traditional advertisements, film festival posters, album covers, book covers and other media/art. There is a wide range of styles covered, and though there is not a lot of text that accompanies each featured piece, the descriptions of the work are insightful to how (in the opinion of the authors) the text/design work, and in what ways. For instance, the authors comment on one poster which used a childish scrawl saying, "Scrawl is most effective when located with a generous helping of negative space, as is portrayed elegantly in this poster etc.etc."
Though you might not agree with their observations, you will most definitely get something valuable out of your disagreement, wether it is a better sense of your own visions and style/likes/dislikes.
All in all, this book is worth the money. It is bound to inspired you to break out a pencil and your sketchbook again.
Book Description
In an age of myriad computer fonts and instant communication, your handwriting style is increasingly a very personal creation. In this book, Margaret Shepherd, America's premier calligrapher, shows you that calligraphy is not simply a craft you can learn, but an elegant art form that you can make your own.
Calligraphy remains perennially popular, often adorning wedding invitations, diplomas, and commercial signs. Whether it is Roman, Gothic, Celtic, Bookhand, or Italic style, calligraphy conveys class and elegance. Margaret Shepherd makes this ancient art form accessible in a completely hand-lettered technical guide that will:
* Provide context for calligraphy as an art, exploring the rich tradition of hand-lettering and mapping the evolution of the most popular styles.
* Give detailed technical advice on choosing pens, paper, and inks, setting up your workspace, mastering various pen angles, along with step-by-step illustrations to guide you as you practice.
* Explain which alphabets are appropriate for different forms of writing. For example, the Roman alphabet works well for short, unpunctuated passages, while the Italic alphabet is more suited to informal everyday communication.
* Encourage you to personalize your lettering by using variant strokes and interpreting how you would like the words to look on the page.
* Inspire you with carefully chosen illustrations and examples, which bring letters to life.
In Margaret Shepherd's own words, "Calligraphy trains not only your eye and hand, but your mind as well."
Learn Calligraphy is the authoritative primer for this age-old craft, and will help develop a new appreciation for lettering as you discover your creative personality.
Customer Reviews:
Art in hand writting.......2007-09-19
Margaret Shepherd has written many books about this subject (Calligarphy), this is special because include a sort of recomendations for students.
I really enjoyed this book.
Good buy.......2007-06-06
This book is excellent. When I received my book, I started to practice for 1 week and now my handwritting is pretty.
Great Author, great books.......2007-04-14
I was really having a hard time picking out calligraphy how to books so i went to the book store. unfortunately they do not have a lot to choose from, at the second store i found a better selection and found Margaret Sheperd's books. Wow, great books and great way to learn, she has a funny side to her and this book is incredible, not only do you learn you have fun doing it. i also saw a few more books in her name. Unfortunately i didn't have very much time to look at them all and i cant wait to go back to see the rest. I am thinking of picking up all her books.
I think this is the best of the starter books. Very easy and a fun read too!
Cheryl
Response with gratitude.......2005-05-26
I am the author of this book and just want to respond that I agree with the very critical reviewer who felt strongly that Copperplate should have been included. I wish so too. But it would need a whole other set of supplies and hand positions. Copperplate comes along much later, and is really outside the main core of the broad-pen historic hands. Maybe some day!
To respond to Gary Bisaqa's review, I agree and I have covered the business end of calligraphy as a free-lance job, in a whole other book, Calligraphy Projects for Pleasure and Profit.
I wrote this, like all my other books, because I wish I'd had such a book when I started out. Thank you to others who wrote in to say that it helped them start out too.
Excellent book for learning.......2003-06-10
I am learning calligraphy and have looked at a number of books on the subject. This book is almost perfect. She gives you so much more than alphabets: key exercises to do before you start the alphabets, typical beginner's problems (most of which I have experienced!), practice pages you can reproduce. Her sections on swashes and "accessorizing" Gothic capitals are also wonderful - what had always seemed highly mysterious to me turns out to be a matter of combining building blocks, creativity, and - who would have thought - a lot of fun.
One thing she does not do is to cover every hand imaginable. There are lots of books like that out there. Rather, she only covers a small number of hands, but covers them very thoroughly, with a special eye to us novices. For example, once I got the basic hands down, I found one of my main problems was spacing the letters. Nothing looks worse than inconsistent horizontal spacing. She gives good coverage to this important issue, for example suggesting that you step back and look at it from a distance. Try it - if you're a novice, you'll be surprised at how different (and maybe bad) it looks.
I also very much enjoy the samples of projects that she shows as examples of how to apply each hand. In this she highlights the talents of (I assume) her friends, and it adds to the book. Looking at alphabet after alphabet as is done in typical calligraphy books, you don't get a good feel for how you'd use each one, and variations you can apply. Her other book "Calligraphy Projects for Pleasure and Profit" (which I also have) gives you lots more along these lines, but the ones in this book are different and I find them just as valuable.
I even like the way she letters the whole book in her (what she admits is slightly idiosyncratic) italic hand. You want examples - there's a whole book-length example. I don't agree with the other reviewer that this detracts from the book. It's as if she does it because it's fun - an important thing to remember when you're doing the drudgery of straight lines or circles.
The only tiny drawback, if it is one, is that the book doesn't contain a lot that is good to know about techniques of setting up a drawing table, selling, etc. For that (as well as an excellent chapter on type design by Hermann Zapf himself), the book "Calligraphy and Illumination" provides more than you ever wanted to know. I don't think that book replaces this one, however. I find Margaret's explanations well worth the small amount this book costs, and she is much more complete. She'll even autograph it for you (see her web site for details).
This is a wonderful book that every calligraphy student should have. If you can only have one, this is it.
Book Description
Comprehensive compilation of elegant, imaginative two-letter monograms — ideal for enhancing scrolls, certificates, awards and other graphic projects in need of calligraphic excitement. Easily reproduced, royalty-free letters are also perfect for use in art, needlework, craft and other decorative projects.
Customer Reviews:
2,100 victorian monograms.......2007-05-30
This book has the type of monograms I was looking for with decorative curly designs around the letters. The book arrived in a timely manner and is in good condition.
Disappointed with Amazon!.......2004-06-03
I paid $24 for this book only to receive it and the price is stamped on the back "$9.95 in USA"! I would look for this book elsewhere.
Disappointed.......2004-06-03
I paid $24 for this book only to receive it and the price is stamped on the back "$9.95 in USA"! I would look for this book elsewhere.
Average customer rating:
|
Lettering Arts (Library of Applied Design)
Joanne Fink , and
Judy Kastin
Manufacturer: Pbc Intl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Calligraphy
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Arts
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Calligraphy
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0866362258 |
Book Description
Spirited history, comprehensive instruction manual covers 13 important writing styles (ca. 4th century thru 15th). Fascinating facts about Roman Rustic, Uncial, Carolingian Minuscule, Early Gothic, 8 other styles; all examples beautifully photographed. Detailed directions for duplicating medieval techniques with modern tools. 232 illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Good Basic Book.......2007-07-27
Pros: Nearly half the book covers the history of calligraphy as well a selection of various scripts. The other half covers basic technique and specific instructions for 13 different scripts plus numerals.
Con: No colour images of period examples.
Great for SCA/reenactor
More colour please!.......2007-02-08
This is an excellent book with the exception of the glaring lack of colour in the photos.
Great explanations, good connnections between the different eras and styles, but again, if one is depending on a book for colour suggestion, this is not the tome.
Worth having in your library........2006-07-14
Medieval Calligraphy by Marc Drogin is comprehensive and historically informative, certainly worth having in your collection.
Historical/Instructional Manual .......2005-01-03
This is both an historical and an instructional manual with information on materials, supplies, and other resources. It shows the strokes for each letter, and has many examples and covers alphabet styles that almost no one else does.
The alphabet styles covered are: Roman Rustic, Uncial, Artificial Uncial, Roman Half-Uncial, Insular Majuscule, Insular Minuscule, Luxeuil Minuscule, Carolingian Minuscule, Early Gothic, Gothic Textura Quadrata, Gothic Textura Prescisus vel sine pedibus, and Gothic Littera Bastarda.
This is a standard reference for calligraphers in the SCA (SCA is the Society for Creative Anachronism, which is a group dedicated to researching and recreating the Middle Ages in the present.)
The only thing that I feel is missing in this book-is that the pictures are not in color.
Other than that this book is Great!
A Work Of Art.......2002-01-15
This book is a work of art and love in its self. The sheer number of positive reviews is a testament to that statement.
Book Description
Practical archive of extraordinarily beautiful and decorative letters of the alphabet splendidly ornamented with geometric and curvilinear motifs interwoven with royal and saintly figures, mythical creatures, knights in battle, exquisite florals, and much more. A wonderful glimpse of the ancient art of manuscript illumination.
Customer Reviews:
Nicely put together!.......2007-09-07
This is especially helpful for letter-illuminating, though you need to know what you're doing because there are no guiding instructions.
Calligraphy book.......2007-09-02
I didn't get as much from this book as I'd hoped. It is beautifully illustrated.
Unexpected.......2007-05-14
This was not what I expected. The letters are back to back so you will need to make a copy of the page you want otherwise you cut into the letters on the back of the page
Customer Reviews:
Entire book lettered in Calligraphy! Very impressive!.......1999-09-06
I have been teaching Calligraphy for over 20 years. I've reviewed many books, and I like this one the best. I recommend this book for my students. I suggest they buy this book first, then check out the others by this author, they're all outstanding!
An excellent guide for beginners........1999-02-18
This book is for people who want to do it right-- if you're looking for shortcuts to writing calligraphy, you won't find it here. The author gives you all the rules, techniques, and points to remember for creating authentic calligraphy, and starts with the oldest forms (with their brief histories) onward. It's interesting to discover some of the evolutions and developments of the written letter; this book gives you an appreciation for them. The entire book is even written in longhand calligraphy, not machine-typed, with a lot of good examples and projects. Excellent guide.
Average customer rating:
- Beautiful, inspirational
- Caligraphy, fancy the pen.
|
Letters in Gold Ottoman Calligraphy from the Sakip Sabanci Collection, Istanbul
Ugur Derman
Manufacturer: Metropolitan Museum of Art
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Renaissance
| Schools, Periods & Styles
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Middle Eastern
| Regional
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Museums & Collections
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Private
| Museums & Collections
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Calligraphy
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Religious
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Calligraphy
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Turkey
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Islamic
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside History Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0300086326 |
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful, inspirational.......2004-01-02
Letters of Gold is one of the most beautiful and informative books on Arabic calligraphy (khatt) I know. Ottoman calligraphy naturally strongly influenced calligraphy throughout the Islamic world, and in Arabic-speaking countries in particular. Certainly my two calligraphy teachers in the U.A.E. and Damascus had the highest regard for Turkish caligraphers.
As to the book, the introduction is the best I've ever seen: it covers the development of scripts, equipment and techniques, composition of pieces and concludes with a piece on the training of a scribe. All this is done with constant reference to the 71 examples in the book. The samples themselves are not, as so often in Western books on Islamic calligraphy, selected miniatures, but instead are frequently pages in the body of a work rather than merely ornate headings. It is possible, therefore, to concentrate on the khatt itself rather than the work of the anciliary craftsmen. The reproduction is excellent. Each piece of khatt has a facing-page biographical outline of the author and a small commentary on the khatt itself. Works range from the late fifteenth to the late twentieth centuries.
Terms are naturally presented in their Turkish form, so Arabists may need to guess the Arabic spelling of the word - it's not hard (h = h/H/kh, k = k/q, s = s/S/th, final Arabic b/d can become p/t). There's a glossary and a bibliography of works in English and Turkish. Anything else? I'd recomend the hardback edition.
Caligraphy, fancy the pen........1998-12-11
This is a well presented work explaining the art of caligraphy as well as presenting the marvelous pieces from the Sabanci Collection which have also toured the Met.
Book Description
Add sparkle and individuality to any print or graphic project with fancy letters from this design treasury. Specially selected from rare sources for their strong visual impact, this lavish collection features 818 letters, in a wealth of popular styles that range from medieval and Victorian to Art Nouveau and modern.
Customer Reviews:
truth in advertising.......2001-08-06
This inexpensive book and CD-rom does exactly what it says it will do which is produce great decorative letters. You can choose from approximately 25 styles of each letter in the alphabet.The images are easy to reference and are perfect for direct cut-and-paste. I'm not real great at deciphering most cd instructions but this is very simple. I wish more companys would take the hint. Simplicity is good.
Dover's electronic clip art is great1.......2000-12-12
I found this fun and easy to use! There is considerable variation in the letters, and I had no trouble finding uses for them, and expect I will find more in the future. It is inexpensive and hassle-free. I would recommend it!
Dover's Decorative Letters.......2000-06-14
Recently I needed a new company logo for my Real Estate firm. After recieving several different logos from various advertising firms I happened to glance thru this book and found just the perfect logo I was looking for. I use it everyday. It was then I made a fatal error and lent it out to someone and they lost it. I called the publisher of the book who in turn led me to Amazon.com. What a life saver! I typed in the book # in the search engine and it immediately popped up. I strongly suggest this book as well as Amazon.com
Books:
- Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall: An Artist's Country Estate (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)
- Making Polymer Clay Beads: Step-by-Step Techniques for Creating Beautiful Ornamental Beads
- Materials and Components of Interior Architecture (6th Edition)
- Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fourth Edition
- Monet in Normandy
- Monet in Normandy
- Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance
- Painting Beautiful Watercolors from Photographs
- Painting Houses, Cottages and Towns on Rocks
- Perspective! For Comic Book Artists: How to Achieve a Professional Look in Your Artwork
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- House of Good Hope: A Promise for a Broken City
- Celtic Dragon Tarot Kit
- The World of Biedermeier
- WINTER BIRDS: A Novel
- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
- Bioinformatics: A Practical Guide to the Analysis of Genes and Proteins
- Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary - A Photographic Remembrance
- Jack Lenor Larsen: Creator and Collector
- Why Children Misbehave and What to Do About It
- Identification of the larger fungi
Logo Design Workbook: A Hands-On Guide to Creating Logos
Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students (Design Briefs)
The Designer's Guide to Color Combinations: 500+ Historic and Modern Color Formulas in Cmyk
LogoLounge: 2,000 International Identities by Leading Designers
The Elements of Typographic Style
